These 8 rugs all set the perfect tone for decorating now – narrowing them down is going to be the hardest part

Rugs really have the power to elevate any room in the home. They add a sumptuous look to a space and bring warmth and texture underfoot.

From fluffy high-pile rugs in the living room, to kilim pieces that are patterned and bring a playfulness to a space, the latest rug trends really prove how important these soft furnishings are to tying a room together.

The late interior designer Robert Kime believed that every room should begin with a rug. ‘It helps you to set the tone and allows you to see how the room will evolve,’ says Orlando Atty, managing director at Robert Kime. ‘It can help you visualize the end result too, so it is important to get that right at the beginning of the process.’  

These eight rugs are taken from beautiful interior-designed rooms, and we've found some similar styles so you can recreate the look at home.

1. This colorful pop of color in a Brooklyn brownstone

(Image credit: Kate Glicksberg. Studio Nato)

I love what this rug does for this room. The project, from Studio Nato, is a real celebration of color, but these shades aren't too vibrant and garish, rather pastel-toned. This makes for a colorful living room that's both playful and not overwhelming, given the walls are left a neutral white. 

The rug works underfoot to bring the space together, with two feet of both the chair and the sofa carefully placed on the rug, bringing all the key pillars of the room together. It's an exercise in placement and proportion, and helps to unify the living room.

'Colors punctuate the space,' designer Nathan Cuttle of Studio Nato tell us.' The rug is the centerpiece, large and custom-made with a repeated half-moon shape. 'It brings warmth to the space, contrasted by a velvet sectional sofa in bright orange.'

2. This shaggy cream rug on Fox Island

(Image credit: Haris Kenjar, 1stdibs. Design: Heidi Caillier)

This family home on Fox Island, Washington state, was designed by Heidi Caillier, a designer who had a knack of creating rooms that exhibit a slight traditional look, but keep their cool and edge with key vintage pieces. 

This living room is no exception and the result is super cozy, with this shaggy rug one of the many talking points. This living room rug beckons anyone who visits to kick their shoes off and enjoy the woolly warmth underfoot. 

3. This rug used to zone a dining room in Paris 

(Image credit: Stephan Julliard. Design: Le Berre Vevaud)

This entire room is pure Parisian style perfection. From the statement chandelier to the pops of color, to the incredible rug, that works so well to define and zone the space. 

The irregular shape of the rug adds movement to the room, softening the space, and slots so perfectly under the dining table. This room in Plaine Monceau, Paris, was designed by the ever-so-stylish Le Berre Vevaud.

4. This William Morris-like print in Chelsea, London

(Image credit: Kitesgrove)

'In our search for the perfect piece to anchor the space, we uncovered a Donegal Arts & Crafts rug attributed to Charles Voysey,' explains Sophie Coller, managing director of Kitesgrove, about this stylish Chelsea townhouse. 'Thanks to its vibrant jewel tones, it pretty much dictated the living room color palette of the furniture we used.. Because the client has a keen interest in craft and decorating with antiques, that rug is bound to be treasured for years to come.'

5. This faded traditional rug

(Image credit: Stelly Selway)

This cozy living room from interior designers Stelly Selway is all about the moody color. From charcoal on the wall to dark shades of brown, the room is a total cocoon for snuggling down on an autumn evening. I love the rug here because it looks a bit worn, loved, and works with the vintage coffee table to help you feel that this room has been here over the years, waiting to envelop you.

We're seeing a lot of Persian-inspired rugs with a faded pattern, and it gives a sense of cozy luxury, while a typically bold pattern of a Persian rug doesn't have to interfere with the rest of your interiors. Persian rugs are also mostly red, so the blueish palette exhibited here gives it a further twist.

6. This geometric style from A Rum Fellow

(Image credit: Natalie Dinham. Design: A Rum Fellow)

A Rum Fellow create some really beautiful geometric pieces, that are half rug, half statement work of floor art. The rest of this room is simple in color, just a pale pink and the verdant green of a plant, but the real color comes from this gorgeous tufted piece. The irregular shape of the piece also adds interest, and means that the rest of your interiors can be pared back, for this piece to really shine.

7. This paint splash rug in a Houston home

(Image credit: Nina Magon)

This design from Nina Magon on a home in Houston, Texas features a beautiful rug in dark tones of deep purple, cream and a lighter pink, in a pattern that looks like a splash of paint. Using the rug to inform the color palette for the rest of the room is a great way to plan your interior design, and has been executed well in this example.

8. This honey-toned Japandi rug in Sweden

(Image credit: Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen. Design: Norm Architects and Karimoku)

This serene summer house is the brainchild of Copenhagen-based studio Norm Architects and Japanese brand, Karimoku, located on the coast of Sweden. It is clad in pinewood and blends beautifully with its surroundings, and its minimal interior is a further nod to the nature that surrounds the home - muted, pared-back, with lots of natural materials and handmade pieces. 

This jute rug is a beautiful addition to this living room, contributing to the color scheme without being too invasive, and further emphasizing that connection to nature being made of the natural material, jute. It helps to soften the space too.