If you live in a cabin or other home that has an outdoor or woodsy feel to it, you may be looking for rustic area rugs to really set the tone and mood in your home. However, you may find yourself wondering what features make a rug rustic as compared to contemporary or country. Here are a few of the features that you often see or find in rustic area rugs.

Warm, Earthy Colors

The color of the rug can help determine what type of setting the rug is best used in. If you are looking to place the rug in a home or cabin that has a rustic or outdoors feel to it, you will want to look for a rug that has warm, earthy colors in the design. Common earthy colors include cream, rust, orange, beige, hunter green and chocolate brown. These are colors that you frequently see outdoors and associate with nature. If it is not a color that is often found outdoors, it probably is not a rustic color. When using one of these rugs in your space, pull your accent colors directly from the rug to tie everything together. This includes throw blankets and pillows.

Tribal Prints

Another trend that you commonly see in rustic rugs is tribal prints. Many of these types of rugs incorporate an Indian tribal print into their design. Once again, this connects back to the earthiness of the design. Tribal prints have a natural characteristic to them that is conveyed as soon as you see the print. However, if you are using a rug with a tribal print, you want to keep your furniture simple. Pairing a tribal rug with a patterned sofa can be too much for a rustic space. Let your rug be the focal point of the space and let everything else play off of that tribal print.

Animal Prints

The last trend that is commonly seen in rustic rugs is animal prints. However, we are not talking about cheetah or giraffe prints here. We are talking about animal prints that are commonly found in nature around your home. Faux bear fur rugs or cowhide rugs both lend a rustic and unique look to your space. If you are using an animal print rug, you want to avoid incorporating too many other textures in your space. This can overwhelm the eyes. Keep the rest of your textiles simple and let the animal print rug be the star of the room.

The right area rug can add style and personality to your space. If you are going for a rustic or earthy look and feel to your space, you may find yourself wondering what characteristics to look for in an area rug. Earthy colors, tribal prints and local animal prints are three of the features that are commonly found in rustic area rugs.

Rug maintenance is crucial for preserving the appearance and durability of your rugs. This involves regular cleaning, rotating the rug to ensure even wear, using rug pads to prevent slipping and wear, and addressing spills and stains promptly to avoid permanent damage.