MAKE it cosy

Shereen Lurie shares top tips for selecting rugs and carpets for your home

- Shereen Lurie

Carpets and rugs are a great starting point for designing the overall look and feel of a room. They add warmth, definition and colour, and help pull all the different design elements in a particular space together. Discover expert advice to help you with your selection.

GETTING STARTED

Different rugs suit different areas. Kerry May, owner of Rowley & Hughes, says once the use of the room has been established, the rest easily follows. “Fibre type, weave, colour, finishing and size can then be chosen to achieve the desired effect.”

Rob and Julia Shuttleworth, owners of Shuttleworth Weaving, recommend you consider whether the area where you’re placing the rug is a high-, medium- or low-traffic area in your home. “If it’s a busy area, consider a practical and hard-wearing polypropylene rug, which is ideal for outdoor and bathroom areas as well as high-traffic zones.

“If it’s a family space with medium wear, mohair and wool are great, especially for places where you want to sit on the floor and play. If it’s a luxury space and you’re looking for a statement piece or low-wear area such as a bedroom, nothing says luxury more than 100% mohair, and it feels wonderful underfoot!”