Interior Design

Do you have hardwood or another type of hard-surface flooring? Are you struggling to create some sort of boundary between different areas in an open living space? Are your feet freezing when they hit the ground, or is the sound of your dogs’ clickety-clack driving you crazy?

Answering yes to any or all of the above questions is a sign that you need a little more throw rug in your life.

Throw Rugs Offer Amazing Solutions To Basic Design Dilemma

That subtitle may seem like a bit of an overstatement – but it’s not! Throw rugs offer solutions to a myriad of design – and even lifestyle – issues that crop up along the way.

Let’s address some of the ways you can apply throw rugs to improve your day-to-day life.

To add warmth and warm up a hard-surface floor

Personally, I’m a big believer in hard-surface floors. You only have to tear up carpeting – and the pad underneath – one time in your life to know why wall-to-wall carpeting is a bad and risky enterprising. Ever had allergies? Ever had mold? Ever wanted to live amidst layers of dust and particulate matter that can’t be eliminated no matter how much you vacuum? ‘nough said.

Even so, life with hard-surface flooring requires the application of a throw rug here and there. Firstly, they break up foot after foot of the same surface. Secondly, they’re much warmer on bare feet – especially in the winter months or first thing in the morning. Finally, throw rugs add visual warmth, because even an area rug in a traditionally “cooler” color will add a softer look to the hardness, and that translates as “warmer” overall.

Show us what you meant by your furniture arrangement

In a traditional home, with segmented living spaces, area rugs are usually the central stars – located underneath the coffee table, for example, or perhaps as a runner in a long hallway.

These days, however, area rugs have a more important role to play; they anchor space in open floor plans so we know what each of your furniture groupings means. Aaah! That one over there anchors the reading and conversation corner, while the larger area rug over there is clearly meant to define the TV zone. The rugs create visual boundaries that may not be as visible otherwise, and it makes our brains happier to see all that nicely organized space.

Note: Size matters in the world of area rugs. Being too small or too big will cause problems. Try to find rugs that are large enough for all of the furniture legs to fit on or none of the legs to fit on. Only the front end of a couch or chair is fine too in a pinch. It shouldn’t wrinkle or bunch up because it doesn’t lay nicely along a wall edge (try to leave at least a few inches there) or an adjacent furniture piece.

Give us a little texture or pattern to sink our eyes into

When you look around at your interior design what do you see in terms of texture? Wall, floors, and tables are all hard surfaces. Even certain couches – particularly the contemporary, shiny leather versions – can appear more “hard” or “sleek” than soft. If this is the case in your home, area rugs are a very simple way to add texture.

You don’t have to get a high-pile shag for this – even a woven jute rug will suffice. The point is to bring something texturally different into the space to balance what’s there already.

I’m including a pattern in this category too because patterns can add texture as well. Patterns, particularly geometric or viny/floral patterns can add a different dimension to the space. If you’re someone who’s less comfortable adding patterns to a room, let your area rugs do the work for you. Patterns on the floor can be diminished a bit if part of the rug is covered by a couch or a chair and they are less intrusive than when they make an appearance via upholstery or wallpaper.

You can also layer your area rugs – using a larger, patterned rug on the bottom and then a solidly-colored rug on top – a smart choice if a pattern is attractive but feels too bold or too busy for your taste.

Don’t forget to think about comfort and safety

I like to use area rugs for comfort as well – in the kitchen where I stand to work (designer outdoor rugs work great for this because they’re attractive but durable and easy to clean). I use them underneath my favorite reading chair so my feet can rest on a soft, warm surface. Consider placing them in front of your bathroom vanities, and to protect stairs and hallways from wear-and-tear.

That being said, area rugs can be major trip or slip and fall hazards, so make sure to use the anti-slip mats underneath them to prevent them from sliding out from underneath you. Also, get rid of any rugs that curl up around corners or edges; it’s only a matter of time before someone trips and falls. In the dining room, be thoughtful about how they work – or don’t work – when chairs are scooted out and back in so nobody unintentionally tips over.

Humans have always brought a little bit of Mother Nature indoors – from fresh cut flowers as a kitchen table centerpiece to bundles of dried herbs hanging from the rafters; the reality is that our species derives a sense of peace and connection when we integrate nature in our living spaces.

One way to do this is to have potted plants and trees in every room of the house. However, there are other, more creative and unique ways to integrate greenery into an interior design.

Unique Ways to Integrate Greenery into Your Home Design

Here are some of my favorite ways to use unusual greenery into your home.

Arrange Willow Branches in a Vase

This time of year, willow trees are just beginning to bud. Have you ever noticed how precious those tiny buds are? They sit like rounded-cones, in proportional distances, along the graceful, winter-bare branches – and each bud is covered with a soft, velvety fuzz.

Here’s the great thing about willows – they contain a plant hormone that promotes rooting. You can stick a cut willow branch into water or soil and roots will begin to sprout within a matter of weeks. Thus, if you make a clean cut, you can pop your beautiful willow branches into a large vase with water – and enjoy them for weeks and weeks – and then they’ll begin to grow roots.

In large, clear vases, your willows will stand tall and proud – looking beautiful on an entryway table, standing in a corner of a dining room or living room, or you can set them in your home’s nature corner. Once you – or they – are ready, transplant each one into gallon pots and keep the soil moist. Voila! You have a willow tree to plant in your own yard and you can give some away as gifts.

Surprise yourself and your guests with air plants

Air plants are pretty trendy these days, but no wonder! It’s like magic to see a plant, thriving in nothing but – seemingly – air. In the “real world,” these adaptable, alien-esque plant forms make themselves at home just about anywhere in and around rain forest canopies. Using just the barest amount of organic material and ample atmospheric moisture – they thrive.

In your home, you can place air plants in an old piece of driftwood on a shelf, in those air plant-specific glass containers – or just about anywhere you think one will look good. Give it a generous mist from a spray bottle once a week or so, and your air plant will thrive. If you’re able – a little peat moss at the base helps to anchor them and give them something to sink their mini-root hairs into.

Plant a bulb and watch it grow

Remember when you were a kid, and the teacher passed out clear plastic cups, soaked paper towels, and a few beans? You lodged the beans between the wet towel and the cup sides, put the cup in the window and watched the bean sprout.

Old or young, it’s pretty neat to watch something go from seed, to sprout, to plant and then flower. You can do the same thing – in a very adult way – with a single plant bulb and a cup or jar of water. Bulbs that work best include daffodils, crocus, tulips, grape hyacinth, snow drop, iris, and hyacinth. The key is to grow it in a vase or glass that is as tall below as the flower will grow upwards since this is the amount of space its developing root system will need.

Be Re-purposeful and revel in succulents

Succulent gardens can be propagated just about anywhere, old teacups, ceramics, terrariums, dangling from other potted planters and so on. To step it up a notch, I recommend making succulent wall panels. These can be built easily using old picture frames, knick-knack shelves or a weathered window frame. All you need is backing, hardware cloth, and some moss. Once it’s rooted (takes about a week or two) the entire thing can be hung on the wall. These make a beautiful greenscape and they’re a fantastic option for rooms that lack a nice view – they serve as a substitute window. The panels can be as small or as large as you want so don’t be afraid to be bold.

Here’s a tutorial on how to Make a Living Succulent Picture, and here’s another fun DIY project for a ladder/hanging succulent garden.

Potted plants are great, but I recommend getting fresh inspiration this spring – using greenery in a whole new way. You’ll appreciate the overall effects. Happy greening!