Rug Ideas for Large Rooms on a Budget and Tips for Sizing a Rug

Living room rug, custom size wool rug

Rugs add comfort underfoot and create a defined area in our rooms.  They create cozy and inviting seating areas while breaking up an expanse of hardwood flooring.

A common problem many people face is finding the right sized rug for their room, especially large rooms.  You don’t have to shop for a pre-made rug in the perfect size to fit your room or pay a ransom and wait many months for a custom hand woven or knotted rug to be made.  There are alternatives!

 

The Inexpensive route: Broadloom Area Rugs

 

Equally, you do not want to compromise on the layout of your furniture to fit the standard rug sizes 5′ x 8′, 8′ x 10′, 9′ x 12′ .  If a rug looks too small for the room, then it may look like it is floating and unconnected with the rest of your furniture.  In a family room, your sofa and chairs should be positioned on the rug.  If not, they can look disconnected; like an “island” floating on your wood floor, rather than part of a larger “continent”.

Consider wall to wall carpeting or broadloom made into an area rug for your family or living room as the solution to this dilemma.

 

 

Coastal style living room in pale colors with custom area rug
A loop pile carpet with a subtle goemetric pattern was chosen for this coastal style living room design by TDF Interiors

 

It will be constructed to look like a beautiful area rug and no one will guess that it was made from broadloom or wall to wall carpeting. You can even add a border as you can see in the photo above.

There are so many options available both in terms of colors, patterns and materials. Wool and polypropylene carpet is a great looking, hard wearing and cost effective material for a family room or entryway.

The only limitation is that most broadloom carpeting comes in 12′ or 13′ widths, although there are some 15′ wide options available.  So, as long as your room doesn’t need a rug which is wider than 15 feet, your rug can be as long as 30 feet or as long as you need it to be, down to the exact inch.  Custom does not mean expensive!

 

Add an Organic Textural Mood with a Sisal Rug

 

Sisal area rug for traditional living room
An area rug made from sisal material. This material can come with a stunning graphic pattern, as you can see in this formal living room.

 

Give your Rug Personality with an Interesting Border

 

This is where you can be creative with your custom area rug.  There are many options for creating a border.  Some patterned carpeting is offered with a matching or contrasting border but consider adding a unique touch with a colorful fabric which coordinates with the rest of your decor.  I would recommend a heavy weight upholstery fabric for this but in a low traffic area such as a bedroom, even velvet would be wonderful as a border for your rug.

 

blue area rug with patterned fabric border
Area rug made with a border in patterned fabric. The colors of the border fabric echo the greens and blues in the drapery fabric.  Design by Tdf Interiors.

 

Blue Area rug with fabric border
Fabric border with broadloom carpeting gives a custom look. Design by Tdf Interiors

There are also simple cotton bindings available in different colors or you can add a leather, shagreen or animal skin effect border.

Your choice of border can really add personality to the rug and give you a custom look at a fraction of the cost of hand woven rugs.