So many people ask me what my “style” is, and honestly, I don’t have an answer for them. Rather than collecting items that “go” together, I’m much more driven to create a particular feeling in a room. 

My design process often starts with two significant decisions: the color of the walls, and the piece that anchors the entire room. When considering an anchor piece of decor, rugs are far and away my favorite way to switch up the tone and feel of a space.

If you’re a regular follower, you already know my obsession with rugs. Over the years, I’ve collected more rugs than I’ve got floors. Lucky for me, by swapping out a rug, I can completely change the feeling of a room while keeping everything else the same; same furniture, same room, different rug, new atmosphere. Let me prove it to you. 

But before we get to any side-by-side comparisons, let’s talk about what I mean by driving your decor choices by “feeling” rather than a cohesive style. With so many of us spending time at home these days, I thought it would be a great time to share with you the three questions I ask myself when designing a space. 

• What’s the function of this room? Is it used for multiple activities or as a place to focus and retreat? Do you host here, or is it for work? Who will be in and out most often?

• How will my decor help or hinder the function of this room? What do you need to achieve the best use of this space? 

• What would bring me joy in this room? This is the most important question you can ask yourself when designing a space. It matters just much as your budget and will be the deciding factor in the lifespan of the space.

Once you establish how you want to feel in the room, you can plainly see how your feelings are connected to your decor decisions. 

Our family’s primary design priorities fall into two categories: visually defining an area and adding texture. Both in our home and in our studio, we use rugs to divide the different spaces designated for various activities. At the studio, we want corners that bring a softness to our industrial space that can give us some reprieve from staring at computer screens all day. And we also need areas to come together for meetings, both internally and with new clients.

You’ll see that through simple variations of texture and color, you can set two completely different tones, just by making a small tweak on your floor.

Loloi is our favorite go-to rug resource. They have a variety of styles, quality materials, and an accessible price point that makes their rugs perfect for our heavily-used spaces. With so many options, it can be overwhelming to decide on a rug for your space. Just remember to go back to those questions, and you’ll find yourself locating the perfect rug solution in no time.

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Ed. note: This post was sponsored by Loloi. The compensation we receive in exchange for placement on Wit & Delight is used to purchase props, hire a photographer, write/edit the blog post and support the larger team behind Wit & Delight.

While compensation was received in exchange for coverage, all thoughts and opinions are always my own. Sponsored posts like these allow us to continue to develop dynamic unsponsored content.
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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.