In short, the far Eastern countries like Persia, Turkey, Iran, India and Egypt have long used rugs, kilims and similar pieces of fabric made of various luxury materials for more than just decorating their homes, but for praying in the Islamic religion, for covering pieces of furniture, for decorating the walls and similar purposes, giving these rugs another use besides just floor coverings. And while those rugs probably weren’t complementing nice furniture like we have today, they managed to spread throughout the rest of the world as a huge decorative element.

Interior designers are unanimous regarding this matter: oriental rugs do make up a large part of the palette of modern rugs on the market. The colours they use are unique and strong and express that oriental beauty, calmness and mysticism. As such, this type of modern rugs can easily make their way in any home and interior design scheme.

So, why should you consider an oriental rug for your home?

The two most solid reasons for this include the fact that an oriental rug helps define a space and separates one room from another in a very colourful and playful way. The possibility these rugs give the designer in playing with colours is endless. It truly is an advantage to be able to blend your rug into the décor of your furniture, walls and items, creating a pleasant oasis within your home. Interior designers believe that an oriental rug can bring warmth and character to a place with bare white walls. Totally understandable; white walls can really make a room look dull if not complemented with good decorative elements.

Here are a few helpful tips about using oriental rugs for creating a room with Eastern charm and character:

All colours should be kept in the same family

Yes, the point is to be playful with colours, but not in a way that will result in a colour mess and confusion. If you decide to use an oriental rug, be prepared to build the rest of the room’s design on it as the rug will most likely have a strong colour-scheme and you can’t afford to simply place it in the middle of an already highly decorated room. The art, the walls and the pillows on the sofas should all be in relation to the rug.

Go ahead and clash some colours, but…

Even if you do decide to clash colours, don’t simply add a screaming orange pillow in the middle of a bright blue and brown combo of elements. It would only sore your eyes and disturb the beauty of the overall design pattern. However, say for example you added a bright pink coloured pillow in combination with a brownish rug, the result would be much more appealing. Conclusion: you can mix colours, but mix colours that actually go with each other, not randomly picked nuances.

An oriental rug asks for a monochromatic setting

Oriental rugs in the past may have not been rich in patterns and picturesque designs, but they’ve definitely evolved. Modern rugs from the oriental palette are pretty rich in colour schemes and patterns, which is great but also kind of limiting you in the choice of furniture and decorations. You simply can’t combine a rug with a pattern on it with playfully designed furniture. The rule is simple: between the furniture elements and the rug, one of them should be monochromatic. And since we’ve already established which is the patterned one, the furniture should definitely be one tone.

Here you can see how an oriental rug makes the space lively. It breaks up an otherwise monotonous room it gives a warm tone and character whilst complementing the existing elements in the room. So, is it worth the try? Definitely.