Mixing oriental rugs in a room can add warmth, texture, and a layered look to your decor. The key to successfully combining these beautiful pieces is finding elements that connect them harmoniously.
Simple Ways to Match Oriental Rugs
According to interior design principles, you can effectively match two oriental rugs together by identifying and coordinating specific characteristics they share.
Here are the primary methods for mixing oriental rugs:
- Matching Highlight Colors: This is a popular technique. Look for specific accent or highlight colors present in the patterns of both rugs. For example, if one rug features intricate designs with pops of blue and green, you can successfully pair it with another rug that also contains these same highlight colors within its design.
- Matching the Field Color: The "field color" is the dominant color of the main area of the rug (excluding the border). If both rugs share a similar field color, even with different patterns, they can often work well together.
- Matching the Border Color: Similar to the field color, if the borders of the two rugs have matching or complementary colors, it can create a cohesive look that ties them together.
Examples of Matching Rugs
Let's look at how these methods work in practice:
- Highlight Color Example: You have a large Persian rug with a deep red field and intricate floral patterns featuring solid blues or greens as highlights. To mix this, find a smaller Afghan rug for another area in the same room that also has prominent highlights of blue or green, even if its field color is different (like a rich brown or beige). The shared highlight colors create a visual link.
- Field Color Example: Place a vintage Turkish rug with a saffron yellow field next to a modern Oushak rug that also features a saffron yellow field, even though their patterns are distinct.
- Border Color Example: Combine an antique Caucasian rug with a navy blue border and a contemporary runner that also incorporates a navy blue border into its design.
By focusing on shared colors, whether in the highlights, field, or border, you can create a curated and inviting space that showcases the unique beauty of each oriental rug while ensuring they complement rather than clash.
