Wooden flooring is a practical, hygienic solution to your flooring dilemmas when considering how to decorate downstairs rooms, particularly in areas that people will be eating in. It can be swept clean and washed easily. But the very advantages it confers can also be a down side. Wooden flooring can feel sterile and unwelcoming – cold even and a bit too uniform if it is in a large room. Many people knock through their downstairs rooms for more space and in design terms they get it right by having the same flooring across the two rooms, to give a sense of unity and space. But the disadvantage of this is that you can be left with a large expanse of just one colour or texture. When rooms are being used for different purposes – a dining room just off a sitting room for example, this can be a problem. It`s good to break up large expanses of colour a little, whilst distinguishing between rooms used for different purposes.
Rugs are useful here. In a dining area it`s nice for a table to be centred on a rug, which can add to the impact of your eating area. You need to make sure that there is a coherent reason for your design choice. Is it a dark room? If your table is dark too, perhaps a splash of colour would lighten the feel of the room. Or maybe you like the dark and cosy feel. Bear in mind that dark furniture on a very dark rug may be a little too strong for any room to bear, tricking the eye into thinking there is just a huge dark space in the centre of the room. It can suck the life out of a room if it is too dark. Choose a complementary colour with a little contrast if you like the `dark` look. In this case a warm dark chocolate, purple or orange rug will give a real sense of luxury and comfort.
The material used in a dining room rug is important. Bear in mind that people will be eating in the room and accidents will happen; they always do, especially if you have children. Think about whether a high prices 100% wool rug is really the most sensible option. Rugs like this are hard to clean and not particularly hardwearing. By the time you have scrubbed up a few spilled glasses of red wine, or a plateful of dropped lasagne, they won`t be looking quite as stylish. Modern yarns, which are easily washable are a better bet. Look for rugs with some synthetic fibres, such as Frise yarn, which give a feeling of great softness and luxury but are easy to clean and won`t shed fibres if they need a good wash. Don`t go for too deep a pile, however, which can harbour crumbs and be difficult to vacuum effectively if used under a table. These would be better suited to a sitting room, or as a hearth rug.
Modern and bright, or traditional and conservative: there are so many options when choosing rugs these days. With the rise of wooden floors there is a higher demand for rugs than ever as many homeowners are seeing the advantages to warming up their décor. Don`t be afraid to make mistakes either. Just as when you need other types of décor, such as table hire, vendors of rugs realise that you might not get the look quite right first time round. Most rug vendors are happy for you to try a rug out in situ and exchange it if it isn`t quite the right look. So order your rugs with confidence and perhaps dare to be a little bold.