Leaf Area Rugs

How a Leaf Area Rug Can Highlight Your Room Decor

A leaf area rug can highlight your room’s decor by adding in an outdoorsy design element that can be reflected in your wall art and other decor. When you tie the motifs of the rug to the other decor, you create a cohesive room where each piece of decor can have its moment to shine. 

Decorating With a Leaf Area Rug

Not all leaf area rugs are designed alike. Some may use a simple palm leaf design, while others may focus on fall leaves, tropical leaves, or other general greens. You can decorate with a leaf rug any time of year with any style as long as you’re intentional with pairing the rug with your other decor. 

Choosing Which Leaf Area Rug is Right for You

As you shop through leaf area rugs, here are some areas to consider to help you choose your perfect leaf rug. 

Position: One of the earliest steps is to determine your room’s layout and how the rug fits into it. There are many ways to go about positioning a rug, but here are some general ideas to get you started. 

Living Room: In your living room, you can center your leaf area rug with your main seating. Depending on the height of the rug and the size of the room, you can either place the rug all the way under the furniture, under its front two legs, or directly in front of the seats. If you just want a small leaf motif elsewhere in the room, you can choose a smaller rug to set up a small social corner or reading nook. 

Dining Room: The best way to stylize your dining room with a leaf area rug is to center the rug beneath the table with enough extra on the sides and ends for the chairs to sit comfortably on the rug at all times. 

Bedroom: If your bed is the central focal point of the room, you can accentuate the space by placing the rug centered beneath the bed. Common layouts include placing it all the way under the bed or under the bottom two thirds of it. If your bed is not centered, you can still center a rug in the middle of the bedroom itself or establish a small sitting corner elsewhere with a small rug. 

Kitchen/Bathroom: Both of these rooms can benefit from 2x3 or 3x5 leaf area rugs in front of sinks, or depending on the layouts, you can use a leaf runner rug to establish a walkway and comfortable standing area. 

Outdoors: You can carry your style outside with an outdoors leaf area rug. For layout ideas, look to similar indoor spaces for inspiration. 

Size/Shape: Once you have a layout in mind, it’s time to determine the rug’s size and shape. Be sure to consider the scale of the room to ensure that the rug won’t feel too large or small for the space. As for shape, rectangular is a common choice that works in many rooms, but round leaf rugs and runner rugs are also great options depending on the room’s size and the rug’s purpose. There are even options for leaf shaped rugs if you want to lean fully into that aesthetic.

Pattern: As stated earlier, some leaf area rugs will feature one type of leaf while others will use many leaves and/or incorporate flowers. The type of leaf says a lot about the rug’s overall style. Palm leaf rugs and banana leaf rugs tend to be more tropical, while others that incorporate less tropical leaves and flowers can fit in with more traditional or coastal designs. Find the leaves that fit with your overarching style, and if possible, subtly incorporate similar leaves elsewhere in the design to make it cohesive.

Color: The leaves themselves affect the rug’s style, but so do the colors. Leaf area rugs can show off muted, soft greens, blue hues, beiges, and many other colors. This is a key area for determining the rug’s overall tone, which should match with the tone the other decor and colors strike.

Ideas and Advice

Check out our latest how to's + design tips to find the perfect rug for your space.

Kitchen Decor Ideas

Bedroom Decor Ideas

Living Room Decor Ideas