Multicoloured Rugs

Multicoloured rugs: life and personality for your room

A multicoloured rug is the quickest way to give a room character. Where a single colour sets a mood, multicoloured rugs tell a story: they link colours already present in the room, create transitions between furniture and walls, and bring life to interiors that would otherwise stay restrained. They also disguise the odd decorating decision that does not quite fit, cover worn patches in the floor, and make neutral furniture suddenly look intentional.

Multicoloured does not mean loud, though. Many multicoloured rugs work with one base colour and several matched secondary shades, so that the effect stays harmonious. Colours act directly on our mood: warm shades such as red, orange and yellow radiate comfort and energy, while cool shades such as blue and green calm. A multicoloured rug unites both and gives a home a personal note. At Morgenland Rugs you will find multicoloured rugs in many variants: as modern designs with gradations and graphic patterns, and as hand-knotted Oriental rugs, whose variety of colour has belonged to the nature of this textile art for centuries.

Patchwork, Kelim colour and multicoloured patterning

Multicolour has many faces, and the range of designs is wide. Three directions shape the picture.

• Patchwork: individual fields in different colours and patterns are assembled into a new whole. These rugs read as lively, modern and individual; they often arise from fragments of older Oriental rugs overdyed in strong shades.
• Kelim colour: flatweaves from Anatolia, Persia and the Caucasus show clear geometric patterns in rich, luminous colours. Red, blue, yellow, green and cream stand side by side without disturbing one another. Kelims bring colour to the floor in its clearest form.
• Multicoloured patterning: Oriental rugs with medallions, blossoms and borders often unite eight, ten or more colours in a single piece. From a distance a harmonious overall tone emerges; up close, a wealth of detail. Modern rugs transfer this principle into abstract designs and soft gradations; vintage models with washed-out colours bring additional character and depth into a room.

For the effect in a room, the base colour is decisive. It determines whether a rug reads as colourful and lively or rather calm with accents of colour, whether it appears warm or cool, light or dark. Step back a few paces when you look: the shade that dominates then is the shade your scheme has to work with.

A multicoloured rug: Oriental or modern?

Modern multicoloured rugs use multicolour deliberately: as patchwork, as a gradation from blue to rust red, as a graphic pattern in primary colours, or as a deliberately washed-out vintage look. Modern models are often held in strong colours and suit Scandinavian, urban and eclectic styles; in clean rooms they give a personal accent. If you like a boho style, there are multicoloured rugs with an ethnic air that bring warmth into a room. Our collection of modern rugs shows further colours and designs.

Multicoloured Oriental rugs are the original form of the multicoloured rug. Whether Kelim, Gabbeh, a Caucasian pattern or a finely knotted town rug: combining many colours in one piece is tradition here, and the shades often come from plant dyes that develop a soft patina over the years. A multicoloured Oriental rug works in a modern room like a work of art on the floor and is at home in every style, from a classical interior to a pared-back loft. Our overview of Oriental rugs covers every provenance.

Choosing size, shape and pattern correctly

With multicoloured rugs, size and the scale of the pattern belong together. A large pattern needs surface to unfold; small, dense patterns read as calm even on compact formats. The size should suit the room and the seating group: ideally 30 to 50 cm stay clear to the walls, so that the rug reads as a surface within the room rather than as a second floor covering.

• Rectangular: the standard format for living and dining rooms. In the living room at least the front feet of the furniture should stand on the rug; beneath the dining table it needs about 60 to 70 cm of margin all round.
• Runners: multicoloured runners, Kelim runners for instance, are ideal for hallway and kitchen. They bring colour into narrow rooms and, thanks to their pattern, forgive daily life.
• Round rugs: a round multicoloured rug brings movement into a room and becomes its centre, beneath round tables, in reading corners or in a children's room.
• Square rugs: for square rooms and seating groups around a central table; graphic designs come into their own particularly well here.

Proven measurements are 160 x 230 cm, 200 x 300 cm and 250 x 350 cm. For unusual floor plans, a made-to-measure piece is worth considering. In open-plan homes, rugs also help with zoning: a multicoloured rug marks the living area, a second, quieter one the dining place, and together they divide the space visually without any need for walls.

Multicoloured rugs for the living room, bedroom and beyond

Living room: here the rug may take the leading role. A large multicoloured Oriental rug, or a modern rug with a gradation beneath the seating group, binds sofa, armchairs and side tables into an ensemble. Choose cushions and curtains in two or three colours that occur in the rug, and the living room reads as coherent at once. Along the way the rug absorbs sound, dampens the echo and makes the room warm underfoot.

Bedroom: multicoloured rugs can be calm too. A Kelim in muted earth tones, or an Oriental rug with a beige ground and coloured accents, brings warmth to a bedroom without making it restless.

Dining room: multicoloured rugs are especially practical beneath a dining table, because they visually absorb the small traces of daily life. A low pile or a flatweave makes it easier to push chairs back.

