Rug shopping is not as simple as it seems. For most people, the initial search online or the first trip to the local rug store brings more questions than answers. This guide will teach you about styles and a slight bit of colour theory.

People often design their areas according to their own personal preferences or according to the interior of the area. Oftentimes, rug shoppers find themselves conflicted as the rugs they personally like are not suited to the area and its pieces.

Most people have an innate tendency to follow a monochromatic style that suggests that the best-fit rug needs to reflect the colours of the area and its pieces. While this concept is tried-and-true, a person wanting the rug to have interest may be bereft of ideas as the synchronous (best-fit monochromatic style) rug often brings less interest. The great thing about humans is that we study everything, even colours. Colour theory is a well-studied topic that will tell us how we can make colours work harmoniously.

Colour

Sir Isaac Newton was the first to develop a logically laid-out colour wheel. The sequence of the colour wheel is important because the positions on this wheel tell us which colours work with each other.

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Analogous colours are any three colours next to each other on a 12-part colour wheel. This colour scheme fits well and is the colour scheme of choice for people going for a monochromatic style.

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If the monochromatic style is too boring for you, colour theory tells that we can opt for complimentary colours. A complimentary colour scheme tells us that colours opposite each other on the colour wheel also work with each other.

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Interior Styles

Monochromatic Scheme:

The monochromatic style sticks within one or two colours. To pull this look off with a bit of interest, it is best to contrast the objects in the area (such as the rug) with the use of different shapes and textures.

The above photo is an example of a monochromatic room. The shapes on the wall, and the shape of the lamp and stool provide a nice contrast. In addition, the thick texture of the rug is in contrast with the silky textured bed sheets and cushions. These points of difference create enough interest. The photo below is example of an area with little-to-no contrast, making for a less interesting space.

Complementary Scheme:

A complementary scheme uses two colours on the opposite sides of the colour wheel as the dominant features. Selecting rugs for complementary schemes will typically lead to the rug being predominately one colour, with little accents of the other. Deciding on which of the two colours to go with will be partly determined by the colours of the pieces that will sit on the rug.

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The image above uses blue and yellow as the complementary colours. Notice how the predominant colour of the rug is blue. This is because the furniture and pieces sitting on it are yellow. The primary goal with all schemes is to create some sort of contrast. Contrast brings interest.

Accented Achromatic Scheme:

This scheme follows the monochromatic scheme but instead uses a singular focal point that is different in terms of colour. For most designs, a rug is the perfect piece to pull off this look.

Triadic Scheme:

This is slightly more complex. First it uses one colour as a background as an anchor and then it uses two complementary colours. Rugs in this scheme can vary depending on the setup. For some areas, balance is required so the rug will often be a neutral colour that favours none of the three colours. In some cases, it is needed to anchor the room and so it will follow the background colour. Otherwise, the rug will be used to emphasise one of the complementary colours.

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