How to choose the best area rug for a craft room

Together with pillows and throws, rugs are the most important basis for creating a cosy atmosphere in your rooms. In my last post in this series, I shared my plans for creating a multifunctional workspace which is going to be my office, studio and craft room. Today I'm sharing how to choose the best area rug for a craft room. We'll be looking at how to choose a rug colour, texture and which size and shape rug you should buy. Download the 'Interior Design Worksheet - Rugs' and fill it in as you go through this post. At the end of this post, you will know exactly which area rug is best for your space. (Newsletter subscribers will receive the download in this week's newsletter).

Choosing the best area rug for a craft room

When designing your craft room, if you are starting from scratch, start with the rug. It's much easier to match paint and accessories around the rug than the other way around.

Adding a rug to your room is an easy way to update or change the look of a space. If you have a large room which is divided up into separate spaces, rugs can help define areas within the room for instance separating the crafting space from the office space.

What to look for when buying a rug

Consider the use of the room

Consider how you will use the room. Some of the best area rugs for a craft room include indoor/outdoor rugs. Indoor/outdoor rugs have come a long way in recent years and you can find them in almost any pattern or style you need.

Easy to clean, indoor/outdoor rugs are a great choice for craft rooms. In my multifunctional space, office/craft room/studio, I will also be recording videos. Without furnishings, a room is hollow and echoes - not good for sound recording and making videos. As they tend to be thinner, I'm not sure how much soundproofing an indoor/outdoor rug will bring. I think a low pile rug will be more effective in absorbing some of the sounds. That's the only reason why I've decided not to purchase an indoor/outdoor rug for my new multipurpose space.

Below, you will find some of my favourite Indoor/outdoor rugs on the market now.

I also wrote a post about beautiful indoor/outdoor rugs which you can read here.

Fave rugs from the USA

The best area rug for a craft room - Size

Which size area rug do you need? First of all, measure your room. For a multifunctional space like mine, you should allow for at least 18 inches (46cm) of space between the wall and the edge of your rug. If you have large furniture against the walls as I do in my office/craft room/studio you can take the measurements from the furniture.

The best area rug for a craft room will be the largest size rug that you can have in the room. For me, the rug will be placed in the centre of the room although, I don't want my desk chair to be on the rug. I'm going for a rug with the size 8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm). This size of rug will fill the centre of the room perfectly.

The best area rug for a craft room – Shape

Which shape rug for your space? The best area rug for a craft room will be a rug which matches the shape of the room.

Rectangular rooms will usually benefit from a rug which is either rectangular or oval.

If your room is square, a square or a round rug would look best in that space.

This is a general guide and assumes you are adding one large area rug to the room.

Once you have determined the shape of your room, write the size and shape of your rug on your 'Interior Design Worksheet - Rugs'.

Fave rugs from the UK

The best area rug for a craft room - Colour

How to choose a rug colour

Choose a rug which has the colours which you intend to use for your accessories. Make a list of the colours you would like to use in the room and write down which colour rug would look good with those colours.

Tip: Don't buy accessories until you have the rug in place. That way, you can pick out colours from the rug for the accessories or choose contrasting colours if your rug is a block colour.

In my multifunctional space of office/craft room/ studio, I'm working with an existing blue marbled flooring and blue/grey paint colour on the walls. I've been looking for a rug which has complementary or contrasting colours. My colour choices are blue/grey, cream, beige or a mixture with pale orange as a contrasting colour.

Create an inspiration board

You might find it helpful to create an inspiration board like this one which I made at the start of the planning process for this room. If you need more help or ideas, read my more detailed post on how to make a mood board.

See the inspiration board I made for this room in my post on planning a multifunctional room.

Should you buy a patterned or a plain rug?

Whether you should buy a patterned or a plain rug depends upon your plan for the rest of your room. If you already intend on using lots of patterns in the room, it would probably be best to go for a solid colour rug with no pattern. Otherwise, you run the risk of making the room look too busy. If most of your furniture, wall coverings and décor don't include patterns, you can go for a patterned rug which will stand out in the room and create a statement piece.

The furnishings in my multifunctional room are all very minimalist in style with no patterns. That's why I'm looking for a patterned rug which will give the room more life. Some of the best area rugs for a craft room I've seen are those with patterns. Patterned rugs are far more forgiving of stains than plain rugs are.

Do patterned rugs make a room look small?

Don't be worried about patterned rugs making your room look small. If you choose the right size pattern, the opposite is true. In a small room, a rug with a small pattern will help draw the eye to the centre of the room making it appear larger.

Now that you know which colour rugs will be suitable for your space, fill in the 'Colour' section of your 'Interior Design Worksheet - Rugs'.

Fave rugs from Germany

The best area rug for a craft room - Material

How to choose a rug material

Consider your flooring

If your space has a single-use for example, an office, you could go for an expensive wool rug. For a multifunctional space like mine which includes a craft room, wool is probably not such a great idea. In my case, a polypropylene rug is a more thrifty option. Not only are polypropylene rugs a less expensive option but there is such an enormous choice of patterns and colours available. There really is something to suit every room and decorating style. For instance, if you are looking for a farmhouse style or vintage rug, you will be spoilt for choice.

What carpet pile is best?

The best area rug for a craft room should be low pile or flat weave. You certainly don't want fluffy, high pile carpets in a craft room, they are best left for bedrooms and other low use areas.

When your floor is smooth like the floor in my craft room, even a low pile rug adds texture and softness underfoot.

Do you need a rug pad?

Using a rug pad is recommended especially if your floor is smooth and the rug you choose has a smooth backing. Placing a rug pad underneath the rug will prevent it from slipping and sliding around. A rug pad also makes a low pile rug seem plusher and prevents creases and buckles from forming during use.

Rug pads also help with soundproofing. By that, I don't just mean sound absorption for recording purposes but also for the benefit of your neighbours if you live in an apartment.

Rug pads come in varying thicknesses - the thicker the pad, the more sound is dampened resulting in better soundproofing.

Which size rug pad do you need?

A rug pad should be slightly smaller than the rug itself so that the rug falls to the floor at the edges obscuring the rug pad from sight.

Now that you know which material and rug pile you need, fill in the 'material/texture' section of your 'Interior Design Worksheet – Rugs'.

Great places to buy rugs

Now you are armed with all the information you need to purchase the best area rug for a craft room or multifunctional space, all that's left to do is to find it! I've added some of my favourite finds throughout this post, just click on the images to see them in the shop. You'll also find a list of great places to buy them below.

In the USA

Overstock | Target | Walmart | Rugs USA | Wayfair

In the UK

Overstock | John Lewis

In Germany

Benuta | Otto | Overstock |

If you have any other tips for buying the best area rug for a craft room or multifunctional office space, please share them in the comments below.

Happy rug shopping!

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