Hallway: a multicoloured runner greets guests with colour and links the adjoining rooms. Kelim runners are a robust, easy-care choice here.

Kitchen: a Kelim or low-pile runner in strong colours makes a kitchen more liveable, reads as especially lively in front of white or grey fronts, and protects the floor from scratches.

Children's room: colour is almost obligatory here. A multicoloured rug creates a playful atmosphere, stimulates the imagination, offers a soft play surface and grows with the room as furniture and wall colours change. Because the pattern swallows small marks, multicoloured rugs are a good choice for families with children or pets.

Combining multicolour: walls, furniture and decoration

The rule of thumb for multicoloured rugs is: the rug sets the palette, everything else follows. The 60-30-10 rule offers a guide: about 60 per cent of the room in a quiet base colour, 30 per cent in a secondary colour, 10 per cent for accents. A multicoloured rug supplies the secondary and accent colours ready-made.

• Walls: neutral walls in white, cream or light grey let multicoloured rugs shine. A coloured wall works if it picks up a shade from the rug.
• Furniture: sofas and armchairs in neutrals such as grey, beige, white or natural leather are the ideal stage. Wood and fabric complement the rug and lend it calm; dark wood suits Oriental rugs, pale wood suits patchwork and Kelims.
• Decoration: pick up two or three colours from the rug, in cushions, throws or pictures. No more is needed; otherwise rug and decoration compete.
• Contrast: if the rug is colourful and should stay the soloist, keep the rest of the room deliberately monochrome.
• Several rugs: if you lay two rugs in one room, it is best to combine a striking one with a discreet one and watch for a common denominator, a colour that repeats in both for instance. Layering is popular too: a large neutral rug as the base, with a smaller colourful one on top as a touch of colour.

And if sofa and rug are both patterned? That works if one of the patterns is markedly smaller than the other and both share at least one colour. The style of the room then stays calm, even with plenty of colour in play.

Material, pile and care

Multicoloured rugs live on depth of colour, and that arises in the material. New wool takes colour in many nuances and returns it with a soft, matt sheen; red, blue and green read warmer and deeper on wool than on smooth fibres. Wool is also robust, long-lasting, elastic and naturally dirt-repellent. Silk, often as an accent in finely knotted Oriental rugs, makes individual colours light up and shift. In hand-knotted rugs the pile usually sits on a cotton foundation that gives the piece stability.

The method of manufacture determines the appearance: flatweaves such as Kelims show colours clearly and graphically and suit heavily used areas; hand-knotted rugs with a medium pile make patterns read as soft and three-dimensional; a high pile turns gradations into soft transitions. A low pile is the easy-care option for dining room, hallway and kitchen; a high pile belongs in quiet zones such as a bedroom. Every option has its place, and the choice depends on the room and its use.

A few pointers on care:

• Vacuum regularly, and on wool without a rotating brush; shake smaller pieces out carefully from time to time.
• Dab stains at once with a white cloth, never rub, so that no colour is spread.
• Never use a stain remover untested on a multicoloured rug; colourfastness differs from shade to shade.
• For deep cleaning, choose a professional rug cleaning that protects natural fibres and colours.

A rug for outdoors, for a balcony or terrace, is made of weatherproof fibres and follows its own rules; wool and silk develop their depth of colour indoors.

Advice and showroom in Hamburg's Speicherstadt

Multicoloured rugs are hard to judge in photographs: the base colour, the interplay of the shades and the effect from a distance reveal themselves only in the room. Our rug consultation helps you match pattern, size and material to your furnishings and your style, gladly from photographs of your rooms. If no standard size fits, we can tell you about the possibilities of a made-to-measure rug.

In the showroom in Hamburg's Speicherstadt you can see a wide choice of multicoloured rugs in daylight, and lay Kelims beside vintage models and hand-knotted Oriental rugs beside modern designs. As a family business we take the time until the right rug for your home is found.

Common questions about multicoloured rugs

Should the rug be lighter or darker than the sofa?

A contrast helps: with a light sofa the rug may be darker or stronger, with a dark sofa lighter. With multicoloured rugs it is enough for the base colour to stand out from the sofa.

Which rug makes a room larger?

Light base colours and small, quiet patterns make rooms appear wider. A large-format rug that links the furniture reads as more generous than several small ones.

Which multicoloured rug suits a living room?

One large enough to link the seating group, and whose base colour stands out from the sofa. If the rug is colourful and boldly patterned, walls and upholstery are best kept neutral; with small, dense patterns the surroundings may show more colour.

Which rugs are current at the moment?

Multicoloured rugs with earthy base shades, patchwork, and Kelims with clear patterns shape today's interiors, whatever the style. Hand-knotted Oriental rugs in strong colours are enjoying a renaissance as a contrast to minimalist furniture.