This Rug Style Is the Answer to Design-Decision Fatigue

It makes a room look instantly more sophisticated.
Lydia Geisel Avatar

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glowy living room with red ceiling
Photography by Chris Mottolini; Styled by Katja Greeff; Design by Prospect Refuge

We know how much is riding on a rug—designers like Athena Calderone and Amber Lewis have taught us how they can make or break a room. The problem is picking one. Go to any mass rug retailer’s website and you’ll be met with what feels like a million style and material options in the drop-down menu: Persian, modern, farmhouse, Berber, flat-weave, transitional, wool, jute, geometric, shag—and that’s barely scratching the surface. You could easily embark on a months-long search for the perfect rug or you could avoid decision fatigue altogether by clicking on one key category: solids. 

We’re seeing solid rugs pop up in all types of homes these days, and while we appreciate how easy they are to decorate around, we can tell designers are using them to bring a layer of sophistication to a space. Even celebrities are on board. “I love solid rugs,” actor Ashley Tisdale recently told us. “I think there’s just something about them that’s easy on the eye.” So naturally, her new Rugs USA collaboration is full of chic hues ranging from blue-gray to blush pink. Ahead, see a few of our favorite solid rugs in action and our picks for how to get the look. 

Zesty Chartreuse

yellow-green rug
Photography by Ori Harpaz; Design by David Lucido

Think of a paint color that you love but would be too afraid to use on your walls. Now imagine it on your floor. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so scary, mostly because it isn’t so in-your-face. This Brooklyn bedroom that David Lucido designed for an art-loving tech executive is the perfect example: The chartreuse carpet (a custom creation from TRNK NYC) plays a calming role and pairs nicely with soothing butter yellow.

Get the Look

Farrow & Ball Melrose Yellow Plain Wool Area Rug (4×6)

The Rug Company
$1,488

Moss Green

dark green living room rug
Photography by Shade Degges; Design by Martha Mulholland

Anything that’s set on a superdark solid rug will automatically look more interesting—yes, even a white sofa, bouclé love seat, or oak coffee table. In this L.A. home, designer Martha Mulholland opted for a mohair rug from Lawrence of La Brea. But because we know the natural material can get pretty pricey, we dug up a similar find at Pottery Barn Kids that’s synthetic and under $1,000. 

Get the Look

Solid Viscose Rug (6×9)

Pottery Barn Kids
$699

Plum-Purple

dark purple bedroom rug
Photography by Austin Leis; Design by Ome Dezin

Struggling to give a new build character? A plum solid rug can deliver the moodiness a white boxy room lacks. Ome Dezin kept the drama going in this space by adding an elaborate tapestry, a flowy coverlet, and sculptural brass lighting.

Get the Look

Handloom Knotted Silk Solid Brown Area Rug (10×13)

Wayfair
$2,792 $540

Marigold

yellow rug in a living room
Photography by The Morrisons; Design by JHL Design The Morrisons

In a room that is blessed with tons of natural light, like this living space in Portland, Oregon, by JHL Design, golden yellow nearly glows. One of the sleeper hits from Jeremiah Brent’s new Crate & Kids collection is a wool rug that’s a touch more saturated, but we also love the subtle movement in the low-pile Wayfair option below. 

Get the Look

Borst Hand-Knotted Viscose Solid-Color Rug (5×8)

Wayfair
$1,2400 $320

Narrative Dutch Yellow Rug by Jeremiah Brent (6×9)

Crate & Kids
$849

Sky Blue

Have a lot of dark brown furniture? This icy shade needs to meet your floor ASAP. Shelby Kass set a custom Stark carpet underneath her linen sofa and it immediately lent a sense of playfulness to the classic sectional, while Ome Dezin designers Joelle Kutner and Jesse Rudolph actually sought out the color combo when they painted a dining room’s ceiling glossy brown.

Get the Look

Scallop Wool Rug (5'9"x8'9")

Layered
$1,360

Milo Hand-Loomed Light Blue Area Rug (8×10)

Perigold
$2,332 $748

Cool Gray 

red bedframe on a gray rug
Photography by William Jess Laird

At Quarters, In Common With’s concept store and gathering space, this bedroom setup proves a neutral rug is perfect if you’re someone who likes to experiment with graphic bedding. Nordic Knots, the brand behind some of our favorite solid-color rugs, carries a matching sandy gray hue.

Get the Look

Grand – Sand Rug (6×9)

Nordic Knots
$1,195

Chocolate Brown

yellow office with brown rug
Photography by Charlotte Lea; Design by Abbie Naber

Brown is the new beige. We’re seeing it everywhere, from sculptural sofas to chunky coffee tables, so we aren’t shocked that it has made its way down to the floor. The color can be overwhelming to design around on a large scale, so you can always play it a bit safer with a smaller 3-by-5-foot size in an office or nursery.

Get the Look

Nico Solid Dark Wood Rug (6×9)

Ruggable
$339

NK Hand-Tufted Grand Walnut Rug (5×8)

Etsy
$900

Dusty Lavender

dark blue bedroom
Photography by Jason Frank Rothenberg; Styling by Rosy Fridman; Produced by Kate Berry

Tisdale’s Rugs USA collaboration brought us a solid lavender number that is the perfect base for contrasting furniture—something we learned a few years back when we got a look inside Garance Doré’s dark and dreamy bedroom.

Get the Look

Maru Wool Rug (4×6)

Rugs USA
$218