Decor: Antique Rugs on Instagram
Styling an antique rug can be a terrifying proposition: You don’t want to understate its beauty with clutter and excess, but you also want to avoid excessive minimalism, which forces the rug to carry the room all on its own. Here are some ideas for styling your rug—without sacrificing its vintage glory.
Let your rug be the star.
Pairing a large, colorful rug with neutral-toned furniture adds sweeping drama to your room without going overboard. In this living space from interior designer Amber Lewis, a gorgeous vintage rug with red undertones melds perfectly with white walls and leather chairs.
Go vintage in the nursery.
Your baby will have the most stylish room around if you combine a simple crib with a vibrant antique rug, like in this photo from Australian store Stories by Stella. If you plan on staying in the same home as your child grows, a rug provides personality—but can be easily swapped out once your kid’s grown enough to have their own taste.
Pair with a modern wallpaper.
Vintage rugs and contemporary wallpaper combine to create a cozy, welcoming feeling—the aura of a summer home down South, feet from the beach. We love designer Janie Molster’s grey-and-tan geometric wallpaper and vintage Turkish rug, whose red accents are repeated in the pillows to tie the room together.
Go rustic in your bathroom.
Paired with a chipped-paint tub, this white rug—striped by bits of blue-grey—adds vintage appeal to a rustic bathroom, courtesy of designer Martine Sarda. It’s the perfect bright accent for an otherwise-dark room and an ideal match for the flowing curtains that cover the sunny window.
Pair your rug and your wood.
Contrast can be great, but there’s a lot to be said for a faded antique oriental rug against a blonde wood. The effect is subtle but remarkable, like in this simple foyer from Becki Owens. Not to mention the rug’s pink tones, mirrored in the artwork above the fireplace in the adjoining room.
Give your library some heft.
Nothing looks more distinguished in your library than a beautiful vintage rug, like this classic affair from Susan Yeley Interiors. Combined with Mid-Century-inspired lights, wide windows, and built-in bookshelves, the room screams class—without all that overbearing heavy wood so typical of libraries.
Add matching flowers.
These vivid sunflowers and bluebells play perfectly with the yellow and blue hues of this vintage Moroccan rug from Helene Skytte—and the curvy glazed turquoise vase stands boldly against the grey-wood floor and Danish modern chair.
Be bold with colors.
Maybe neutral accents aren’t your thing. No shame in that—going bold around your vintage rug is just as viable a solution. Check out this gregarious room from French Instagrammer Karine Bert: Floral wallpaper and an enchanting blue wall make her patterned woven rug stand out even more.
