These 8 rugs all set the perfect tone for decorating now – narrowing them down is going to be the hardest part

The area rugs we love from our favorite interior-designed rooms, plus similar designs you can buy today

Geometric rug from A Rum Fellow
(Image credit: Natalie Dinham. Design: A Rum Fellow)

Rugs really have the power to elevate any room in the home. They add a sumptuous look to a space and bring warmth and texture underfoot.

From fluffy high-pile rugs in the living room, to kilim pieces that are patterned and bring a playfulness to a space, the latest rug trends really prove how important these soft furnishings are to tying a room together.

The late interior designer Robert Kime believed that every room should begin with a rug. ‘It helps you to set the tone and allows you to see how the room will evolve,’ says Orlando Atty, managing director at Robert Kime. ‘It can help you visualize the end result too, so it is important to get that right at the beginning of the process.’  

These eight rugs are taken from beautiful interior-designed rooms, and we've found some similar styles so you can recreate the look at home.

Oonagh Turner
Oonagh Turner

Oonagh is one of Livingetc's content editors, bringing content to the site every week on the latest trends, design ideas and expert advice. Here, she's chosen her favorite spaces where the rug steals the show, and brought you a similar rug that you can buy to recreate the look. 

1. This colorful pop of color in a Brooklyn brownstone

A colorful rug

(Image credit: Kate Glicksberg. Studio Nato)

I love what this rug does for this room. The project, from Studio Nato, is a real celebration of color, but these shades aren't too vibrant and garish, rather pastel-toned. This makes for a colorful living room that's both playful and not overwhelming, given the walls are left a neutral white. 

The rug works underfoot to bring the space together, with two feet of both the chair and the sofa carefully placed on the rug, bringing all the key pillars of the room together. It's an exercise in placement and proportion, and helps to unify the living room.

'Colors punctuate the space,' designer Nathan Cuttle of Studio Nato tell us.' The rug is the centerpiece, large and custom-made with a repeated half-moon shape. 'It brings warmth to the space, contrasted by a velvet sectional sofa in bright orange.'

Ankara flat weave Kilim rug, La Redoute
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Ankara flat weave Kilim rug, La Redoute

With sweeping curves and pretty pastel pops of color, this rug from La Redoute will give the same soft primary pop of mustard, dark blue, light blue and soft pink.

2. This shaggy cream rug on Fox Island

A thick wooly rug

(Image credit: Haris Kenjar, 1stdibs. Design: Heidi Caillier)

This family home on Fox Island, Washington state, was designed by Heidi Caillier, a designer who had a knack of creating rooms that exhibit a slight traditional look, but keep their cool and edge with key vintage pieces. 

This living room is no exception and the result is super cozy, with this shaggy rug one of the many talking points. This living room rug beckons anyone who visits to kick their shoes off and enjoy the woolly warmth underfoot. 

Ferra rug, Lulu & Georgia
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Ferra rug, Lulu & Georgia

This cream colored rug with diamond pattern is proving pretty popular, and it’s neutral nature means it wouldn’t look out of place in any living room style, from boho to minimalist.

3. This rug used to zone a dining room in Paris 

A dining table with a fluffy rug underfoot

(Image credit: Stephan Julliard. Design: Le Berre Vevaud)

This entire room is pure Parisian style perfection. From the statement chandelier to the pops of color, to the incredible rug, that works so well to define and zone the space. 

The irregular shape of the rug adds movement to the room, softening the space, and slots so perfectly under the dining table. This room in Plaine Monceau, Paris, was designed by the ever-so-stylish Le Berre Vevaud.

Contemporary oval rug, 1stdibs
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Contemporary oval rug, 1stdibs

It's not particularly budget-friendly, but this geometric oval rug for sale on 1stdibs works exactly in the same way to zone the space and adds curves. It's still worth looking at even if it's out of your price point for further inspiration from the Parisian designers.

4. This William Morris-like print in Chelsea, London

Luxury living room ideas large area rug by Kitesgrove

(Image credit: Kitesgrove)

'In our search for the perfect piece to anchor the space, we uncovered a Donegal Arts & Crafts rug attributed to Charles Voysey,' explains Sophie Coller, managing director of Kitesgrove, about this stylish Chelsea townhouse. 'Thanks to its vibrant jewel tones, it pretty much dictated the living room color palette of the furniture we used.. Because the client has a keen interest in craft and decorating with antiques, that rug is bound to be treasured for years to come.'

