Every so often, a decorating trend reemerges with a modern twist and instantly takes us to our “happy place.” One such hip happening in home decor is tropical and botanical designs, which is the central theme of today’s featured Ruggable rugs. From beach houses to modern urban spaces, this fun collection of plant and fruit rugs offers a fresh, playful punch of style.
“It is an ideal style for casual-chic living,” says Valerie Hill from Hill and Valley Design. “By pairing these tropical rugs with nature-related materials, wood tones, and/or analogous colors (or colors that are adjacent to one another on the color wheel), the fun rug patterns can take center stage and boost the overall mood of a room.”
Dos and Don’ts When Styling Tropical Rugs
With bold design elements, such as oversized palm leaves, fruit-themed patterns, and bright colors, it’s not easy to make these tropical rugs match the rest of your decor. Here are some key dos and don’ts to help you achieve an elevated and polished look.
DO: Let the pattern of the rug take center stage for the room.
DON’T: Get kitschy by putting cherries all over the room. Keep the theme subtle and limit your use of cherries in décor choices.
DO: Use the colors in your rug to inform your furniture and décor choices.
DON’T: Add busy patterns to the space to keep it from looking cluttered.
DO: Keep decor, art, and other patterns simple so they don’t compete with the rug pattern. By keeping things simple and limiting visual clutter, you can achieve a stylish space.
Our Favorite Tropical Rugs
From high fashion to pop art, palm trees and tropical fruits, such as bananas, cherries, pineapples, and lemons, are making a style statement right now. Thanks to Ruggable’s design team, you can now take this trend to your home decor. Here we’ve handpicked five of our most favorite rugs from this new collection—plus, Valerie’s styling recommendations for a fun and polished space.
1. Cherry Red Rug
Why she likes it: “The cherry red pattern is a much loved symbol of optimism and friendship, communicated in bold vibrancy, fitting for a playful personality. It is bold and inviting, befitting for a kitchen, bath, or a craft room. It would also be charming for a child’s room or playroom.”
How to style it: “I would pair this cherry rug with solid black or dark gray tones and clean, simple lines for the furniture to add calm to the dynamic rug pattern. Selecting lighting and décor in matte black will create a sleeker look, or use matte brass or gold accents for a more traditional look with warm contrasts. Also, ivory accents of pottery or décor can create a current aesthetic that remains chic alongside the bold colors of the red and green pattern.”
2. Pina Teal Rug
Why she likes it: “As pineapples symbolize hospitality – it has a welcoming vibe. This rug pattern is perfect for someone who loves a light-hearted, energetic, and welcoming approach to decorating. It would be fun in a kitchen, family room, bathroom, laundry, or craft room. It would also be fantastic for a child’s room.”
How to style it: “I suggest choosing one favorite color and use it as the primary accessory or furniture color. In this case, you could choose teal, using it for a furniture piece and use the other colors, more sparingly, in art and accessories. Also, adding matte gold or brass metals will add warmth and emphasize the yellow tones in the rug.”
3. Monstera Miami Rug
Why she likes it: “This is my favorite pattern in the collection! It is a beautifully lush, leafy pattern that also has a certain mystique about it.
This tropical rug is perfect for anyone who enjoys an easygoing lifestyle, yet desires a space that has a certain mystique. The bold patterns and colors will enliven just about any space, but would especially add a burst of delight to work-oriented rooms like kitchens, laundry rooms, craft rooms, offices, and kids’ playrooms.”
How to style it: “I would suggest using rich-toned woods for furniture choices. Think teak in a heavy, chunky, modern style. The substantial wood furniture will balance out the boldness of this pattern. For décor, I would use a combination of either a complementary navy and/or blush/rose color.”
4. Palma Jade Rug
Why she likes it: “This delicate and detailed rug pattern with hues of greens implies a breezy and calming atmosphere. With a light and airy feel, the detailed design of the palms in the soothing greens is well suited for a bedroom or office.”
How to style it: “I would pick a shade of green from the pattern, select a headboard or furniture piece in something slightly darker or bolder. With this pattern, a softer, transitional style of furniture will blend well with the arching line of the palm leaves. Chrome or brushed nickel accents will add a more modern look, whereas gold or brass accents will bring about a more traditional feel.
For calmer spaces, like a bedroom or sitting room, keeping décor and accents in similar or colors that are analogous to these greens will create a more peaceful, harmonious space. When a more energetic space is desired, this is a perfect opportunity to choose accents on the opposite side of the color wheel which creates more contrast and vibrancy.”
5. Bananas Yellow Rug
Why she loves it: “I see this pattern as more playful/whimsical as well as energetic. The yellow of the bananas also adds a fun energy. This pattern would be especially fun in an office, craft room, a teen’s bedroom or a child’s playroom.”
How to style it: “Combine this fun area rug with dark browns or black tones for furniture and warm accents. Heavy, dark wood with clean lines or dark textured woods will balance well with the boldness of this yellow patterned rug. Adding modern chrome lighting and accessories will add a sleek, current vibe to this playful pattern.”
About the Designer: Interior designer, Valerie Hill gains her inspiration and love for home interiors by merging old and new into fresh, vibrant, and playful spaces. She initially studied journalism, then later went on to pursue her interior design degree. Follow Valerie on Instagram.
3 Comments
Have a flower couch light yellow. And I need a darker rug cause I have a dog and I can’t seem to get the right rug for the p.o. e of me. And I know you can cause you always are Great
Your rugs seem to be real nice and in so many patterns you must have a great time picking out which one you want. Do they shrink if you put them in the dryer
Hi, Candy. We think you’ll enjoy the interchangeability aspect of our rug system. This feature comes in handy for those seasonal changes. -Also, our rugs hold up great in the dryer and will not shrink.