What’s the Best Area Rug Color For the Living Room?

What is the best area rug color for the living room? We know how vital this pivotal room is in your household. A great rug is often a focal point for a living room, and you want to be sure you have one that highlights your design sense and style. Besides, the perfect living room rug has to function for your family.

Here are some of the best colors for living room rugs:

  • Natural Beige
  • Blue
  • Grey
  • Jewel-Toned
  • Green
  • Burgundy
  • Black And White

Each of these colors has different advantages or disadvantages, and we'll explore our research below. We'll also answer questions about how to know which color or pattern is right for your room.

An area rug inside a living room with white living room walls and wooden flooring, What's the Best Area Rug Color For the Living Room?

 

The Best Colors For Living Room Rugs

1. Natural Beige

Beige is a color that goes with almost everything. It can brighten up a dark room or add a subtle bit of color to an all-white room. It's also forgiving (to a degree) if you have a house full of children or pets. With beiges, choices range from light ivories to darker tans. Textures run the gamut from natural sisals to lambswool shags. Let's look at some examples.

Ivory

This ivory area rug in wool is simple, elegant, and beautiful. A carpet like this is excellent for a well-used and casual living room. The texture feels good underfoot, and the natural fiber makes it easy to have cleaned. 

Sand

This sand-colored textured rug is the perfect choice in this neutral living room. All of the textures and tones of whites in the room work well together.

Tan

A sisal rug like this one is a super choice for a casual or coastal living room. The natural fibers have some density to them and add an element of texture to the space. 

Click here for this similar rug on Amazon.

2. Blue

Blue is another universal color. It goes great in many different decors. If you love a warmer palette, then opt for something in the teal or turquoise hues. Are cool tones are your thing? Think pale blues and medium blues. If you love bold looks, go for a deep navy rug.

Turquoise Tones

Within blue, there are the warmer shades of turquoise, aqua, and teal. These blues have a touch more green in them and go well with browns and beiges. They are also stunning with natural wood tones.

Cool Blues

Cool blues like sky blue, robin's egg, or even a medium Wedgewood blue are a perfect match for whites, greys, and greiges. Blue is a favorite color for a reason.

Deep Navy

Dark navy is an excellent choice for a dramatic living room. Pair it with white furniture or sleek leather sofas, and you'll have a look that gets people's attention. 

You can find this similar look on Amazon.

3. Grey

Like blues and beiges, grey is a universal color for design. It's neutral and understated in the light to mid-range tones, and dramatic and bold in charcoal. It works well with many different types of furniture and flooring.

Light Grey

Light grey is a super choice if you want to keep a bright and light palette but worry about staining on something white. It will complement brown leather sofas or black leather sofas as well as blue upholstered pieces. (see our blogpost on brown leather sofas here: 14 Living Room Color Schemes With Brown Leather Furniture)

Medium Grey

This medium grey shag rug adds incredible texture to this contemporary and fun living room. The monochromatic vibe is perfect for adding a deep carpet pile.

Charcoal Grey

Deep grey is a forgiving color choice for active households. If you have young kids or pets (without white hair), then this may be a great color choice. It goes with lots of different decors and can be super dramatic or transitional casual depending on the texture and pattern choice you make.

A low-pile textured rug like this works well in both dressier and dressed-down living rooms. Because it's not a deep pile, vacuuming should be a breeze.

Click here for this rug on Amazon.

4. Jewel-Toned

If you have an eclectic style, then a jewel-toned rug may be for you. Drawing on the colors of gemstones, ruby, emerald, and sapphire, the jewel-tones radiate warmth and hominess. They often come in patterned rugs, but the patterns vary from geometric and modern, to floral and traditional.

This faded look rug has the perfect jewel tone blend.

Click here for this on Amazon.

5. Green

Green is a soothing color and works beautifully in rooms that focus on other natural elements like real wood floors and accents.

Here's a similar style on Amazon, which you can find here.

It can also be surprisingly bold when dark and paired with other bright pieces. We love this emerald green patterned rug paired with charcoal upholstered furniture and brass accents.

This similar rug may be found on Amazon.

6. Burgundy

Burgundy comes to mind when we think of traditional living rooms. It's a beautiful color to pair with brown leather or cremes. It also goes well with grey and even black furniture. You can choose a burgundy rug in solid or in an oriental rug style. (Visit our post here for inspiration on what other colors might pair with a gray couch: What Color Rug Goes With a Gray Couch)

This is a super burgundy rug for a traditional or transitional space.

Click here for this on Amazon.

7. Black And White

Another great eclectic choice that also makes a statement is a black and white rug for the living room. Whether you choose floral or geometric, the color combination is both forgiving and beautiful. It goes with most transitional and contemporary decors as well.

Here's an example of black and white in a floral rug.

Click here for this on Amazon.

How To Choose The Color That Best Matches Your Living Room

There are several factors to consider when choosing an area rug for your living room.

  • Paint color on the walls
  • The amount of light and dark in the room
  • Your upholstered furniture pieces
  • Accent colors you may have chosen
  • The theme or vibe of your room

Paint Color

Though your rug does not need to match your paint color, you want to make sure it doesn't clash with it. Remember to think in terms of warm colors and cool colors. If you stay within those spectrums, you should be fine.

Light In The Room

If your room is dark without a lot of windows, or you have lots of heavy pieces of furniture, then you should think about choosing a light-colored rug. If your room has a vast expanse of light-colored flooring and very light furniture, then you might want a rug that is slightly darker in the shade. 

Your Upholstered Pieces

You can choose your rug color based on your furnishings. Is there a color in one piece of furniture you particularly love? Why not pull it out by matching the rug to it?

Your Accent Colors

In this room, a bold orange sofa fills up the space. However, if you notice, many of the accent pieces are blue. The throw pillows, the coffee table, and the rug unify the chosen accent color.

The Theme Or "Vibe" Of Your Room

Do you want a super chill relaxing space? Then you're probably going to want to go for muted light colors. Do you want an everyday party in your living room? Then think bright, like jewel-tones and intense colors. Is drama your thing? Then go for bolds deep tones like navy, charcoal, or emerald green.

How Do I Choose A Rug Pattern For The Living Room?

Patterns are so much fun, but which one is right for your space? If you have a contemporary vibe, then you'll want to think about abstracts, stripes, or geometrics.

This pencil line geometric rug is super for a contemporary living room.

Click here to see this on Amazon.

For transitional spaces, anything goes. If you choose a floral, then pair it with cleaner lined furniture. Big geometrics work with solid colored furnishings. Distressed patterns that look vintage faded are a great way to hint at something realistic but have the blur of an abstract piece.

This is an example of the faded look of a distressed style rug.

This one is available on Amazon.

For traditional rooms, you might go with an oriental style rug or a keyhole type geometric. You can often find rug patterns that will mimic the upholstering you have chosen on some pieces.

This is a timeless, traditional style rug in beiges and cremes that will match many interior designs.

We're so glad you stopped by to see our ideas on great colored rugs for your living room. We have several other design posts that can help you as you make decisions. If you'd like to visit them, please click through to the other HomeDecorBliss.com links below:

What Color Rug Goes With White Couch in the Living Room?

18 Cream and Brown Living Room Ideas

One comment

  1. Question. I bought a sage green sofa and would like to know what color rug should I get I have bseautiful light hardwood floors

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