In the category of “traditional” interior design, the rug is the statement piece in the room. “Start with the carpet” is the edict of many legendary interior designers, and there is something to the wisdom of it. Many of the rooms we admire most have carpets that offer a combination of pattern and color which seem to set the tone for what is happening everywhere else in the room. One of the more traditional rug routes is the Persian or Oriental rug. Persian/Oriental style rugs are a great way to begin a room because they often feature many different colors. Rugs like these can be expensive, but they can leave some of the guess-work out of creating a pleasing color palette. What colors should be in the room? Just look down! NYC Interior designer Miles Redd starts almost every formal living room with a beautiful Persian rug, like below. Notice how he pulls all of the colors of the room from the walls to the drapes to the upholstered furniture from the rug. Below, Redd pulls a yellow gold from the rug for the walls. One of Redd’s projects, below, where he covered a massive living room pulling blues and chocolate brown from the rug. 

Miles Redd’s protegé, Nick Olsen also loves to use a Persian rug for his projects, as seen below in Veranda. A more modern space from Elle Decor where the designer married a traditional rug with more streamlined furniture and accessories. A neutral Thad Hayes space that makes the rug the color in the room and keeps everything else monochromatic. Persian rugs can be pricey but you CAN find deals. We often find them when we go to Brimfield. You can also find good deals if you’re okay with a rug with some imperfections–find a rug with an imperfection where your sofa will be and no one will ever know!