Furnishing a house is one of the joys of decorating.
Choosing exactly what prints to put up on the wall, which cushions and throws to make your sofa extra inviting and how to arrange the furniture you’ve carefully picked out are all ways to express your personality and put a stamp on the place you call home.
While plenty of thought is given to walls and ceilings, the floor is often an afterthought, and that’s a real shame because there’s plenty of gold-level potential there.
Whether you’ve got hard floors or a carpeted space, a well-chosen rug can bring your space to life.
Bold shades can inject colour into the space while patterns add texture and interest. Choose the right dimensions for your space and a rug can even perform the interiors magic trick of making your room appear bigger, a helpful tip for anyone living in a small space.
Conversely, if you have large open-plan places that you’re working with, rugs can be an easy way to section spaces without having to go to the trouble of daubing paint onto the walls.
Aside from colour and texture, rugs are perfect for flats or thin walls, muffling the sound of footsteps on hard floors with an insulating quality that your neighbours will undoubtedly appreciate. They can help insulate a room when the temperature drops too, another bonus come the winter months.
If you’re in the market for a nice rug to anchor your living room, we’ve rummaged through the piles and showcased the best in our edit below.
From designer patterns and cool collabs to shaggy styles that you can’t help but scrunch your toes into, find them in various sizes and shapes to bring your space to life.
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Dunelm Grace Jute Rug
You can’t move for scallop trims in interiors these days, but please, don’t for one minute think we’re complaining. We can’t get enough of the frilly trim, but if you’re looking for a subtle way to incorporate the trend into your home, this jute rug has the right idea. It juxtaposes the delicate style on a famously hard-wearing textile for a covering that will stand up to the high footfall of a living room. A border stripe lifts the piece and makes it easy to pair with the rest of your room’s palette. Choose from white, pink, grey and green and three sizes.
Buy now £129.00, Dunelm
Architectural Digest La Joie Natural Multicolour Rug
Maximalists and minimalists alike will adore the huge selection over at Ruggable which is packed with its in-house designs plus collaborations with big brands like Architectural Digest.
This arty piece is one of the many gems in the mix and takes inspiration from legends like Dali, Frida Kahlo, and Basquiat. Like all of Ruggable's designs, the rugs come in two parts: a top machine-washable layer and a thicker cushioned pad with an anti-slip finish to keep it stable. It means you can make future purchases cover only and change your interior look for less.
Safe to say, we are obsessed.
Buy now £119.00, Ruggable
Dunelm Squiggle Berber Rug
With a warming palette of colours and the cosy texture of shaggy Berber pile underfoot, Dunelm’s rug is perfectly suited to typically chilly British homes. The pattern is inspired by traditional Moroccan design given a refreshingly modern update while the backing is made of jute which should remain stable if laid on top of a fitted carpet.
Available in four sizes.
Buy now £39.00, Dunelm
Graham & Green Extra Large Quad Mustard Sheepskin
Hankering for a touch of rock 'n' roll decadence to add to your pad? Sheepskin ticks all the boxes, irresistably bringing to mind that scandal about Marianne Faithfull from the Swinging Sixties (look it up). While the colour of her rug remains unknown, you can bring a hint of the legend to your living room by way of Graham & Green who has this rich mustard number available. Made from pure New Zealand wool, it's a versatile thing and can be used as an armchair throw as well as a rug to bring cosy vibes to your spaces.
Buy now £265.00, Graham & Green
Mack + Milo Adel Cream/Black Rug
From the living room to the study, this tassel-fringed minimal monochrome rug is universal enough to work in all sorts of spaces, no matter your interior scheme. Made from synthetic fibres with enough pile to scrunch your toes into, it boasts stain-resistant technology making it not only pet- and child-proof, but lifeproof too. Available in two sizes and other light colour palettes.
Buy now £119.99, Wayfair
Ruggable Pantone Peach Fuzz Pop Divide Rug
With peach fuzz declared Pantone's colour of 2024, it hasn't taken Ruggable long to launch an entire collection in its honour.
Bring the warmth of the hue to your living room, using colours in the pattern to coordinate furniture and soft furnishings to create a polished look.
Buy now £119.00, Ruggable
La Redoute Interiors Danito Checkerboard Rug
You can't go too far wrong with a checkerboard pattern, as this textured rug proves. The classic look instantly brings a little edge to living rooms and opting for a colour adds depth to the whole space too.
Available in three sizes, it's made from wool-effect polypropylene which means it'll go the distance.
Buy now £126.00, La Redoute
Soho Home Agra Rug
Who hasn't gazed wistfully around a Soho House and thought, "I could live here"?.
Bring its enviable style to your door with Soho Home, a collection spanning furniture and homeware - rugs included. We're taken with this Agra style that frequent visitors might recognise from Babington House in Somerset.
Crafted in India, the wool-blend rug features hints of red, pink and blue to create a vintage look that will elevate interiors to new heights.
Available in two sizes: 170 x 240cm and 200 x 300cm.
Buy now £2595.00, Soho Home
Matilda Goad & Co. Tufted Plaid Rug
A playful trim and finishings can be the key to unlocking your living room's potential. London-based designer Matilda Goad is so stranger to a curve, from the handles of pottery to this here rug. The green scallop trim offers a fun detail that isn't too shouty. It's made from tufted wool and as such, will shed a little but that should subside after around six weeks with regular vacuuming. Available in multiple sizes - but be warned, with increasing RRPs to match.
Buy now £78.00, Anthropologie
So'Home Antique Jewel Tone Persian Style Rug
Looking like a rug you can pretend to have inherited from a distant aunt, this Persian-style design is the quickest way to bring warmth, texture and colour to your space. Offered in three sizes.
Buy now £101.50, La Redoute
