Best Area Rugs for Hardwood Floors: How to Choose the Right Size, Style, and Color

Hardwood floors are beautiful, warm, and classic, and many people can appreciate the features of a hardwood floor. The perfect area rug can add to those characteristics, while making a room comfortable and adding to a space's furniture arrangements. Simultaneously, a substandard rug can mask significant areas of flooring, lead to creating an unbalanced layout, or even be responsible for scratches and wear.

In selecting the best area rugs for hardwood floors, it comes down to finding a design that will look attractive, but also choosing the right material. Consider the size, backing, color, and material of the rug and how it's made.

If you're decorating a contemporary living room, a traditional dining room, a bedroom, or an open floor plan home, this guide will help you decide which rug will complement the hardwood floor and which it will clash with.

Begin With the Hardwood Floor Itself

Take extra time and make sure to inspect the flooring prior to purchasing a rug.

Hardwood can come in a wide range of colors, grain, finish, and undertones. Use light oak for a totally different background to the espresso-splattered wood, and consider reddish or golden flooring to affect which rug colors look cohesive.

Consider:

• Floor color: Light, medium, or dark in color
  
  
• Undertone: Warm or cool in color, or relatively neutral
  
  
• Surface: Matte, Satin, Glossy, Distressed, or Natural
  
  
• Grain: Subtle or prominent
  
  
• Condition: The new floor may require a different degree of protection from the older floors that are already worn

A rug doesn't necessarily have to match the floor! However, it should forge a planned affiliation with it.

Choose a Size That Complements the Furniture

Rug dimensions can significantly influence the look of the hardwood floor.

If the rug is too small, it may feel out of place and out of proportion with the furniture, and if too large, the rug can be so big that the hardwood floor becomes unnoticeable from behind it.

A good place to start is determining which furniture items the rug should link together.

Common sizing approaches

• Living room: Arrange front legs on rug if feasible if there are large furniture pieces.
  
  
• Dining room: Select a room rug big enough for chairs to stand up on while chairs are being pulled away from the table.
  
  
• Bedroom: Ensure there is a rug rolled out in front of and beside the bed as much as possible.
  
  
• Entryway: Extend an entry rug or rug with appropriate edge to hardwood edge (visible).
  
  
• Open-concept space: Apartment-like spaces call for the use of rugs to define the areas for each furniture piece so as not to isolate areas.

Show some bare wood around the rug. This border can help to make the rug and the flooring more purposeful.

Pick the Right Material for the Room

Rug material will determine the feel, performance, and interaction of the rug under hardwood flooring.

Wool

Wool rugs are both long-lasting and exceptionally resilient to wear and comfortable to sit on. These can be a good option for a bedroom or other rooms or spaces in the home where durability and quality are important factors.

Cotton

A more casual look can be achieved with cotton rugs. Some cotton rugs also happen to be simple to clean up, depending on the construction.

Synthetic Fibers

For extremely busy households, there are other convenient materials such as polypropylene, polyester, and many others. These come in many colors and patterns, and may be helpful if stain resistance and ease of cleaning are desired.

Flat-Weave Rugs

There is very little or no pile in flat weave designs, which leaves an almost streamlined look. They can be very effective in areas where it's important that doorways, chairs, or furniture can slide back and forth across the rug.

Natural-Fiber Rugs

Natural fiber rugs like jute add texture and a natural look. They can be used in harmony with hardwood and have a lovely texture; however, it must be noted that they have certain requirements when cleaning and purchasing, before you can really start to sit back and enjoy the warmth.

Use Color to Work With the Floor

The color of the rug should match the hardwood but not be lost in the hardwood.

Some popular color directions are:

• Cream and ivory: Bright and versatile
  
  
• Beige and taupe: In between, neutrals are both warm and subdued
  
  
•  Gray: Modern and subdued
  
  
• Blue: Adds colder contrasts
  
  
•  Green: Appropriate to the natural environment
  
  
• Rustic and terracotta: Highlight warm wood colors
  
  
• Multi-color: Link together different colors in the space

If the room already has some wood, fabric, and furniture colors, a patterned rug could be a great help.

