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- Struggling to find the best way to distinguish different areas (like a dining area from a living room or kitchen) in an open floor plan area? We feel you.
- The most popular ways to combine area rugs in an open floor plan are by pattern, by color, or by style.
- If you are an artsy person and would rather prefer creative chaos than harmonious order – you can also choose not to match the rugs with each other at all and plan your own interior design!
The rug is a great way to boost an overall look of your living space in a flash! Does your living room lack coziness? Get a nice, long hair rug! Do you want to change the style of your living area? Get a new pattern and color rug! Does your house have an open concept floor plan? Rugs will help you to create an order, style and will help you to separate those different areas (e.g. dining room, living room, and kitchen).
Although rugs are a truly easy and fast way to (re)organize and decorate your home – they can also create a very messy and chaotic look if not complemented into an interior design appropriately.
Below we’ll explain to you 4 different methods about how to combine area rugs in an open floor plan.
Matching Patterned Rugs
This method is a classic. And is probably one of the easiest ways to create a beautiful interior design for an open concept living room or any other room.
Now, there are few patterned rugs matching ideas for open floor plan:
- Get rugs that have the same pattern and color but different shapes or sizes to distinguish the specific areas in the house.
- Get different pattern rugs that each has at least 2-3 matching colors that also match with the colors of an overall interior.
- Get the completely same style, color, and pattern rugs in all of the areas, but place at least one of them on top of a solid and neutral rug to make it stand out.

Matching Solid Color Rugs
Now if the previous paragraph offers you to match the similar color and pattern rugs with each other – here, we recommend you try matching the different solid color rugs together.
- Investigate the color palette of your existing interior design: what colors and shades dominate? After that, choose the color of the rugs accordingly.
- Carefully select 2-3 (depends on how many areas you want to separate) solid color rugs that are matching each other by default. For example, according to the professional designers, blue goes perfectly with the orange or yellow colors, red with the green color, purple with yellow, and etc. The most important thing when choosing such bold colors is to make sure that they are also matching the color palette of your room.
- If you prefer a more minimalistic look – choose from more natural colors. For instance – white goes perfectly with nude, light brown, grey colors, and actually – any other color.
- Matching different color rugs is one of the most popular open floor plan ideas because it separates different areas perfectly creating order and bringing more clarity in an open floor plan house design.

Mix & Match: Solid Color Rug and a Patterned One
In the previous paragraph, we have offered you to match different solid color rugs with each other and with the color palette of interior design.
Now another great way to match the rugs in an open floor apartment layout is to match the solid color with a patterned one.
- Investigate the color palette of your interior design.
- Choose one solid color rug that is matching that color palette and one patterned rug that matches both the solid color rug and the color palette of interior design.
- The color of the solid rug should match one of the many colors that are in the patterned rug. So, let’s say you got the blue-grey-white patterned rug in a dining room. In this case – you should choose either a solid blue, solid grey or solid white color rug for your living room or any other open floor space are you want to separate.
TIP: Place the patterned rug in an area you want to emphasize and make the center of attention.

Matching Rugs by Style
Now if you want to burst some life in your living area – you should try matching rugs that share the same style but are different, let’s say in terms of the color, the size and the shape.
- Decide what kind of style rugs you would like to place in your home interior. For example, what is the age of the rugs (maybe they are Ancient, Persian or vintage style?), or what is the height of the pile (long hair or short hair?), what about the texture (is it wool, or maybe nylon)? You get it, right? The style is one common denominator among them all.
- Once you choose the style of your rugs – start matching them! For example, if you’ve decided that your rugs will be Ancient style – mix two or three rugs (depending on how many areas you want to separate) from this specific style. The size, shape, and pattern of rugs might be different, but if you’ve decided to go for Ancient style rugs – make sure that each of them has an Ancient color palette (not the modern or something).

TIP: The easiest way to match different rugs by style is if you choose to mix and match Oriental-style rugs. Even if you choose three different pattern Oriental style rugs – they will match with each other just perfectly!
Not Matching the Rugs at All
Now the last one from our open floor plans ideas is…not matching the rugs at all!
You are now familiar with all the to-do and not-to-do stuff when it comes to matching the rugs in an open floor area. But you know what, that doesn’t mean that you have to follow them!
If you are super colorful and extravagant personality yourself and interior designs that are very well-groomed, harmonious, and balanced simply make you feel bored – you should definitely try this method.
There are plenty of different types, styles, shapes, colors, and patterns rugs that sometimes it’s impossible to choose only the ones that are matching with each other – you simply want all of them! So don’t be afraid to experiment, let your imagination blossom out, trust your guts and choose the rugs you love no matter if they are matching with each other perfectly or don’t match at all. Your home is your castle!

Okay, now you know that there are many ways to combine area rugs in an open floor plan – by color, by pattern, by style… Shortly summing up, if you want multiple rugs to look matching – remember that each of them has to share the common color palette, or at least have 2-3 similar colors. Color is key to balanced and harmonious interior design.
Finally, if you choose to go for the method – my house – my rules – and look for your own creative and unique way of combining different rugs in an open area – that’s always an option too!
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