This Designer Tip for Hacking a Custom Rug on a Budget Is Genius
When you're outfitting a room that has an odd shape, one of the biggest challenges can be finding the right rug for your space. As if it isn't hard enough to pick the perfect pattern and color scheme for your rug, on top of that, you have to figure out the right size, and when you factor in architectural details that throw off the normal shape of your room (say, a fireplace, stairs, or a bay window), it just gets even harder. In cases like this, sometimes the best thing to do is go custom instead.
Designer Timothy Whealon tells House Beautiful that custom rugs are always preferable, even when you're not dealing with a quirkily-shaped room—after all, your rug is an important (and large!) part of the room and its decor. "If you’re able to have equal margins, it makes a room feel much more considered and bespoke," he says. But, Whealon knows that going custom, which is often much more expensive, isn't always an option for everyone. His advice?
"If a custom rug isn’t in your price range, a simple trick is to buy a solid rug that is larger than the room and have an installer cut it down or around things, like fireplace hearths on site," Whealon explains. (While Whealon suggests going with a solid rug, it's worth noting that there may be other patterns and prints you're interested in that can work even when cut down—in that case, use your best judgment, or consult a designer if you're unsure.)
Kravet's VP of floor coverings, Kyle Corey, also suggests a custom install if you don't go with a custom rug in the first place. "Rugs can be shaped and fit on-site by an installer to allow the rug to fit around the shape of different room features, like the fireplace or a bay window, so it’s more of a custom installation, but it does require cutting the rug."
So, there you have it—you can score the custom rug of your dreams (or at least, something close to it!) to fit any room no matter what the shape is, as long as you're okay with cutting into your brand new rug. Because at the end of the day, a rug you love that's the correct size and fits your room and all its architectural quirks is going to look like a million bucks, no matter what your budget is.
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