An Oriental Rug's Color: Sync vs. Contrast

Another week, another Fine Rug Collection blog post! For the past few weeks we've been touching upon how each aspect of an Oriental rug have a major impact on your purchase. We've covered size and color, but this week we're taking color a step further and exploring the topic in further depth. When we discussed color, we grazed over how the color of your rug and the setting it's decorating can form a sort of synergy. An Oriental or Persian rug is supposed to operate as the centerpiece of whatever domain it's populating -- when someone enters this room, the rug is the main and first thing they notice. Through being the centerpiece, the rug births this synergy through its display of color. That synergy is invoked through two avenues: sync, or contrast in color. This week it's our pleasure to delve more-so into this topic and provide you with the perspective needed to draw out your rug's fullest potential. 

Syncing your Colors

On the first side of the Oriental rug color spectrum in sync. Sync is a shorter term for synchronize -- to synchronize is to have at least two subjects operate in unison. In this case, to sync color is to have both your rug and the environment it's decorating function on the same color wavelength.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean your rug has to be the literal same color of whatever room it's placed in--your rug doesn't need to be the same shade of red as your walls, or sofa, etc. The whole point of synchronizing colors is to have your rug and room balance each other while sharing a similar spectrum. For example, let's say the walls of your bedroom are a tan brown, followed by a floor that's primarily hardwood. The furniture populating the room are likewise tints of brown, while the sheets on your bed are white. The overall setting is rather straightforward: a blend of light tones that work hand in hand. In this case, the rug for you would be one that match these lighter tones-- one that takes all the colors in this setting and embody them with a tiny bit of flair. Seek a rug that possesses a light tone -- a beige and/or white rug that's designs aren't overwhelming. In doing so, you accomplish two things: give the room you're decorating a distinct look, and have each color present thrive off one another in a shared spectrum.

By synchronizing the colors of the rug with the room it's being placed, synergy is gained in full. Possessing the same colors through your centerpiece -- the rug -- gives the entire setting a distinctive look that thrives off the similarity in hues. Through cashing in on similarity and synchronizing the overall look into a homogeneous light, your room adopts a newfound life that's unique in comparison to any other household.

Customer Example:

Sync

Courtesy of Nancy from Florida

To offer a hands on example, here we have a purchase from one of our customers displaying the described sync approach. The colors of the carpet are shades of light that mimic the tone the bedroom offers. Much like the white sheets, walls, and hardwood floor, the carpet's primarily beige color matches incredibly well. It gives this entire room a lighter "aesthetic" that feels both cozy and homey. To venture a bit deeper, the pillows on the bed even have similar shades of blue and brown as the designs upon the rug.

Contrasting your Colors

On the opposite side of this synergy spectrum lies contrast. Unlike sync, contrast doesn't match colors -- it offers an entirely opposite approach regarding them. You may be wondering, "wait, how does it make sense to contrast colors? Doesn't it make more sense to match colors rather than have them fight against each other?" Well, that's where you're actually mistaken! Both approaches are incredibly viable and offer the ability to customize your living space further. Think of contrast as an equally effective approach to decorating your home without being constrained to finding a rug that has to have similar colors. Instead, you're seeking something that is the reverse of the colors already present in your living space. The purpose of this approach is by placing a centerpiece like an Oriental rug that is either a lighter or darker tone than the room it's adorning, it makes both the rug and the setting figuratively "pop". 

Like when explaining sync, let's delve into an example concerning contrast. You've been in your home for years, surrounded by the same white walls, hardwood floors and lighter furniture inhabiting your living room. Instead of finding a rug that expresses the same shades and aesthetic as the room you're furnishing, purchase a rug that acts as its opposite embodiment. In other words, since the walls in this hypothetical situation are white, purchase a rug with a darker tone that conveys a contrast. This can come in many forms: a deep red, a heavy blue, a black led composition. The point, again, is to give offer something the room doesn't have -- something that isn't similar and stands as a stark difference from what already exists in that area. In doing so, you accomplish two things: you provide your decorated area with something that stands rather than blend in, and you cause both your new centerpiece and everything composing your living space to "pop". This "pop", as now mentioned a couple of times, is the primary purpose of contrast -- by offering the stark opposite of what's already present, both the rug and what's already active feed off each other adding a further level of depth.

Customer Example:

Contrast

Courtesy of Steven from California

This time, our hands on example provides a physical look into contrast. This bedroom has a hardwood floor with a black finish, following by tan, yet darker tinted walls. The furniture populating this setting likewise sport a black finish. The carpet put on display for this room contrasts its thematic nature perfectly. The carpet's tones are light with varying hues throughout it, ranging from deep reds, to light tans, greens and oranges. The placement especially fuels a thorough contrast that's ever present in the bedroom's thoroughly dark floor and bed frame.

Your Choice 

Whether you choose to sync or contrast your rug with your living space is completely your choice. Our fine array of products offers something other vendors can't: the ability to customize your household in your own way. The possibilities an Oriental or Persian rug offers for your household are near endless -- to understand their ability to do so is to draw out your home's full potential. We hope you've enjoyed another entry in our blog posts here at Fine Rug Collection. As always, your purchase matters to us, and we're happy to aid you in finding the rug that's the best fit for you.

Cheers, and until next time!