Coziness isn’t something we always put on dark wood floors as a descriptor. Clean and contemporary, wood flooring is perfect for many homes but they can be very cold and bare. Area rugs bring warmth and comfort, freshening up any wood and making it feel like home. Search for the best area rugs for dark wood floors and see what speaks to your personality.
Below are the twelve best rugs for dark wood floors:
1. Striped Rugs
Striped rugs are the best rugs for dark wood floors. If your hardwood isn’t already in a design that emphasizes lines, a striped area rug adds movement and texture. These types of rugs can turn a drab room into something more interesting.
A dark hardwood is going to be very depth-driven, serious, and dramatic. Stripes aren’t those things. They’re a direct contrast and one that’s more often than not very complementary.
2. Cotton Area Rugs
Cotton area rugs are one of the best area rugs for dark wood floors. Cotton is a material that brings a certain rustic charm with it. A light vintage cotton area rug will match well with dark wood floors, bringing out the visuals of both the rug and floor.
Cotton communicates a casualness, something which might not be ideal for more formal rooms. Like many materials area rugs are made from, cotton comes in various adaptable styles and patterns.
3. Light Rugs
A dark engineered hardwood flooring complements an area rug that is light. Some may go darker, however, the real charm of contrast exists in combining a lighter area rug with the sinking depth already present in the wood. Lighter blues or browns, a dirty white, or a grey works well with dark hardwood flooring.
4. Floral Area Rugs
Florals are ‘in’. When it comes to area rugs, a faded floral design or very colorful flower-adorned carpet both work equally well with a dark wood floor. If you already have some greenery in a space, top it off with a playful floral design. These work particularly well in living rooms and entryways.
5. Furniture Rugs
Chances are, you already have some furniture on your wood floor. If they tie into an aesthetic you’re intending on keeping, try an area rug that mixes well with them. For light-colored furniture, try a light-colored area rug. This is the most ideal scenario as it highlights the dark floor and maintains its visibility. If the furniture is dark, you may consider a matching color in your area rug.
6. Bamboo Area Rugs
Bamboo area rugs are a risky proposition. You’re essentially applying wood over wood. Though layering rugs and pattern is a current trend in interior design, a bamboo rug has got to be coordinated with the style of dark wood underneath. Otherwise, it’s going to be a mess. Done right though, bamboo is just as rewarding as any other area rug on a dark wood floor.
7. Dark Area Rugs
Match the darkness of your floor with a rug that is equally deep. For this type of décor, a complementary area rug is best when it toys with the darkness with a pattern or something unexpected. Try for a dark area rug that has some lightness to it, a visual, or something that expresses rather than simply adds darkness to the space.
8. Multi-Pattern Rugs
There are some exquisite white-and-grey and monochrome-style rugs on the market that work from different patterns on the same rug. Sometimes, you may find three or four distinct visual rhythms in the same rug. For a large area rug, this can help distinguish different spaces or communicate a unique visual on flooring that may not have a lot of uniqueness to it.
9. Colorful Rugs
For the artful and exploratory, an area rug that is overly colorful and splashy can contribute a lot. One can use a single color if it ties into the interior design aesthetic already present or a multi-color area rug that goes wild. There are some real striking artistic area rugs out there, though they’re not for everyone.
10. Pure Wool Rugs
Wool is the most common area rug for dark wood floors, selected by homeowners desiring something simple and modern. Wool is durable, reliable, and easy to clean. Wool also is interpreted through various styles and colors. It works with almost any hardwood and feels comfortable underneath the feet.
11. Natural Fiber Rugs
A lot of high-end luxe dark wood floors gets tied in with natural fiber area rugs. These are handmade designs created from coir, jute, sea-grass, and other natural fibers. These eschew the formal, more traditional area rug look in favor of something that’s more culturally-driven and ethically-sourced. Though there are a lot of commercially-made duplicates, many area rug companies exist with high-end, non-synthetic natural fiber area rugs worth exploring.
12. Matching Area Rugs
An alternative to a single area rug is to use multiples. Look for corresponding rugs, either in an abstract pattern or with a unifying aesthetic. Though a design risk, an experienced eye is your guide. Set them in areas with pre-designated furniture or in an open-concept room with mini-areas.
