Spruce Up Your Patio By Throwing Down The Ideal Outdoor Rug

With the strong accent put on exterior design over the last few years, the outdoor lounge area is now more than just the space where the wicker patio set is placed and morning coffee is taken in the summer. That is, people pay a lot more attention to having the cup of coffee in a pleasant, cozy, stylish area instead of just placing a set of chairs and a table.

Let me guess – your mind instantly hit panic mode; you’re thinking how you have to hire an expensive design consultant or need to pass a course in exterior design or spend a fortune on buying a good patio set. But no, having the perfectly stylish and cozy outdoor chill area is actually very easily achievable. Changing just a few small details can get you to the kind of patio you see in magazines. Start with the ground: outdoor rugs online retailers offer in almost all colours and materials, is the first thing you need to get.

An outdoor rug will instantly bring the indoor warmth and coziness to the outdoor area, large or small. It is the perfect accessory to tie a patio, balcony or porch space together.

Criteria for choosing outdoor rugs online: shape, size and material

Shape

Depending on the type of patio set you have, you can choose from various shapes of rugs: round, square, rectangular, etc. The things to consider when choosing the rug shape include:

• The architecture of the space: are there any fountains, fireplaces or pillars? If there are, have in mind that they’ll affect the architecture of the entire outdoor space, which consequently will affect the rug’s shape.
• The architecture of the space: is your patio round or square? If it’s a large half-moon shaped patio, you have two options – to choose a round rug which will cover the entire curving space, and a rectangular one which will be significantly smaller and will cover the floor under the seating set. It’s your choice really, although I’d suggest you go for the round one, if you’re spending a lot of time on the patio with bare feet.
• The furniture has huge influence on the shape of the rug. If you have a large dining set with a round table then a round rug is more than obvious, and if your seating set if made of a small table, a sofa and two seating chairs, then go for something more on the square side, which will cover the larger area of the floor, as the set itself does.

Material

There is a vast range of rug materials you can use for your patio. The important thing here is that you choose something that’s easy to maintain and clean. For instance:

• Synthetic rugs are mainly made of propylene and are good because they can be washed easily with water and detergent and can dry very quickly. When searching for outdoor rugs online, you’ll find these in a variety of vibrant colours. Also, they are quite cheap, so you can always replace them once they no longer serve their purpose or you’re redecorating the outdoor lounge space.
• Natural rugs are mostly made of bamboo or sisal; these are the rugs with nice texture. They aren’t very easy to maintain due to the easy formation of mildew which eventually destroys the natural fabric and causes the rug itself to start decomposing.

Size

Outdoor rugs are a category of their own, which means generally, they won’t be as large as those intended for a living room, for example. Therefore, measure your space; how much of the patio you want covered. For example, a larger rug will do you best if you want the entire seating set (table, sofas and chairs), to be on the rug, while a smaller rug is the right choice if you only want the table to be on it. Again, the thing to have in mind here, is whether you’ll be spending a lot of time on the patio bare foot – if you don’t plan on using slippers for the patio then a larger rug is probably the better choice, and if you are, then a smaller one is better from a designer’s point of view.