From the stone floors of our cavemen ancestors’ humble dwellings to the hardwood flooring used in more substantial dwellings in the Middle Ages, most of the floors constructed for most residences over time have been characterized by hard surfaces. The inception of large-scale carpet manufacturing, which occurred ruing the 18 century, changed this. Today, however, consumers have shown a preference for returning to the ways of old, as hardwood flooring especially has become renowned for its natural beauty, hygienic properties, and ease of maintenance. Apartment dwellers whose apartment home floors are made up primarily of hard surfaces can soften up parts of the floor and better integrate their personalities into their apartments’ design with some strategically placed and selected area rugs. A handful of rugs that could—in the words of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski—really “[tie] the room together” in your luxury apartment include:
Lime Green
Typically, green-colored furnishings and décor create either a strong eco-friendly environment or are eerily reminiscent of a scene from That 70s Show. That is not the case with this lime green 5 x 8, which is sleek, modern, and versatile enough to work with just about any design theme or color scheme you are seeking to match. This particular rug is especially well-suited to rooms that are heavy in grays, silvers, whites, creams, and woody colors.
Canopy Shag
This cream canopy shag area rug from Shaw Living is almost like fine carpeting, except for the convenient fact that you can shake it free of dust and allergens on your apartment balcony any time you want. You can also air it out if it gets stained. If you are looking for a softer, cushiony surface for a section of your luxury apartment home, this inexpensive style may be perfect for you. It sure would have worked out better for “The Dude,” both because it would have been easier to clean and air out following the “Chinaman” incident and because its low cost makes it more replaceable.
Delphi Moss
Ideal for modern, open atmospheres where only a handful of design and décor objects are displayed in a room, this Designer’s Guild area rug is something worth splurging on if it suits your fancy. The unique but well-selected color spectrum this rug boasts—heather, lime, charcoal—will draw attention if that is your goal, but can also play a more subtle role on your design stage. Try it out as a focal point for your living room.
Sunrise Orange
You may not live in Malibu like Jackie Treehorn, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy spectacular sunset colors from the comfort of your home every night. In fact, with this sunrise rug you can glimpse the beautiful shades and hues the sun paints the sky each dawn and dusk whenever you’d like.
“Facets” Stone Nylon
Another winner from the Shaw Living collection, this stone-colored rug is about as design neutral as rugs come. Its fine composition and diamond-shaped segments give it an air of elegance, yet it is somehow modest as well. Using advanced cut-and-loop technology, this rug was created to endure the test of time. So long as you vacuum it and attend to spills immediately, this rug, with its timeless design, should have a place in your home for quite some time.
Foreign Accents Festival Rug
Hand-tufted, the Foreign Accents festival rug is one of the most highly rated 100% acrylic rugs an apartment dweller can buy. The manufacturer’s featured rug is beloved for its grey and canary yellow color scheme, as well as its variably interpret-able east Asian design. Lay this rug out on your living room floor, invite some friends over for dinner or a movie, and see how long it is before the compliments start rolling in. We can only hope that your guests don’t get so excited by the sight of this rug that they make a Jeff Lebowski out of you.
SoHo Style
Just like you don’t need to live in Malibu to enjoy the beautiful colors of a sunrise or sunset, you do not need to live in Manhattan’s trendy and steeply-priced SoHo neighborhood to know what it feels like to look at a New York City fire escape. Pictorial and graphical representations of real scenes can sometimes appear tacky on rugs. That is not the case with this rug.
Marigold Star
A great way to brighten the mood in a bedroom or bathroom, this yellow-and-brown rug is simultaneously earthy, sophisticated, warm, and inspiring. Capitalize on its already off-center design by positioning it diagonally or positioning it so that an 18” x 18” is under your bed.
Turkish Kilim
From Azerbaijan to Iran, an Oriental rug making belt spans Central Asia and the Middle East. At the heart of this belt lies Turkey, which has been renowned for its rugs for centuries. Using dying and weaving processes that predate the Ottoman Empire, present-day rug crafters have preserved an ancient art perfectly. The result is to the benefit of the millions of Turkish rug owners around the world. A Turkish rug (pictured) is only the most traditional style. More contemporary designs and patterns are woven into Turkish rugs today using the same superior technologies that have been churning out durable, aesthetically appealing rugs for centuries.
Modern Floral
On the opposite end of the historical design spectrum, a sharp, clean floral design has considerable appeal to many luxury apartment dwellers. A rug like this is extremely versatile, capable of making just as much of an impact in the bathroom as in the living room. If this specific pattern and color scheme don’t suit your fancy, then check out other colors and patterns. Modern representations of flowers are a very popular rug theme right now.
Simultaneously decorative and functional, area rugs are a great investment. If you are looking for more stylish design tips to spruce up your living space, check out AMLI Residential’s Pinterest account. Our “Stylish Spaces” board is loaded with pictures that may inspire you, and our “Live Life. Love Life.” board can provide you with mantras that will keep you motivated throughout the apartment decoration process. Whatever you do, just be sure you don’t wind up accidentally ordering The Dude’s pee-stained rug. It doesn’t really have much of a place in a Breatheasy™ living community.
View All Posts by Jason Ernst