Red Area Rugs

Popular Shades Of Red

How a Red Rug Can Highlight Your Room Decor

A red rug can highlight your room’s decor by serving as the basis of your color scheme or one of many puzzle pieces that tie the room together. The rug’s colors can appear in your other decor like wall art, pillows, and other decorative pieces, or the rug can serve as one pop of color in a monochromatic room. You can also look at the rug’s pattern for images, lines, and overall tone and tie those features to the decor. 

Decorating with a Red Rug

When you’re decorating with a red rug, you can go as bold or as subtle as you want to. Red can be a bold and daring color, but it can also be rich in depth and texture with weaves like shag, hand-woven, and flat woven options. Plus, there are plenty of materials to choose from, from soft and plush wool to sustainable synthetic, cotton, sisal, and jute rugs. Whatever tone you want your rug to strike or how durable/soft you want it to be, you can find a red area rug that suits all of your needs. 

Choosing which Red Rug is Right for You

There are so many possibilities for red rugs that you may be wondering how to narrow your search. Well, just think through some of these areas and you’ll be well on your way to finding your perfect red area rug.

Position: The room’s layout and the rug’s place in that layout is one of the first areas you should consider when shopping for a rug. There are many ways to position a rug, so take the following as guidelines to get you started. 

• Living Rooms: In the living room or den, you can center a red rug with the main furniture. You can place a large rug completely under the furniture if you have an open room, but in more enclosed and traditional spaces, you may place the front two legs of the furniture on the rug or have the rug completely in front of the seats. 
• Dining Room: With dining rooms, it’s best to center your red rug directly beneath the table. Just be sure there’s enough excess on the sides and ends for the chairs to sit comfortably on the rug at all times. 
• Bedroom: A common layout is to center the rug with the bed by placing the rug all the way under the bed or under the bottom of it. If your bed is not centered in the middle of the room, you can still center the rug itself, or you can choose a smaller rug to go right beside the bed.
• Kitchen: A 2x3 or 3x5 red rug by your sink can be both beautiful and practical. In galley kitchens or kitchens with an island, you may want to decorate with a red runner rug to serve as a pathway and decor.
• Bathroom: Like kitchens, you can place a small red rug in front of a sink, but you can also place one by a shower or tub. Runner rugs can also work well in narrow bathrooms or in front of a double vanity. 
• Outdoors: Red area rugs are also available as outdoor rugs, so you can carry your sense of style to your outdoor spaces as well. For placement guidelines, look to similar indoor spaces for ideas. 

Shape/Size: Once you know your ideal layout, finalize the size of the rug and what shape rug you want to use. Red rugs are available as rectangular, round, and runner rugs, but there are hundreds of options out there in other shapes. Experimenting with different rug shapes is especially handy in uniquely shaped rooms, or you can just use a different shaped rug to add style to any room.

Pattern: Red is a popular color in many interior design styles, so you’ll find that there are hundreds of pattern options out there to choose from. Striped rugs, geometric, and aztec patterns can show up in modern homes, boho, and even more traditional styles like country farmhouse and nautical homes. There are plenty of other patterns like vintage, persian, and oriental rugs that are associated with more traditional homes, but remember, the pattern isn’t the only thing that conveys the interior design style. 

Color: The overall color palette of the rug is another key factor in conveying the room’s style. Red can be vibrant in styles like Moroccan and Southwestern design, but it may be more muted in homey styles like farmhouse. Plus, the rug may include other popular colors like black, white, blue, grey, green, gold/yellow, pink, teal, brown, orange, navy, etc. Whatever color combination you settle on, make sure it conveys the proper tone for your home and sets the mood.

Frequently Asked Questions about Red Rugs

What are the most popular shades of red rugs?

Popular shades include cherry, ruby, maroon, and raspberry.

Can you machine wash a red rug?

Always check the label of the rug for washing directions, finer materials like wool and silk should not be placed in the washing machine

Where should you place a red rug?

Depending on the look and style, red rugs can be placed in any room to complete your look. Whether it's tribal vibes or Moroccan, a red rug will suit your needs.

Ideas and Advice

Check out our latest how to's + design tips to find the perfect rug for your space.

Rug Buying Guide

How to Clean A Rug

How to Keep Rugs from Sliding