As with most textiles, determining where your rug is gong to go will decide all of the other variants. Is this a rug for your living room, dining room, bathroom, bedroom, or hallway? Once you’ve decided on that, you can analyze the best options for the size, material, and style of the rug.

Size: There are a lot of traditional rules when it comes to the correct size of a rug. But most designers today will encourage you to break those rules! Since a rug is as much of a functional piece as it is a decorative piece, it’s really up to whatever works best for you. Some people will argue that an area rug should be large enough to cover the front legs of the furniture in a seating arrangement — since this will help pull the room together. But today, you’ll see a lot of professionally designed homes that mix it up — some front legs are on, all the front legs are on, or even rooms with no furniture legs on the rug! It’s your call as to what will look best with your room format and your style. Think about how much furniture is going to be moved around in the room you’re designing for. In a dining room, you

Material: The type of material you want for your rug is also going to depend on the room that it’s going in. How much traffic is this rug going to get? If it’s going at the foot of a bed, or somewhere else that doesn’t see a lot of foot traffic, you can opt for something a little more luxurious. But if you have pets, small children, or just a lot of people going in and out, you’ll want something that’s durable and easy to clean. Jute and woven grasses can be good choices, since they tend to hide dirt a bit better than more standard weaves. But if you have a pet, the woven material can get scratched up, so take that into consideration too. Know that a good rug is worth investing in. If you want something that’ll last, you’ll need to spend money on it — but odds are, it’ll outlast many other parts of your home.

Style: The look of the rug depends on you! The great thing about modern style is that you’re encouraged to break the rules. Mix and match patterns and colors to create a look that works best with your home. Put a cowhide rug with a soft oriental, throw a zebraskin under a leopard chair, or put a striped rug with an ikat cushion. Style is about functionality, practicality, and what works best for you! Sometimes, the rules were meant to be ignored.

Find rugs design ideas here.