How to Choose the Perfect Office Rug for Your Space
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How to Choose the Perfect Office Rug for Your Space

Whether you’re working in the office or in your home office, your office is your space. You need the space to focus and do what you love. What better way to create your ideal office space than to add a touch of luxury decor—like an office rug. So if you’re working in an office building or carving out your home office, you could use an office rug to add a personal touch and create the office you love to work in.

Looking for office rug ideas? Or home office rug ideas? You’re in the right place. We’ll walk you through why an office rug is a great choice for your office space and what to consider when shopping for an office rug.

Why an Office Rug Is Useful

Why might you want an office rug? Here are some reasons why an office rug is both an ideal aesthetic choice and useful accessory for your office:

  • Easy decor. Decorating takes time, and making permanent changes to your office could be against office rules or overwhelming to make a decision about. But a rug provides an easy solution and easily changeable decor. Tire of your current aesthetic? You can switch it out easily.
  • Adds personality. An office could potentially be a drab space. Even if it’s acceptable as a workspace, it’s not yours until you add some personal effects. A rug is a simple way to reflect your personality and add your touch to your office.
  • Makes your space cohesive. There’s nothing like a rug to bring your office aesthetic together into a cohesive space. It helps the room feel complete and balanced.
  • Helps with noise. There’s nothing like a thick roll of fabric to help dampen noises. An office rug can help with echoing and dampening distracting sounds to help make your office a more peaceful place.
  • Boosts warmth. An office rug is also great for insulation and circulation in your office. So a rug is a great way to make your office a warmer and cozier space.

All in all, work or home office area rugs can be great assets to your office space—and make it a more enjoyable place to spend time.

Things to Consider When Shopping for an Office Rug

But how do you pick out an office rug? Here are some key things to consider when shopping for an office rug.

Style

Your rug is for your office, so it should reflect your office. One of the first things you should consider is the style of your office and finding rugs that embody that. You can match your rug to your office and to your personality to create a space you love. Here are some styles to consider:

  • Professional. This office is all solid colors and edges. A contemporary rug with muted prints would keep it all business.
  • Modern. Glass windows and tons of white will scream modern office architecture, and a sleek, neutral, or geometric rug can help keep the modern aesthetic of your office.
  • Cozy. A rustic office or an office full of dark wood can be cozy, and a cozy rug would only add to it. Think warmer and richer colors and softer finishes.
  • Chic. Your office is your space, and if a chic room is more you, you need a rug to match. Think soft colors and geometric shapes—and fun rug shapes.
  • Boho. A boho office is the perfect place to add a fun geometric rug with tassels. Motifs like diamonds and triangles add to the boho aesthetic.

Size

Once you’ve picked a style of rug to complement your office, you’ll want to choose a size. In general, you’ll want a rug that covers a portion of the room without covering the entire floor. A good rule of thumb is that you want 18 inches from the wall to the edge of the rug. That makes the room look bigger—where a rug that goes up to the walls makes the room look smaller.

In addition, you want your rug to be able to highlight the key space in your office: right around the desk. Whether you’re considering rug placement in home offices or in an office building, you want to put the rug under the desk area. So you’ll want a rug that’s big enough to hold your entire desk and chair space. It should cover all your desk activity, so you can push your chair out without it going off the edge of the rug.

Office rugs often come in a few standard sizes:

  • Small rug—4x6 to 5x8
  • Medium rug—6x9 to 7x10
  • Large rug—8x10 to 10x13
  • Oversized rug—any size larger

Depending on the size of your office, you’ll want to choose a size that will fill the space the way you want it to. Always make sure to measure your office dimensions and determine how much space you want the rug to cover, so you can pick a rug that will be the perfect fit.

Type of Rug

In general, you want an office rug that is ready for high traffic and office chairs. After all, an office rug isn’t going to be great if your chair can’t roll over it. So how do you determine the right type of rug? Look for:

  • Low-pile. A low-pile rug is closer to the ground and has a small lip. It’s easy to roll your chair over, and low-pile is less of a trip hazard.
  • Durable material. A 100% wool rug is more durable to traffic and furniture. It will wear well if you use a desk chair with wheels.
  • Shape. You want your rug to fit into your space aesthetically and physically. The shape you choose matters too. You’ll typically want a rug that will highlight the desk (and the chair), so you’ll want a shape that complements the shape of your desk space.

What types of rugs should you avoid?

  • High-pile. A rug that’s higher off the ground will result in an eternal battle between your rug and your office chair.
  • Sheepskin. Sheepskin rugs are cozy and soft, but they’re also prone to snagging on things like office chairs. It’s hard to roll a chair across this type of rug. Plus it’ll show wear a little sooner than a different material.
  • Carved. Carved rugs are the ones with raised patterns or hi-low texture. They really add eye-popping texture, but they also create little roadblocks for your office chair. It won’t be fun to constantly have to fight with your chair to get it over the differing pile heights.

You want a rug that will add to your space but never interfere with your day-to-day activities in your office. The type of rug you choose will be key.

The Bottom Line

Overall, your office is a place where a rug can help create a room into your space. A rug adds to the space and can enhance your office aesthetic. You’ll want to choose a rug with the right style, with the right dimensions, and the right material and pile. A carefully chosen rug will take your office to the next level. At the end of the day, the best rug for offices is one that you love and one that makes the office truly yours.

Looking for your own unique and beautiful rug for your office space? Shop Tufenkian rugs.