How to Match a Rug With Hardwood Flooring

There's no denying that high-quality hardwood is a sophisticated and durable flooring choice. From traditional domestic hardwood species like Cherry or Oak to beautiful exotic wood species like Tigerwood, there are plenty of hardwood choices to fit your home's aesthetics. While hardwood floors are elegant on their own, adding a rug can improve the design of the space, increase comfort levels and protect your expensive hardwood floors.

This guide will explain how to choose rugs for both light and dark wood floors. With our guidance, you'll find the right style rug for your space to protect your hardwood floors and enhance your home's interior design.

Why Should You Use Rugs on Hardwood Floors?

Rugs are essential to interior design and provide additional benefits for hardwood floor owners. While you may not want to cover your beautiful hardwood floors with a rug, consider the following advantages of doing so:

• Protection: The number one reason to use rugs is to protect your investment. Hardwood floors are expensive and can last a lifetime with the correct care. However, foot traffic, furniture, pets and spills can ruin your floors and cause costly repairs. Placing rugs strategically around your home will help to prevent damage and prolong your floor's life span.
• Design: With the right color, pattern and texture, rugs can add a cozy and stylish element to your space. They can enhance the room's design and complement your hardwood floors.
• Separation: Rugs can define areas within your home, such as seating or dining spaces. They'll create a visual separation between each area, especially if you have a larger space or an open floor plan.
• Comfort: Rugs can be soft and plush, adding comfort to your home. If you have children who like to play on the floor, having a rug will be more comfortable for them. Rugs are also nicer to walk on in winter, as hardwood flooring can make your feet cold.

Tips for Choosing Rugs

Before deciding on a rug color, you should know what other factors to consider when purchasing rugs. Keep the following in mind to find a rug that will look fantastic on top of your hardwood floors:

1. Size

Choosing a rug for hardwood floors is all about the rug-to-room ratio. You don't want the rug to cover your hardwood floors, but you may also enjoy the comfort and protection a larger rug provides. It's a good idea to get a rug big enough to cover important spaces like under heavy furniture or in high foot traffic areas. However, it should also leave plenty of space to show off the hardwood.

2. Contrast

If you're stuck choosing a color or tone, decide how much attention you want the rug to have. Choose a color that contrasts with your floor if you want it to be an eye-catching statement piece. For a more minimal, calm feel, pick a rug that blends with the flooring. This is best if there are other design elements — like art or furniture — that you want to highlight.

3. Style

If you're trying to decide how to choose a rug for your space, consider your personal style preferences. Rugs come in various styles, and you'll want to find the one that matches the room's design and overall vibe. From modern and traditional rugs to shag and themed rugs, there are plenty to choose from.

What Color Rug Goes with Light Hardwood Floors?

Whether you're trying to create a contrasting color scheme or match the colors as closely as possible, finding the perfect rug will add dimension to your room. The best rug colors for light wood floors are:

• Pastels: If your room has a lighter color scheme and you want your rug to match it, choose soft colors like pale pink, blue, purple or green. You can also pick one with a subtle pattern or texture to add visual interest.
• Neutrals: Rugs in neutral colors and natural fibers are perfect for minimalistic spaces. They blend with light floors and create a calming, down-to-earth vibe.
• Jewel tones: You could also choose darker tone area rugs for light wood floors to create contrast. Jewel tones — like sapphire blue and ruby red —  look particularly striking against pale hardwood like pine. The bold color will pop against the light color of the floor.

What Color Rug Goes with Dark Hardwood Floors?

Dark-colored hardwood floors have a beautiful antique, old-world style. However, the dark color can make the space feel stuffy and small if it's not balanced carefully. When choosing rugs for dark hardwood floors, consider the following rugs and colors:

• Traditional rugs: Traditional rugs pair well with dark flooring. Their intricate patterns and vivid colors provide interesting depth to the room. Ensure that any darker colors like red or blue fit the room's design. Traditional rugs are best for larger rooms as they can take up a lot of visual space. This same aspect can make small rooms feel tiny.
• White: Bright white is also a great color to pair with a dark hardwood floor. Instead of matching the floor's dark tones, white creates a bold yet neutral contrast. It can also brighten up a dark room that doesn't get much natural sunlight.
• Earthy colors: Natural, earthy colors are also a good match for dark hardwood floors. For example, the dark brown color of a walnut hardwood floor would pair nicely with shades of beige, green, tan and brown. These colors tend to blend well with the organic colors of most dark hardwood floors. Plus, earthy colors look great with various room styles.

Find the Perfect Rug at Carpet & Tile Mart

If you're looking for a rug, Carpet & Tile Mart has you covered. We have a large selection of rugs to cater to any personal preferences and home needs. We're a family-owned business that is proud to offer our clients the best prices and customer service you won't find anywhere else. If you need help choosing a rug for your space, we're happy to provide some recommendations backed by decades of experience.

Our team can also supply and install new flooring, whether you want carpet, tile, laminate, vinyl or hardwood. We offer a two-year installation warranty on all flooring. To get started, browse our range of rugs online. You can also visit one of our flooring supercenters to see and feel our rugs in person.