Interior designers know, one of the best places to start a color scheme or design plan for a room is with the rug.

Finding a rug that works with varied fabrics, paint colors, hard finishes existing in a space with the design and style you want can be like finding a needle in a haystack!

It’s sort of like trying to find your natural stone slabs for a kitchen project after you decide on the backsplash, cabinet finishes, paint colors, etc.

It should be the place you start, not the place you finish.

I’ve written often about that process and why, most recently in this post, “How & When To Pick Your Interior Design’s Project’s Paint Colors”, so have a read if you’re curious.

Beautiful Rugs Start The Design Process

When I was at Highpoint Market in October, I took time to visit one of my vendors to select some samples to have in my studio.

I usually try to pick up some of the new intros and see some rugs first hand that I think will work with projects I’m working on or some projects that might be coming up. I want to have those samples on hand, to start a design plan or color scheme, rather than work backward.

I selected these to start with from Jaipur Living. When I received them after market, I couldn’t help but jump in and start putting together a few schemes to see how they would work out.

Rug samples from Jaipur Living | carlaaston.com

Color Scheme #1 - Gray and Beige

I do a lot of neutrals, mix gray and beige a lot, so there are always a few of those rug samples I like to have on hand.

This rug is a wool oushak with a rubbed, aged look. It’s perfect for a neutral subtle pattern and goes more gray overall, so it would well for a client who wants to inject more cool tones into their home, but still have the warmth of beige.

This is such a nice, easy-to-live with palette and mixing brass and pewter toned metal finishes, light and dark woods, also works well.

**Color Scheme 1** - Gray and Beige Color Palette w/ Oushak style rug, color palette flatlay | carlaaston.com

One of my most popular posts ever, is “How To Go Gray When Your Whole House Is Beige“. It’s full of good tips if you are on that path for decor and has another similar rug linked within it that I installed in a home last year.

This past summer I wrote a post that went just the opposite direction, “Is Beige Coming Back in Home Decor”, since these days many people have already gone gray and are now looking to warm up their cool toned homes.

Color scheme #2 - Modern Global Style With High Contrast and Texture

This color scheme is based on a dark, textural rug that I just love. Another wool product (naturally durable) it will create a strong base for light or dark upholstery, some graphic pattern and look great on neutral, gray toned wood floors. I want this in my own home as I love this look!

**Color Scheme #2** - Global Modern Style w/ high contrast and texture, color palette flatlay| carlaaston.com

Color Scheme #3 - Cool Gray and Cream

Here’s one more neutral, more of a bohemian inspired look, with the wool gray and cream rug.

Again, putting a warm neutral with this gray and cream helps warm up this palette. You can do that with wood finishes, leather, seagrass type textures and patterns that blend both together, like you see below.

**Color Scheme #3** - Cool Gray and Cream color palette flatlay | carlaaston.com

Color Scheme #4 - Coastal Look w/ blue green and seagrass

This is always a popular color palette and with the thread of blue-green in this seagrass rug, it brings more definition and pattern to play with a seagrass look.

I even paired it with Sherwin Williams’ new 2022 Color of the Year, Evergreen Fog and it looks amazing.

You can lean more into the blues here, or go with that wildly popular soft green look.

This color scheme would also work well with travertine floors that have that pinky-beige look to them. And yes, I’ve put together color schemes for that too, in previous posts.

**Color Scheme #4** - Coastal Look with blue-green and seagrass color palette flatlay | carlaaston.com

Color scheme #5 - Grayed Navy and taupe

Where would be without some navy? It’s like a neutral these days, for sure.

This color palette is centered around the wool oushak rug with a lovely dark grayed navy color that has a touch of red in the rug. I’m loving taupe with it, dark bronze metal and dark navy paint.

**Color Scheme #5** - Grayed Navy and Taupe color palette flatlay | carlaaston.com

This would make for a great rustic dining room, and I’ve already sent it to a client as a possible scheme for their home.

Dining room color scheme flatlay | carlaaston.com

Want the sourcing info on any of the fabrics, rugs or finishes seen above? I have these 5 moodboards plus many more in my Flatlay Sources Guide.

Pin this to Pinterest to reference later! Thank you!

5 Color Schemes Inspired by Beautiful Rugs