Even though you may not see them, your visitors are always peering around. Your house is a reflection of who you are as a person – and they notice everything! After all, if it’s your house, you will decorate in a way you will feel comfortable.
If you have an outdoor space like a porch or patio and you think it lacks something, putting an outdoor rug may complete it. Outdoor rugs can give personality to your outdoor space making it more vibrant and gorgeous.
But before you get one, here are a few things you need to consider.
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Check what material it is made of.
When it comes to rugs, you will find that they can be categorised into two types, natural and synthetic. People will usually go for synthetic over natural since they are more durable and colourful than their natural counterparts.
Synthetic outdoor rugs are typically made of polypropylene, but you can also find rugs made of acrylic, nylon, or polyester. This is because polypropylene does not absorb stains or liquids. It is also made up of recycled plastics, so if you are concerned about only using eco-friendly products, don’t. You are still helping the environment.
But if you want your rug to still feel natural, even if it is synthetic, choose an acrylic. Why? Because every time you step on it, you will have that soft underfoot feeling you get from natural rugs. Nylon and polyester are about the same, but the latter can be susceptible to oil-based stains, which can sometimes be hard to avoid, especially if your outdoor space is busy.
If you are someone who has a big budget, you can opt for natural rugs. They can be made up of bamboo, hemp, seagrass, and sisal, which, unlike synthetic materials, can be hard to mass-produce, making them more expensive. You will also have to do a lot of maintenance since these rugs are prone to moulds and stains.
But despite all those, some people still prefer natural rugs. It’s probably because of the unique tone, design, and feel it has that synthetic rugs cannot replicate.
Match the colours with your space
Whether you have a synthetic rug or a natural one, its colours will be the ones that will catch peoples’ attention. Common styles have geometric shapes, stripes, or medallions, but there are other designs like tropical or floral if you want something different.
The best ones to get when it comes to colours are solution-dyed rugs since they are more resistant to fading. Unfortunately, your outdoor rug will likely be exposed to a lot of sunlight, so that it will be prone to fading.
If you want your outdoor space to be more intimate, opt for darker colours. But if you’re going to make it look more spacious, choose brighter ones.
How was it constructed?
Rugs can be constructed in three ways which can affect their price. They can either be machine-made, hand-hooked, or flat-weaved. Machine-made are the cheapest since they can be mass-produced, made of basic materials, and have fewer details.
Hand-hooked rugs, on the other hand, are expensive but have finer details and more materials used.
Flat-weave rugs have the same price as machine-made rugs since they do not have any pile.
So, before you buy an outdoor rug, do not forget what you have read today, so you know what exactly to get for your outdoor space.