For colour and texture, try rugs

Rugs

Since they are smaller than carpets, they are handy and can be moved around easily.

Besides, they come in a variety of materials, designs and shapes and can be used to create a warm and homely feeling in any room in the house

They come in a variety of shapes, colours and textures, and deserve to be called a home decorator’s best friend because they are easy to use and  can  be moved from place to place. Better still, they come in a variety of materials and are readily available.

Many rugs are also easy to clean, especially if they do not cover a large part of the room.

There is even more to love about rugs when you use them in creative ways to “style up” your living space. Here are just a few ways you can do this. 

Feel animalistic

A cowhide rug does not have to be confined to your floor; it can be used to cover an ottoman for your guest room.

The rug can also be used as wall art in your home office. Speaking of animals, a sheepskin rug is lovely and if you have wide corridors, you can use a set of sheepskin rugs dyed in a colour like navy to make your floors cozy and still very bold.

Paint your walls a shade of bright yellow and hang some black-and-white botanical prints to add a bit of style drama. 

Go oriental

No need to hop onto a plane to go to the Orient to buy the  oriental rugs renowned for their timeless appeal and quality.

Simply incorporate a good orient-themed area rug, locally available at most supermarkets in your living room.

The beauty about  oriental rugs is that they strike a great balance between pattern and colour – enough patterns to create visual interest, and are often made in muted colours that look good in almost any room.

This rug would look especially good on a dark wooden floor in the living room with beige walls, chocolate-brown seats and lots of reflective materials such as a glass-topped coffee tables, large, gold-framed mirrors and stools to bring some light into the room.

You could also add a tall indoor plant beside the arm of one of your large sofas to add a bit of colour to the room. 

Urban flair

For a more modern take on rugs, you could go with a rug that has a cityscape, or one that has a tyre-tread print on it.

A bolder approach to urban rugs would be to go with a rug that has a map-like print — definitely not for the fainthearted — but the rug would look good in a stark white room with minimal furniture and gigantic electronics such as a large television, streamline sofa sets in almost office-like silhouettes, especially pieces that have some space beneath the seat, making the room even more city-themed and spacious.

Go geo

Geometric, that is. If you thought that you left geometric shapes behind after your school days, you are very wrong.

For the last couple of years, geometric-inspired rugs have been all the rage, especially in bright shades such as yellow and orange. 

A triangle-themed rug with shades of neon would look especially good in a bedroom painted in sombre shades such as charcoal grey.

The rug would look even more interesting paired against something more vintage looking, like a metal trunk. 

Be iconic

Inject a bit, nay a lot, of pop art style into your kitchen with an area rug with a celebrity face.

Some of the most popular ones are Bob Marley and Audrey Hepburn.

Paint at least one of your kitchen walls  black and place a white wall decal of a famous quote by the icon whose rug you choose to make it really  – iconic (pun intended).