At nearly the three-quarter pole of the 21st century, the wall-to-wall Berber carpeting that once covered America’s living room floors is now gone. While there’s a virtual consensus about the superiority of hardwood or laminate flooring, you do want to cover it with some rugs. Pulling up the carpet isn’t a perfect standalone solution.

When it comes to accenting hardwood floors with area rugs, homeowners have no shortage of options across styles, textures, and colors. Area rugs in white and off-white tones seem at first to be a dicey proposition. After all, they practically beckon for footprints, spilled wine, and pet hair to ruin their pristine condition. However, with responsible stewardship and the right selection, you’ll find that the benefits of adding white area rugs to rooms will put those fears to rest. Let’s explore a few of those benefits.

Using Your Illusion

In today’s cutthroat housing market, where new homeowners simply can’t procure as much area as they could before this bubble, every square foot counts. When reality can’t create more space in your new living room, perhaps perception can. White and off-white rugs trick the eye into making rooms appear more spacious than they really are. This may not fool you as a resident, but guests will feel more comfortable. And should it come time to list your home for sale-perhaps because you want increased square footage yourself-you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your room will photograph well.

Lights and Darks: Better Together

Our eyes love tasteful contrast. A white rug can make a room appear larger and offer up striking contrast with dark-stained hardwood flooring. The visual effect of soft cream, ivory, or pale gray against rich mahogany or walnut is a sophisticated and eye-catching one indeed. Whether your white rug appears against warm, dark tones or a cool neutral gray, it’ll provide an effective pop of brightness to the room.

A Room on Its Best Behavior

Speaking of sophistication, ranking high among the benefits of adding white area rugs to rooms is the sense of refinement that white brings to a room’s floor. White rugs require lots of care to stay safe from the hazards mentioned above-those spilled drinks and muddy shoes. Therefore, an immaculate one communicates that yours is a household where family members and guests alike respect their surroundings. While a comfortably “lived-in” look is great for young families, others may favor the artistic austerity that comes with a well-curated living space.

To be sure, white rugs are a select interior design option; they’re not for every space or every household. If white and light-colored area rugs do seem like just the right accents for your home, you should head to Decor Market. We have a collection of white area rugs for living rooms, family rooms, and dens, all of which will bring the uptown chic and clean look that will brighten and elevate the room of your choice.