Runner rugs can serve at least two purposes as a floor covering. They make a great accent as their design and color scheme tends to contrast with the underlying flooring, and they also help in high traffic areas where the underlying flooring material is likely to show more wear. When you think of runner rugs, you usually think of hallways, stairways and narrow thoroughfares, and why not? They often make the most sense there. But let’s step out of the familiar for a moment and think about other uses for runner rugs.
bedroom use
Many homes have hard flooring for a variety of reasons. Hard floors such as wood or laminate can be easier to care for, but sometimes it’s just a matter of taste. Hard floors are often laid in bedrooms, and a couple of nice runners fit in well. You wake up on a chilly morning, swing your feet out of bed and instead of landing on a cold, hard floor, there are nice, thick rugs on either side of the bed to rest your feet on. This can also add color and contrast to your room, perhaps in combination with duvet covers, curtains, etc. The possibilities for decoration are endless and you also have the functional component of a place to rest your feet. Of course, hard ground is not a requirement for placing runners. They can be placed on carpeted floors just as easily as on hard flooring and still serve the same aesthetic and functional purpose.
General use of space
Another great use of rugs would be to divide up large areas in rooms like dining rooms, family rooms or living rooms. Again, this would be particularly useful on hard floors, but like bedrooms, they would work well on carpets too. When placed in front of furniture like sofas and chairs, or even bookshelves, the accent value alone could help make decorating with rugs a fun and practical pursuit. Runner rugs come in so many sizes that there is sure to be a length and width to suit your needs. There is also a wide variety of colors that you can either match or contrast depending on your decorating tastes. Don’t be afraid to be creative when considering runner rugs when considering flooring accent options.
