Don't Walk All Over My Rug

Have you ever thought of using a rug as a design feature in a different way than throwing it on the floor in the center of your room?

If you haven't done so yet, perhaps now is the time to start. There are so many intriguing and inventive methods to employ rugs in the design plan of a space that I think you'll be astonished. Let us share some of the most original concepts that have ever crossed our desks.

Samantha arranged her little girl's bedroom in a pink and white cottage style. The room of course contained a gorgeous pastel pink rug, designed with a pretty floral pattern. For some reason, when Samantha was out antiquing in her Massachusetts hometown, she came across an ancient window with vertical panes that opened out, and the idea for her next project was born. She went out and bought the window, took it inside, and got to work on her scheme. She had her husband create a frame for the window such that when she installed the window on a wall, it stood proud of the wall approximately 4 inches. She framed the box in lovely molding.

She hung a lovely pink and white Care Bears-themed rug on the wall before she hung the frame. Two "Care Bears" were shown playing on the rug in a fantastical pink landscape. She then had her husband place the window above the rug. Once mounted, she pushed open one of the panes of the window just slightly. The two "Care Bears" appeared to be running around in a nice pink field as if seen through the window of a house. Her daughter's room was the perfect pink and white, and the window frame was pure white. Amazingly, this novel application of a rug as a decorative element produced a magnificent result.

Another space where a rug was used as decor belonged to a young lady named Susan. When Susan moved into her first apartment, she had recently graduated from university. Some of the pieces of furniture in her bedroom at that apartment needed repair, but she didn't mind that because they were all secondhand. She decided to start by refinishing her bed's headboard. It was substantial and served as an excellent focal point for the space, yet it was still lacking. Above the wrought iron were four big inset squares, each with two inset scallops.

Before settling on the carpet, she considered painting the squares and scallops a contrasting color to make the room more interesting to the eye. In a somewhat counterintuitive move, Susan laid out the carpet over the bed, traced the four boxes and scallops onto the carpet's reverse side, and then cut out the forms. She painted the rest of the headboard a contrasting color before mounting the carpet pieces into indented forms (squares and scallops). The result was breathtaking. She tracked down a matching carpet and placed it at the end of the bed for a chic finishing touch.

After her grandmother passed away, Jennifer inherited a stunning antique round table from her. Having fond memories of her grandmother reading to her while they sat in the chair next to the table, she wanted to keep the table in her study as a continual reminder of her grandmother. The top of the table was severely damaged, which was a major problem. There were stains, chips, cracks, scrapes, you name it, all over it. It was ugly and unpleasant to look at. Jennifer came up with a brilliant solution: she placed a circle carpet beneath the table, with a diameter equal to that of the tabletop, and in hues that complemented the earth tones and burgundy accents in her study.

She laid the carpet on the tabletop and placed the glass on top of that. For her to be able to place things on the table without worrying about spills. Jennifer can now create lasting memories with her kids by reading to them at the beautiful new table that complements the decor of their room.

As you can see, rugs are versatile enough to be used as a decorative feature in any setting imaginable, from a child's bedroom to a guest room to a living room. Think outside the box and exercise your imagination. Have fun with it, and I do not doubt that you, too, will think of some brilliant solutions.