How to Pull off a Refined Look With an Exotic Rug

Do you love the look of an exotic rug but are afraid it’ll make a room feel too chaotic? Do you have a keepsake rug from a loved one but never know how to decorate with it?

A well-placed rug can make a room look like a luxurious paradise. The key is to know how to make it the star, rather than an eye-sore.

We’re here to give you the top decorating tips that’ll help you design a room around your favorite exotic rug the right way. Keep reading to learn everything you should know to get the most out of that unique rug!

Natural Rugs

One thing to keep in mind while decorating is the material of the rug. Some rugs can’t be exposed to direct sunlight or else they’ll discolor or fade. The materials to be careful with include:

• Wool
• Jute
• Cotton
• Leather
• Viscose
• Synthetic fibers

So, for instance, if you want a rug made of leather in Melbourne, make sure you place it away from those harmful UV rays.

Focal Point

When you have a rug that has an intricate design, you should make it the focal point of all your design choices. Instead of trying to suit the rug to the room, do it the other way around.

For example, beautiful rugs with colorful patterns should be the foundation of the room’s color palette.

Let’s say the rug you want for the living room has intricate mosaic patterns in green, purple, and blue. Choose throw pillows in solid blocks of each of these three colors. This will accent the rug without feeling clumsy or overwhelming.

With everything else in the room accenting the rug, this turns that beautiful exotic rug into the focal point of the room. It feels classy and elegant without the risk of being too much.

Rug Layering

Whenever you have a rug that demands attention, you can help make it less in-your-face by layering it with another rug. This works best if you choose a secondary rug that doesn’t try to compete with the exotic one.

An animal hide rug works great for this layering technique. The asymmetrical shape of the rug can sometimes be unsuited for a room. By layering it on top of a larger neutral-colored rug, you provide a seamless transition between it and the rest of the room.

To add an unexpected twist to your room’s design, you can layer your rugs so they don’t line up with one another. Setting one diagonally across another creates an interesting shape that’s quirky but suave. Your choices when layering rugs show off your personality through distinctive interior design.

Multiple Rugs

You don’t have to use many types of rugs to get a good result. If you have an exotic one that you love, why not pair it up with itself?

The result can often depend on the size of the room you’re decorating, but multiple instances of the same rug add more power to your design. It reinforces the choices you’ve made for the interior decoration.

With certain rugs, you could layer them, but be sparing with this idea. It’s often better to place the copies throughout the room for the best effect. Layering might obscure the design and it’ll no longer feel like you’re using multiple rugs of the same type.

Neutral Colors

It can often be difficult to pick a good color palette to match your gorgeous rug. With the wrong choice, you could end up making the entire room look too noisy.

When in doubt, it’s best to choose neutral colors to act as backup singers to your exotic rug. They’ll add to its beauty without competing for attention.

Neutrals work with all colors, so you never need to be afraid that they’ll clash with the colors of your rug.

Simplify Other Decorations

Similar to picking neutral colors to back up your rug, other decorations shouldn’t be too busy either. A detailed rug next to intricate patterns and vibrant colors will be too much for the eye to take in at once. It’ll overwhelm the room and leave you feeling uncomfortable.

Instead, simplify your other design elements. Simple shapes with few details, color-blocked items instead of ones with lots of colors.

Remember that your rug is the focal point, so it should be one of the first things you notice when you walk into the room. If you have another decoration piece that draws too much attention, then your beautiful rug won’t get the focus it deserves.

Play With Scale

Another way to add an elegant sense of contrast to your room’s design is to play with the scale of everything in the room. Pick a range of sizes for your design elements, and stick to it.

The key to this is to find a balance between everything. If all of your elements are roughly the same size, it’ll make your design seem boring. If everything is too far apart from each other in size, it’ll look uneven.

Use your rug as the foundation for your scale choices so that it remains the main attraction.

Experiment

There’s nothing that says you can’t experiment with out-of-the-box designs and see how it goes. Your exotic rug will always be a gorgeous foundation for your room. If you want to try something unheard of with the rest of the room, then go for it.

Experimentation is the spice of life and you could be the next big trendsetter.

Besides, rooms can be redesigned if you decide you dislike the result. Your rug will be there for your next creative idea!

Exotic Rug Supremacy

With so many ways to mix and match, it’s easy to see why an exotic rug is such a unique choice for decoration. Pair it with other rugs, surround it with neutral colors, or you can base all your other design choices around it. Once you incorporate exotic rugs into your home, you’ll never want to return to regular ones.

For even more inspiration on how to style your home, browse through the rest of our blog!