Rug or No Rug in the Living Room – Pros and Cons of Having One

The rug is often a non-negotiable way of warming up the visual aesthetic of a space. Whether it be layered towards the hallway or across the entire living room, it is a fun way of making the space homier. Considering its textures and materials, it highly affects one’s personal style of bringing the space together. Having to cover an ample amount of area would suggest positioning of furniture and additional cleaning. It will make you think twice about having a rug in the living space. As the most favorable space at home, we have to weigh the pros and cons of making one. This will allow you to identify its differences and help you decide. 

Pros

Great Insulation Material

There is no doubt about rugs helping in warming up your feet during the winter season. As much as you want to wrap your entire body with a blanket, warming up your feet helps a lot too. It is a great reason to purchase and layer the rug on the living room floor. In addition, it maintains the coziness of the living room without the need for additional textiles. 

Inviting Vibe

What makes a living room more inviting to look at is having a rug. It may be the last thing to consider in designing the living space but having one sure does make a huge difference to how the household and guests would feel. Having a rug enables the space to be easier to design considering how it highlights the elements and pieces of furniture. The living room is the most populous area at home. Thus, it requires more ways on how to make the space more collaborative for the users. The welcoming environment highly affects the entirety of their impression of the character of the household. 

Concealing Imperfections

In cases where uneven flooring and faulty wooden flooring panels are present, it may take time and money to have them repaired. Having a rug is a cheaper alternative than remodeling and redoing the floors of the living room. And, there would be cases when they need to be done as a whole and not by sections. When it comes to the living room, you have to think smart about how to make the most of what you have. A rug in the living room is a way of hiding and concealing all the dead and broken spots of the space. It is a simple way of trying to make the entire space look perfect without the need for extra effort and money of doing so. 

Increase the Safety

Living in a household with kids and pets can be quite worrying, especially if you have hard materials for the floors. Having a rug is a gentle way of allowing them to wander across the room without the fear of them being hurt. Slippery floors will no longer be possible since a rug enables enough grip. As much as we love tiles and wooden panels for the floors, it can be hazardous in cases of exposure to liquid. As the busiest space in the household, it should be ensured that the safety of all the users is not compromised. They take more grip than walking on bare floors. Rugs have this rough texture that makes sitting and walking on the floor warmer. 

Sets Boundaries

For open floor plan layouts in the public places of the house, it can be quite a challenge to set the boundaries of the zones without the need for walls. Setting boundaries using a rug is a cheaper alternative than working with dividers and half walls. They tend to be cozier and more private than working with additional furniture and construction. It sets the boundaries of the floor space through the edges of the rug. Whether it be sharp edges or curved ones, they establish the boundaries of the space. Spare some dollars and work with a rug instead of putting up walls. A rug is a smarter and cheaper alternative to these unnecessary construction needs. 

Sound Absorption

Whether it be hard or soft construction materials used for the flooring, hearing sounds as you walk, play, or run can be inevitable. Whether it be an area rug or a regular one, it makes a huge difference in managing the sound absorbed by the flooring. It minimizes the sound when activities are done. Imagine wearing heels while walking on the floors of your living room. Sound will echo throughout the space not unless you remove them. Having a rug is a great sound-absorbing material that minimizes the impact of sound. This is a great idea to work with, especially if you are living in a multi-storey building with neighbors beneath. It is an ideal way of soundproofing the floors. 

Rectify Visual Impact

If color and material flow throughout an open-plan living room, having a rug on the floors of the space is the best way to go. It acts as a stopper or a break from the continuity of space. It highlights the living room alone. If you prefer to work with rugs on the different spaces of the open plan, we highly suggest working with different colors and designs. This will allow the character of the entire house to differ from one space to another. Each space should be able to highlight and rectify visual impact with uniqueness and versatility. Having a rug on the living room floor will highlight and elaborate the existing design of the space. It acts as the breaking point of the space because of how its texture and design differ from the living room. 

Protects Wooden Floors 

There is no need to worry about your floors having creases breakages. It can be quite expensive to have them replaced every now and then. It would be best to protect them at all costs by using a rug to protect the flooring materials. We highly suggest opting for a good quality rug to add flavor to the floors. Do not compromise the quality with a cheaper one considering how it can be easily scratched and flawed resulting in damaged floors too. Floor protection would require a larger rug considering the space to cover. The living room is a high-traffic area. Thus, the floors are more susceptible to scratches and breakage. This will help in alleviating cases of replacement and repair. Having a house can be quite expensive when it comes to these maintenance checks and repairs. It comes with greater responsibility. 

Cons

Receptive to Fire

The protection of the entire household is in jeopardy of having too many textiles in the living space. The rug is more receptive to fire in case of accidents. Fire is a common accident in households and we must ensure that we do everything we can to prevent that from happening. Even with pre-engineered floors, having a rug will induce a speedy way of spreading fire throughout. If having one is inevitable, we highly suggest locating them within a distance from the fireplace, candles, or even plugs. It would be best to rearrange the layout of the space in order to prevent these kinds of accidents from occurring. 

Accumulates Dust

As much as it looks fancy having them on the living room floor, it can be quite a challenge preventing dust from accumulating on the rug. What we do not like about it is how they peep through the fibers of the carpet which can be difficult to remove. It requires time and energy to maintain every now and then. When they are not deeply washed, they can compromise the health of the household and even guests. This can be quite the trouble, especially for households with kids. If maintenance is too much for you, it would be best to not work the living room with one and look for smarter alternatives instead. 

Additional Maintenance

Just like any other textiles in the house, a rug requires additional maintenance than the curtains, sheets, and other coverings. A rug is in need of deep cleaning and maintenance to prevent circumstances that may compromise the health of the household. More than just needing to put them in the wash, it needs to be vacuumed to perfection to go through its fibers. These clouds of gray powder from outdoors and all over the place will peep through its fibers. On average, it can absorb and acquire kilos of dust on a yearly basis. There may be plenty of advantages having a rug is accustomed to but disadvantages like this can compromise the upper respiratory health of the household. It affects the holistic health of the family from breathing, allergic reaction, and even sleeping problems. 

Absorbs Smell

A rug’s ability to absorb smell works way more than a curtain. Textiles are pretty absorbent with a smell. As much as you want to spray all the air fresheners all over the place, it could not cancel out the fact that the smell remains.