Summer Rugs: How to Choose the Right Rug for Warm Weather
There’s nothing like summer in Australia – a place blessed with an overabundance of sunshine, where beaches and barbeques beckon the best of us. When the sun comes out and the weather warms up, it’s only natural to feel the urge to design and decorate your home to suit the season. One of the best ways to accent the summer at home is to break out the summer rugs. Each detail of these classic accessories adds a nostalgic element to any area graced with their presence.
Traditionally thought of as warm and cosy, these essential design pieces can amplify your summer home inside and out if you know what to look for and how to use them. A well-chosen summer rug can add a layer of comfort and flair to any space throughout the year. While in winter, rugs are used to insulate a room and help keep it warm, they can be used in summer to retain the cool air-conditioned air while warding off the outside heat.
If you’re psyched for summer and looking for some design inspiration for your home, read on to learn how to choose the right rug for everyone’s favourite Aussie season.
Elements of Summer Style
Choosing the right rug for the warm weather in Australia is all about the elements of summer style. Before choosing your rug material, keep the following tips in mind.
Colours and Patterns
Summer home design is all about harnessing the sun-drenched warmth of the great outdoors and bringing it inside by using nature-inspired patterns, organic colour palettes, and refreshing natural materials to lighten the look of a room.
Light Colours
Summer is synonymous with light colours, and rugs are no exception. Lighter colours make a room feel more welcome and complement a summer home perfectly. When choosing a summer rug, consider colours like yellow, green, light blue, red, and various shades of orange. Any of these will add a refreshing summer pop to whatever space you add them to. If you want to add some feminine flair to a room, look for shades of purple and pink. Some timeless summer trends also include aquatic and nautical shades, as well as beachy patterns and colours.
Coastal Inspiration
Use rugs to create a summer theme at home by opting for classic coastal-inspired décor. Look for nautical striped patterns or ocean-inspired tones like stone grey, sandy beige, and calming blue. You can also go a more modern route by looking for more luxe design elements that focus on nature’s raw beauty, such as undyed jute, wool, or cotton in natural tones. These options go exceptionally well in rooms that contain other luxurious natural materials like stone and light wood.
Bold and Bright
While some people like to use natural tones to decorate their homes in the summer, others take inspiration from the bright, sunny days to go bold and bright. From tribal-inspired patterns to bold contemporary designs, adding a brightly-coloured patterned rug to a room is an ideal way to keep the summer vibes rolling throughout the year. Consider colours like burnt orange, magenta, and hues of inky blue.
Rag Rugs
One of the best accessories you can use to make your room feel like it’s located beachside (even if you’re 50 kilometres inland) is a rag rug. Rag rugs emulate the feel of a beach house and inspire visions of sand and summer fun. They’re also lightweight, easy to clean, and relatively inexpensive, making them a convenient and affordable choice.
Outdoor Rugs
A favourite start-of-summer pastime for just about any Aussie is breaking out the deck and patio décor to set up for some fun outdoor gatherings. While rugs may be the last thing on your mind as you decorate your deck or patio, these often-overlooked outdoor accessories can add a whole other layer of function and style to an outdoor space.
When searching for the perfect outdoor rug, look at ones made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate). This durable, hard-wearing, easy-to-clean, quick-dry, stain-resistant, eco-friendly material is an ideal choice for outdoor use. Use it to add a touch of low-maintenance style to your summer home.
Popular Materials for Summer Rugs
Summer rugs are meant to retain the cool air inside while keeping the scorching heat from outside where it belongs. The following materials make for the most comfortable rugs in an Australian summer.
Cotton and Natural Wool
Just as we shed our winter sweaters and replace them with comfortable cotton tees, we can swap thick winter rugs for lighter ones made from breathable natural fibres, such as cotton and wool. There’s no need to sacrifice the feeling of walking barefoot on a soft rug just because it’s hot outside. There are plenty of summer rugs made with beautiful natural fibres like cotton. For the softest feel and a unique, elevated look, search for rugs handcrafted by skilled artisans. Ensure you get a low-profile or flatweave style for enhanced comfort when the temperatures rise.
Jute
Jute is a natural material that has been the number one coastal style choice for decades. This material is appreciated for its natural tactile texture and lustrous golden colour. Jute rugs are perfect for adding a rustic element to modern décor in the summer.
Jute rugs are often made with a low-profile weave crafted from dried eco-friendly jute. They provide a smooth, natural, and cool feeling underfoot, which makes them ideal for hot climates. You can find these rugs in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and textures, allowing you to add them to any room in various ways.
Jute is the first choice for environmentally conscious people as this natural fibre is typically sustainably grown without pesticides. In addition to the many benefits we’ve touched upon already, it’s a durable material that can withstand years of use in high-traffic areas and is easy to clean and maintain.
Polypropylene
Perhaps a touch less elevated in appearance than cotton, wool, and jute rugs, polypropylene is a perfect choice for those who plan to spend more time lounging and less time cleaning in the summer. This synthetic material is soft to the touch yet is the most durable and stain-resistant option of all the materials listed here. It’s an excellent choice for busy families who would benefit from having a child-proof, pet-proof summer rug.
Consider Cleanliness
People spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer. After a long day playing in the grass or at the beach, it’s inevitable that some dirt and sand will follow you indoors. Pets and children are especially adept at dirtying up summer rugs. This is why it’s essential to look for rugs that are easy to clean. Plenty of cotton, wool, jute, and polypropylene options are simple to clean and maintain throughout the season.
As you can see, there’s no need to forego decorating with your favorite home décor accessory when it gets hot outside. Follow the guide above to use rugs to your advantage this summer.
Get High Quality Rugs at Factory Direct Prices
Coastal Rugs has natural and synthetic fibre rugs suitable for all your home that are carefully handpicked by their team to ensure they are the highest quality. They are a family business that has served in excess of 100,000 customers over 20 years.
Customers choose Coastal Rugs because their rugs are simply exquisite, stylish, and comfy. So shop all their rugs today to transform any room in your home with instant colour, style, and a wow factor.