Think About the Rug's Visual Weight

Not all rugs are meant to be featured or stand out.

A complex rug design can clash with hardwood if there's a prominent grain or distinctive finish. Incorporating a subtle design can ensure that the flooring continues the narrative of the room.

However, simplicity with neutral furnishings could work well with a more dramatic rug.

Think of proportions between:

Furniture + Accessories + Walls + Rug + Floor

When more than one element is very strong, reduce at least one of them.

This way, the rug adds to the hardwood and does not compete with it.

Protect the Hardwood With the Right Rug Pad

If an area rug is used on hardwood flooring, it is especially important to use a rug pad that helps protect the wood.

The “right pad” can help:

• Reduce movement
  
  
• Add cushioning
  
  
• Improve comfort
  
  
•  Assist the rug in spreading out correctly
  
  
• Create a buffer between the rug and floor
  
  
• Minimize the risk of rubbing related issues

Look for a pad designed for use with hardwood floors. Do not utilize material that has the potential to adversely interact with the finish or to leave breakdown.

While it's not especially important, it should be slightly smaller than the rug to keep it concealed.

Consider Pile Height and Furniture Movement

A lot of people do not take into consideration how tall a pile is.

Even plush carpeted floor surfaces have a very luxurious feel, but can come in the way of doors, dining chairs, or pieces of furniture that have to move often. These are the kinds of situations that a low-profile rug may be better suited to.

Using low-pile rugs is appropriate in the situations:

• Dining chairs need to slide easily.
  
  
• The doors face towards the rug.
  
  
• A large number of people are using an area.
  
  
• You are looking to have a more streamlined look.
  
  
• The legs of furniture must be supported for stability.

Bedrooms and lounges are great places to use a high-pile rug if comfort is a key design parameter.

Don't Hide More Hardwood Than Necessary

Another benefit of hardwood is that it can still add to the character of the room when it's not covered.

Don't always opt for the largest rug - think about how much flooring you want to show through.

A visible Hardwood border that surrounds the rug can:

• Highlight proportions of the room.
  
  
• Showcase the flooring.
  
  
• Draw attention to the outline of the rug.
  
  
• Make a border around the rug and walls.
  
  
• Prevent the space from appearing cluttered.

Think About Maintenance

Rugs placed over hardwood floors trap dust, dirt, and debris. Maintaining the rug properly will safeguard the rug as well as the floor underneath.

Vacuum as per the construction and manufacturer of the rug. Periodically replace the rug and vacuum under it rather than never vacuuming or getting dust under the rug.

Look for the following on the hardwood:

• Moisture
  
  
• Debris
  
  
• Uneven wear
  
  
• Discoloration
  
   Indications of movement between the rug and the floor

In case of a spill, clean according to the rug manufacturer's instructions and refrain from letting the rug become over-wet.

Quick Buying Checklist

When selecting a rug for hardwood flooring, be sure to take these things into consideration before buying:

• Measure the space available for the floor.
  
  
• Identify the objects the rug will be linked to.
  
  
• Examine the color and undertone of the hardwood.
  
  
• Determine the amount of flooring that can be seen.
  
  
• Choose material that matches the traffic level of the room.
  
  
• Look for items to move around the furniture or how far the pile will go.
  
  
• Use a hardwood-safe rug pad.
  
  
• Match up the pattern of the rug to existing decor.
  
  
• Read the manufacturer's cleaning guidelines.

In the case of testing samples, see samples in the desired lighting in the room to be used.

Final Summary

The ideal area rugs for hardwood floors should accommodate beauty, proportion, comfort, and functionality. The first thing to think about is the floor itself, and after that, a size of rug that fits in nicely with furniture. Then consider color, pattern, style of product and material, and pile height.

The ideal rug will highlight, rather than obscure, the hardwood. With dark floors, light rugs add contrast and create harmony, and dark colors and patterns complement light wood beautifully. Each material, such as wool, cotton, synthetic fibers, flat weaves, and natural fibers, has its own set of advantages.

Most important of all, use the right rug pad and routinely wipe down both sides. When combined with an appropriately sized rug, style, color, material, and protection, an area rug can truly make hardwood floors appear to be even better.