I have been going back and forth for months trying to pick out a rug for our living room.

For a while I even thought we didn’t need one — that it would be one more thing to keep clean.

Then, I realized that was my analysis paralysis talking and we do, in fact, need a rug in our main living space.

Not only will it cover a large portion of our floor until we’re ready to update it but it will help make this a cozy space for us to enjoy as a family.

There are so many things to think about as you’re picking out an area rug for any room in your home, and because I had never done it before, I didn’t know how much thought actually goes into this purchase. 

After all, large rugs can be a pricey investment depending on where you buy from and depending on the style, material, and the quality.

You don’t want to waste your money on something you’re not going to love for years to come or something you’ll soon have to replace because it can’t  hold up to foot traffic and general daily living.

Are you looking to invest in an area rug? Here are the things you should think about as you choose one for any space in your home.

Tip No. 1 /// Planning to purchase new furniture? Wait on that rug. 

New furniture might change the look, vibe, and possibly the layout of your room. This was one thing that held me up when buying an area rug for our living room. I knew we would purchase new furniture sooner rather than later and I had no idea what kind of configuration we would end up with or what color we would choose for our sofa or chairs.

Waiting until after our new furniture arrived and seeing it in our space allowed me to decide on a rug that wouldn’t clash with the shade of the sofa.

Tip No. 2 /// Read the reviews.

Do other buyers like the rug? What room in their home did they put it in? High traffic or low traffic area? Is it holding up well in a high traffic area? Is it easy to clean? How do reviewers describe the feel of the rug?

I picked out several rugs that I really liked but when I read the reviews, it was apparent that they would not work for our living room. They either didn’t clean up well in high traffic areas or photos that other buyers provided of the rug in their home did not at all resemble the picture of the rug online.

Tip No. 3 /// Pets? Children? Messy spouse? Find something that is labeled “easy to clean.”

Since we were choosing a rug for our living room — where we spend a majority of our time and the first room you walk into in our home — I needed something that is easy to clean. Especially since we have two pets and a baby on the way.

I have also learned that putting an outdoor rug inside works really well, too, when it comes to keeping a rug clean. We have a large outdoor rug in our kitchen (the messiest room in our house). It is easy to clean and also absorbs water spills quickly (since it’s made to get wet outside). Plus, it has been in our kitchen for 9 months and has zero stains. Keep an eye out for attractive outdoor area rugs you can use inside.

Tip No. 4 /// Determine the best size and shape for your space.

For our living room I went with an 8×10 rug to cover more floor space.

I wanted it to run the length of my couch since that is what would look best. A 5×7 would have been too small and anything larger than 8×10 would have been too big for the room.

If you’re buying a dining room or kitchen rug to fit under your table and chairs, make sure you select one that is large enough. When you pull out your chairs from under the table, you want your chairs to still be on the rug.

For bedroom(s), I like when an area rug is large enough to fit under the foot of your bed (with a decent amount peeking out from under the bed) and go all the way back to your nightstands. That leaves a lot of the rug under the bed itself, but gives you rug on each side and at the foot of the bed. If you have a king bed, an 8×10 rug should achieve this look for you. For a full or queen, a 6×9 will work.

Tip No. 5 /// Feel is everything. Think about material. 

I initially wanted a natural fiber rug made from jute or sisal for our living room. I love the way they look and since our living room is the heart of our home, I knew it would complement our home style perfectly. Plus, natural fiber rugs are the easiest to clean and most durable. However, the longer I thought about it, the more I realized natural fiber wasn’t best for this space. We will one day have an infant learning to crawl and a jute rug would destroy his delicate little knees and hands. I went back to my search and decided something softer and fluffier (but not too fluffy) would be best.

Common rug materials include:

  • Bamboo
  • Cotton
  • Hemp 
  • Jute 
  • Silk
  • Sisal
  • Wool 
  • Acrylic
  • Microfiber 
  • Polyester 
  • Polypropylene
  • Viscose

Tip No. 6 /// Solid or pattern? Light or dark?

I think the most difficult and also most exciting thing about choosing a new area rug for your home is deciding whether or not you want a solid or pattern and whether you want one that makes your room light or dark.

I love rugs with beautiful, bright colors; rugs with a boho style. For us, though, I knew I wanted a light rug to brighten up our living room and that it needed to pull neutral, cool tones or I would quickly get tired of looking at it (and rugs are too expensive to replace regularly). I also knew that a light, solid color rug was out of the cards since it was going in a high traffic area. While I love a good white rug, it would be a nightmare to keep clean in our living room. Nope, I needed something that was light enough to brighten our space and had enough pattern (but not too much pattern) to conceal dog hair and small amounts of dirt between vacuuming.

With an ivory background and grey-tone floral pattern, the rug I chose perfectly checks off those “musts.” 

Making minor updates to our living room before our first baby arrives in early 2020 was at the top of our to-do list. I mentioned earlier that our living room is the heart of our home, and I know we will spend even more time in here once our little guy arrives. I wanted to make sure we created a space that feels homey but also doesn’t sacrifice our personal home style for whatever is cheapest or most convenient. 

I’m so glad we were able to achieve that goal by adding this beautiful area rug to the space. This is definitely a room we will enjoy as a family of 3 for years to come.