All you need to know about rugs

Have you ever wondered whether there is a difference between a rug and a carpet?

Do the two words mean the same thing and can they be used interchangeably? Well, according to Britannica, an encyclopedia, the words rug and carpet are used to mean the same thing in some countries. In both England and United States, the word rug is often used for a floor covering for only parts of the floor, different from a carpet which usually covers from wall-to-wall.

Undeniably, rugs are a trend that one cannot afford to miss out on, and

Edrine Kimera a designer at Jomera Homes and Gardens, Ntinda shared why they are such a big deal.

Why rugs

Rugs are a perfect way to liven up dull spaces anywhere in the house. Placing a rug with colour or pattern that match your style and decor in spaces like the corridor, a dull living room or dining room will definitely resurrect the area.

 They are also good for connecting spaces, this can be achieved by placing rugs of the same colour, style or pattern in the different spaces and walking from one room to the other, one will be able to see and feel the uniformity and connectivity between the rooms, though they may be apart from each other.

Additionally, rugs are popular for their ability to zone areas, especially if working with open spaces. Simply put, rugs can create boundaries in an open space without practically putting up walls.

This can be achieved by placing an area rug on which your seating room furniture can sit to clearly demarcate your living room space, placing another area rug on which to place your dining table to clearly mark the dining area and so forth. 

 When it comes to touch and feel, there are rugs with shag, to give a very soft and cosy feel, some with a velvety touch to their finish and some that were tough and solid depending on the materials from which they were made.

Some of the available materials are wool, polyester, silk, cotton, animal hides and sisal.

Samantha Arinda from Perfect Carpets UG explains the different materials and what the best options are. 

Polyester and wool

She says, one of the most common material for rugs available is polyester. “It is good for its stain resistance, soft and not very expensive in comparison to wool,” she says.

However, it is not as durable especially on high traffic floors. Wool, on the other hand, is a very durable material making it more expensive than polyester. Ideal for a cosy home; “its only downside is that it easily traps and collects dirt,” Arinda explains.

 Silk

Many of the oriental rugs are made out of silk. Arinda notes that it is a high-end material that is luxurious. Silk rugs are very soft and have a sheen to them that speaks class. It is obviously more expensive than many rugs and is totally worth it. It is, however, sensitive to stains making it unsuitable for high traffic floors and may need professional cleaning.

 Cotton

“Cotton is used on many occasions to make flat-weave rugs. It is also not as expensive as wool or silk and is easy to clean. It, however, doesn’t wear well over time,” she says. Among other affordable rugs are those made from hides (like cow/ goat hides) These are largely decorative, long-lasting, easy to clean, and ideal for both contemporary and cultural designs.

Depending on the size and material, prices for rugs range from Shs35000 and above. 

How to work with rugs 

Though rugs work well for almost any space and style, failure to use them the right way can be self-defeating and likely to undo all the good that rugs are.

According to Micheal Muzinda an interior designer, though there are no rules carved in stone for how to work with rugs, there are simple principles that can help you get it right.

First of all, a rug shouldn’t cover your entire floor because if it does, it ceases to be a rug and becomes a carpet.

With that in mind, he breaks down how best to place rugs.

Entrance 

“Your entrance says much about your taste, setting the tone with the right rug is important,” he says adding that it is also okay to have rugs both outside and inside your entrance.

To get the correct rug, measure the width of your entrance and get a rug that is the same or almost the same width. For people with wide doors, if you are not willing to go the extra mile, just measure off the part of your door that is always open for entry and place a rug of that width.

“Consider the appearance of your entrance when placing entrance rugs inside the house. If your entrance directly leads into the sitting room, get a rug that isn’t too big, if your entryway is big then getting a bigger rug is more appropriate,” Muzinda says.

Sitting and dining room

The rule of thumb when it comes to this is that the rug should be big enough that all your furniture sits on top of it.

“The principle is that at least the first legs of your furniture sit on top of the rug. Having a rug that can only accommodate your table or one that reaches halfway to your furniture is ill-calculated.”

 “For the dining, the dining set should sit on top of the rug. Not only that, but the rug should run some extra feet away from the set so that when you pull out the chair to seat, the back legs of each dining chair remain on the rug,” he explains.

Bedroom

As for the bedroom, a number of options can be considered as Muzinda explains, depending on what works best for you.

If you have your bed in the middle of the room, a big rug onto which your entire bed or the biggest part of it sits, can be used. If you use this approach, make sure that the bed is just in the middle of the rug. 

Alternatively, one can have two different (but related) rugs on either side of the bed or just one on the side of the bed where the legs face. If using this approach, just make sure the rug is the same width as that side of the bed.

If one side of the bed is against the wall, one rug can be used on the side that is not against the wall. Simply make sure it is big enough, preferably, the same width as that side of the bed.