I think most people are familiar with the common benefits of a rug for their interior decoration purposes, but I think there are a few other, less talked about benefits that are also pretty great.
1. Warm up your house and save on heating costs
Having area rugs on the floor can really help cut down on heating costs in the winter. They block the cooler air from coming up in the cracks between the flooring. A good rug can decrease the amount of heat needed to warm up a room. The bigger the rug, the better the effect and the less cold floor that your heat has to work to warm up. They also will save your bare feet from the cold floor when your feet are on the ground. For best results, go with a thicker wool or nylon rug.
2. Your neighbors will appreciate your decor choices if you live in an apartment.
I currently live in an apartment and my neighbor below me is an absolute scrooge. He is always banging on the ceiling and coming to my door to tell me to be quiet over the faintest sounds. One time, I was tenderizing a chicken (which took all of 5 seconds) and he stopped me outside the apartment hours later to tell me to “stop building stuff…” However, since adding a few area rugs to the high-traffic areas of my apartment, it’s safe to say that my run-ins with him become significantly less frequent. Sometimes, all it takes to find peace in the apartment community is to add a couple inches of nylon between residents.
3. Reduces echo.
If you’ve ever walked into an empty house and let out a yelp then you’re familiar with this. Echoes in your house make it feel empty and looming. I think having a house set up so as to take advantage of the benefits of sound is subtle, but makes a huge difference in making your home feeling welcoming. Also, you will sound much better if you ever have to record your voice or do a video/conference call.
4. Helps with fatigue from standing or doing housework.
I currently have a stand-up desk and having a rug beneath me has been a life saver. Before I had a rug, my feet and knees would start to hurt after a few hours and my posture would get worse and worse as the day went on. But after adding a rug, I’ve noticed a significant boost in how long I’m able to stand up and how I feel while doing it. I’ve also noticed that since adding a rug in front of the sink in the kitchen, I don’t mind doing dishes quite as much.
5. Can help with decision fatigue when picking out furniture.
A few years ago, I purchased one of our 5 by 8 foot rugs for my parents for Christmas. They were in the middle of redoing the decor in their living room and so they went ahead and set that southwest area rug up in there. They had been going back and forth between different pieces of furniture and color palettes for a few months, but once they added the rug it made the process much simpler. All they had to do was build a palette, based on the colors in the rug. They basically built their entire living out around the colors and patterns from that rug and saved tons of time by having a starting point for their furniture buying decisions.
6. Allows you to play on the floor if you have hardwood.
I currently have a 6-year-old Alaskan husky and if you’re familiar with the breed then you know that they need A LOT of exercise. I mean they were originally bred for thousand-mile sled races, for goodness sakes. Anyway, I’m moderately active, but sometimes I don’t have the time or motivation to get out and let my dog get the exercise she needs every day. So a lot of the time, I have to fit the playtime in in little chunks throughout the day. One of the ways that I do that is that I’ll chase her around the living room, on my knees with my hands above my head. Whenever I get close to her, I’ll swing my arms down and act like I’m trying to smash her into the rug. It’s a weird game, but she loves it and she’ll run circles around me. Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to roll around on the floor with her if I didn’t have a giant rug to save my knees from the unforgiving hardwood.
6 Area Rug Benefits That No One Talks About
I think most people are familiar with the common benefits of a rug for their interior decoration purposes, but I think there are a few other, less talked about benefits that are also pretty great.
1. Warm up your house and save on heating costs
Having area rugs on the floor can really help cut down on heating costs in the winter. They block the cooler air from coming up in the cracks between the flooring. A good rug can decrease the amount of heat needed to warm up a room. The bigger the rug, the better the effect and the less cold floor that your heat has to work to warm up. They also will save your bare feet from the cold floor when your feet are on the ground. For best results, go with a thicker wool or nylon rug.
2. Your neighbors will appreciate your decor choices if you live in an apartment.
I currently live in an apartment and my neighbor below me is an absolute scrooge. He is always banging on the ceiling and coming to my door to tell me to be quiet over the faintest sounds. One time, I was tenderizing a chicken (which took all of 5 seconds) and he stopped me outside the apartment hours later to tell me to “stop building stuff…” However, since adding a few area rugs to the high-traffic areas of my apartment, it’s safe to say that my run-ins with him become significantly less frequent. Sometimes, all it takes to find peace in the apartment community is to add a couple inches of nylon between residents.
3. Reduces echo.
If you’ve ever walked into an empty house and let out a yelp then you’re familiar with this. Echoes in your house make it feel empty and looming. I think having a house set up so as to take advantage of the benefits of sound is subtle, but makes a huge difference in making your home feeling welcoming. Also, you will sound much better if you ever have to record your voice or do a video/conference call.
4. Helps with fatigue from standing or doing housework.
I currently have a stand-up desk and having a rug beneath me has been a life saver. Before I had a rug, my feet and knees would start to hurt after a few hours and my posture would get worse and worse as the day went on. But after adding a rug, I’ve noticed a significant boost in how long I’m able to stand up and how I feel while doing it. I’ve also noticed that since adding a rug in front of the sink in the kitchen, I don’t mind doing dishes quite as much.
5. Can help with decision fatigue when picking out furniture.
A few years ago, I purchased one of our 5 by 8 foot rugs for my parents for Christmas. They were in the middle of redoing the decor in their living room and so they went ahead and set that southwest area rug up in there. They had been going back and forth between different pieces of furniture and color palettes for a few months, but once they added the rug it made the process much simpler. All they had to do was build a palette, based on the colors in the rug. They basically built their entire living out around the colors and patterns from that rug and saved tons of time by having a starting point for their furniture buying decisions.
6. Allows you to play on the floor if you have hardwood.
I currently have a 6-year-old Alaskan husky and if you’re familiar with the breed then you know that they need A LOT of exercise. I mean they were originally bred for thousand-mile sled races, for goodness sakes. Anyway, I’m moderately active, but sometimes I don’t have the time or motivation to get out and let my dog get the exercise she needs every day. So a lot of the time, I have to fit the playtime in in little chunks throughout the day. One of the ways that I do that is that I’ll chase her around the living room, on my knees with my hands above my head. Whenever I get close to her, I’ll swing my arms down and act like I’m trying to smash her into the rug. It’s a weird game, but she loves it and she’ll run circles around me. Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to roll around on the floor with her if I didn’t have a giant rug to save my knees from the unforgiving hardwood.