The Rooms In Your Home That Are Begging For A Rug, According To Joanna Gaines

Whether you're a big Joanna Gaines fan or you just happen to catch a few of her interior design tips here and there, there's no denying she knows how to style a room. While she offers priceless advice on everything from how to blend different styles to picking the perfect paint colors for every area of your house, one of the most valuable tips she has given followers revolves around rugs. That's right: those soft, decorative floor coverings come down to more than just comfort. In fact, Gaines recently shared that certain rooms are better with a rug, and some need one to really pull the space and theme together. If you have a section of your home that feels unfinished or a little unfocused, it could be because it is missing one element that will tie it all up in a nice, neat package. Entryways or foyers, bedrooms, and living spaces are all areas Gaines says can benefit from a rug, and each for different reasons.

During a tour through the Gristmill property on the @loloirugs Instagram, Gaines even shows off various rooms and discusses the rugs used in them. She explains that a rug can help ground a space and even works to highlight everything else around it. This offers you a way to really accent and complement your furnishings while anchoring everything with one simple feature. 

Starting with the entryway or foyer, it makes the most sense to have a rug here for multiple reasons. The first is that it adds an inviting and cozy element that feels both welcoming and intentional. You can pull through several different colors with just one rug, allowing you to have varying pieces of furniture that may not necessarily match on their own but work because of the rug's hues. This is also an incredibly high-traffic area, so adding a fabric road can protect your flooring while providing grip as people wander in and out. Understated yet essential, entryway floor coverings tie the whole space together and offer a way to soften even the most minimalistic areas. Gaines suggests in her Magnolia blog to use a rug with 1/4 inch pile height (or less), as these will last with the high foot traffic and are easier to maintain.

Your living room and dining room can benefit from a rug for similar reasons. As well-used areas, a rug creates a welcoming atmosphere in these that warms any design. These rooms are meant to be social hubs and a place to relax or enjoy your friends and family, so having a base that really pulls all your furniture together while showcasing each piece is ideal. When it comes to picking the ideal size, Gaines says to try and find a big enough rug that will fit under most of your furniture. She suggests a floor covering that allows the two front legs of each of your furnishings to rest on top of the fabric so that everything is connected and fluid.

While Joanna Gaines just dropped a new rug collection, she's no stranger to designing and decorating with floor coverings, and her Magnolia page offers a lot of advice on styling. During her tour of the Gristmill for the launch of the collaboration, Gaines showed off a runner rug under her sink in the kitchen. She noted that while it was only added for the shoot, she liked the effect it brought to the space and it does create a more intimate, inviting vibe. Adding a rug here can bring a more comfortable element to a room usually reserved for more functional items. Because your cooking area is also a hub, introducing pieces that warm and soften it will help make it even more engaging. 

Your bedrooms are also a good spot to add floor coverings in. As a space dedicated to comfort and coziness, having a plush addition that introduces a little print, color, or texture is a great decorating tactic. Rugs can help blend the various elements of a room like furniture, artwork, and even your bedding. If you don't want a lot of print in a minimalistic room, using an understated pattern just from a rug could add a little dimension without being too loud. In terms of size and placement, Gaines recommends picking a rug that extends at least 36 inches around the edges of your bed to ensure it doesn't feel or look too small or awkward and borders it nicely.