It’s true, rugs create a space not only in layout and scale but also texture and style.
A mood and space can be created just by purchasing a rug, regardless of price.
LAYOUT: First determine how you would like your furniture arranged. You can do this either by moving around the furniture or by drawing the floor plan to determine what furniture to purchase. A nice combination is a sectional and two chairs with a coffee table and 3 side tables.
SCALE: As a rule of thumb, I typically layout the furniture then measure to capture a standard manufactured size that will allow for the front two legs of each piece of furniture to sit on the rug. This will “hold the rug down”. When the rug is too small it looks like a magic carpet and is going to float away. If it’s too large, it looks like a heavy boat that looks weighed down and sinking.
TEXTURE: If you are planning on sitting on the rug, I recommend a deep cut pile that is comfortable to both sit on as well as walk on barefoot. Grass cloth adds texture and interest to a space but is not necessarily cozy under the foot. Cotton woven rugs typically read flat.
STYLE: Between a cut pile and cotton woven rugs and everything in between express style with color and pattern. Southwest pattern is also reading mid-century modern while modern rugs range from a large scale pattern to a interpretation of the traditional
PRICE: Rugs can range from less than a hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. Handcrafted rugs are much more expensive than manufactured rugs. The fibers used will also impact the price. Most rugs come out of India still with Surya and Jaipur being two of the largest distributors of both handcrafted and manufactured rugs alike to retailers (this is why you see the same rug sold by many retailers). But boutique designers like Angela Adams are still having their rugs made in India as well even if they are custom colored.