Gentle Readers, if you have been reading bossy color blog faithfully since 2009 (!!!), you know that a tenet I hold near and dear is this: START WITH THE RUG. If you’re hating a room but you just can’t figure out what to do about it, start with the rug.
Except when you don’t.
We just designed a beautiful home for a client with small children AND killer allergies, so forgoing a rug in their dining room was a no-brainer. Plus the floors had been meticulously restored, so we thought it would be nice to show them off. With faux grasscloth on the walls, a gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright table, amazing artwork, and chairs upholstered in a lively dragon pattern, there’s plenty going on in that room without a rug.
Now it seems as though everywhere we look — Pinterest, House Beautiful, you name it — we see rooms without rugs. No, not just in modern spaces. And yes, in rooms that feel warm.
The ever-elegant Nestor Santa-Cruz, a fellow designer here in DC, says that the “Chinoiserie wallpaper and vintage trim on the curtains provides plenty of visual interest” in this Austin dining room. I’d go for more color, naturally, but the room is lovely without a rug ;)
These two formal dining rooms look great without rugs…
…in fact, rugs might even make them feel cluttered.
Bare tile floors in this living room by David Easton set a serene tone. Even white, they’re surprisingly warm.
More warm white: gorgeous painted floors by William McLure. Look carefully. Isn’t the blue trim to die for?
If you’re still hesitant about exposed floors, then let Miles Redd convince you. He’s known for a “more is more” aesthetic, but he still omitted a rug in this colorful living room. It works!
When you’re next thinking about redecorating (which in my case is about every 15 minutes), you might want to start by considering the floor instead of the rug. Who knows? You might decide that a rug-free room is just the ticket.
Bossy color | Annie Elliott interiors is a design firm based in Washington, DC. Annie’s design work and decorating insights have appeared in such publications as Better Homes & Gardens, HGTV Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bethesda Magazine, and Washingtonian Magazine.