Rismet navy rug, Burke Decor
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Rismet navy rug, Burke Decor

This rug features a similar botanical motif that gives that William Morris style. The rug is also finished with a subtle fringe and is power-loomed in Turkey. 

5. This faded traditional rug

A rug in a dark cozy room

(Image credit: Stelly Selway)

This cozy living room from interior designers Stelly Selway is all about the moody color. From charcoal on the wall to dark shades of brown, the room is a total cocoon for snuggling down on an autumn evening. I love the rug here because it looks a bit worn, loved, and works with the vintage coffee table to help you feel that this room has been here over the years, waiting to envelop you.

We're seeing a lot of Persian-inspired rugs with a faded pattern, and it gives a sense of cozy luxury, while a typically bold pattern of a Persian rug doesn't have to interfere with the rest of your interiors. Persian rugs are also mostly red, so the blueish palette exhibited here gives it a further twist.

Vintage Ottoman rug, La Redoute
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Vintage Ottoman rug, La Redoute

This faded rug brings the same cozy feel, is super soft underfoot and has that luxury destressed look. 

6. This geometric style from A Rum Fellow

Blue geometric rug

(Image credit: Natalie Dinham. Design: A Rum Fellow)

A Rum Fellow create some really beautiful geometric pieces, that are half rug, half statement work of floor art. The rest of this room is simple in color, just a pale pink and the verdant green of a plant, but the real color comes from this gorgeous tufted piece. The irregular shape of the piece also adds interest, and means that the rest of your interiors can be pared back, for this piece to really shine.

Kilim Parquet Tetragon Rug, 2modern
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Kilim Parquet Tetragon Rug, 2modern

This piece has the same irregular, unusual shape, and distinctive Kilim pattern. Place in a living room for ultimate wow-factor.

7. This paint splash rug in a Houston home

A rug as a piece of art

(Image credit: Nina Magon)

This design from Nina Magon on a home in Houston, Texas features a beautiful rug in dark tones of deep purple, cream and a lighter pink, in a pattern that looks like a splash of paint. Using the rug to inform the color palette for the rest of the room is a great way to plan your interior design, and has been executed well in this example.

Spilled paint rug, Charish
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Spilled paint rug, Charish

This paint splash rug creates the same effect in dark blues and teals with a splash of black, and creates a modern and sleek look.

8. This honey-toned Japandi rug in Sweden

A Japandi interior full of warm woods and natural materials

(Image credit: Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen. Design: Norm Architects and Karimoku)

This serene summer house is the brainchild of Copenhagen-based studio Norm Architects and Japanese brand, Karimoku, located on the coast of Sweden. It is clad in pinewood and blends beautifully with its surroundings, and its minimal interior is a further nod to the nature that surrounds the home - muted, pared-back, with lots of natural materials and handmade pieces. 

This jute rug is a beautiful addition to this living room, contributing to the color scheme without being too invasive, and further emphasizing that connection to nature being made of the natural material, jute. It helps to soften the space too.

Manzanita rug, Serena & Lily
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Manzanita rug, Serena & Lily

This rug gives a similar look, hand-braided with natural jute fibres and when you peer closely, you can see a subtle geometric design that will add some interest. Its tonal complexion will look perfect in a soft minimalist, Scandi-inspired or Japanese style home. 

Oonagh Turner
Livingetc content editor and design expert

Oonagh is a content editor at Livingetc.com and an expert at spotting the interior trends that are making waves in the design world. Writing a mix of everything and everything from home tours to news, long-form features to design idea pieces on the website, as well as frequently featured in the monthly print magazine, she's the go-to for design advice in the home. Previously, she worked on a London property title, producing long-read interiors features, style pages and conducting interviews with a range of famous faces from the UK interiors scene, from Kit Kemp to Robert Kime. In doing so, she has developed a keen interest in London's historical architecture and the city's distinct tastemakers paving the way in the world of interiors.