Just as an area rug can pull an entire interior room together, the same can be said for outdoor spaces and patios. Whether you’re planning a patio redesign, or you’re just simply looking for a way to refresh your current furniture and space, an outdoor area rug could be that one element that completes the entire look. This spring and summer, as you entertain family and friends, wouldn’t it be nice to relax and dine in a space that functions as an extension of your home’s interior?
Many designers will start with the rug when envisioning a space–pulling the rest of the room around the rug as a focal point. Frontera offers over 2,000 high-end, fashionable outdoor area rugs–but how do you choose? Where do you begin? We’ve compiled a few design rules of thumb to help you get started.
Settle on Size
Before diving into materials and patterns, know what size rug you’ll need for your space–you wouldn’t want to fall in love with a design, only to discover it isn’t available in the size you need! Grab your measuring tape, and figure the dimensions for your outdoor patio or deck. As you measure, keep in mind these two general rules:
- For sofa sectional seating areas, be sure to allow an open space border of 18 inches around your outdoor area rug. Leaving open space for the border will naturally direct focus to your rug, making it that focal point we discussed earlier. If you are working with a smaller space, you can reduce this border to 8 inches.
- For dining tables, allow for 24 inches of padding surrounding the furniture. As a general rule, when placing dining furniture on an area rug, you want to be able to pull each chair away from the table without the feet falling off the edge of the rug. Ensuring you have 24 inches of padding will help your design follow this rule, while also protecting wood decks or other sensitive surfaces from the sliding motions of the chairs.
Dining furniture isn’t the only type of furniture where the legs come into play. When choosing an outdoor area rug for a space with sectionals, love seats, and club chairs, you want the rug to be large enough to place at least the front legs of each piece on the rug. With just the two front legs of your chair or sofa on the rug, you can pull your space together while expanding the feel of the space at the same time. You can place all four legs of a chair on your rug, but this will create more of a tight feel, ideal for conversational seating arrangements with a cozy vibe.
Once you have your measurements in mind, you’ll want to decide on the shape of your outdoor area rug. You can filter your search on our website by round, rectangle, and square rugs, and further narrow your results by dimensions once you settle on a shape.
Choose a Material
To ensure your luxury outdoor area rug will withstand the elements, you’ll want to be conscious of its material. While natural fibers like jute, hemp, and seagrass are popular for their earthy, textured look, they’re not the best choice for an outdoor space. Natural materials are typically not mildew-resistant and will absorb liquids, causing them to deteriorate over time.
Polypropylene is a common synthetic material used to create outdoor rugs, due to its durability and natural resistance to stains, molds, and mildew. Additionally, they’re easy to hose down and dry quickly, making them especially friendly to pets, children, and summer barbecues!
Don’t forget to also consider your patio furniture when choosing a material. Chances are, you spent a great amount of time carefully choosing and curating your patio furniture collection, considering everything from texture to color–you don’t want to compromise the style and look you were going for by choosing a rug that totally clashes!
Most of our premium outdoor rugs are made from a combination of polypropylene and acrylic, including both this Trans-Ocean Ravella Tropical Leaf Neutral Rug and this bright, Trans-Ocean Ravella Zigzag Sunshine Rug. Synthetic materials will also be more resistant to fading, which is essential for outdoor area rugs that will spend a lot of time in the sun. Both of the featured rugs below are made from UV-stabilized materials, which will help in resisting sun fading.
Experiment with Patterns
Finally–the fun part! Once you’ve established the size, shape, and material you desire in an outdoor area rug, you can finally focus on the color and pattern. Many of the considerations we’ve already discussed will help dictate the pattern, such as the rug fibers and materials and your patio furniture.
While you may be tempted to stick with a neutral palette, don’t be afraid to branch out with bright colors! A brightly-colored outdoor area rug can liven up your patio, and pull from the colors of the seasons you’ll most likely enjoy your outdoor space the most–spring and summer. You can also add a pop of color with a bright accent chair, like our Polywood Long Island Adirondack Chairs, if you feel safer with a neutral rug.
Ready to start your search? Revamping your patio space can be as easy as simply adding the perfect outdoor area rug, and now that you’re well-versed in how to make your choice, all that’s left is the shopping!
