If you have never bothered to use rugs to decorate your home before, here are a couple of reasons why you should pick up a few new ones the next time you go decor shopping.

They can hide your flooring's flaws and protect it from damage

If your hardwood or carpeted flooring is old and has, over time, developed all of the usual imperfections that most aged flooring does (for example, if the carpets are stained and are missing threads here and there, or if the varnish on the hardwood floors has gone patchy and the wood is scratched), then you should do some rug shopping soon.

While many of the aforementioned imperfections are fixable, money and time constraints may mean that you have to address them slowly, focusing on one flaw at a time. If this is the case, but you cringe every time you have to look at your threadbare carpets or your patchy wooden floors, then placing a few rugs over the worst of the floors' imperfections is a great temporary solution to this issue.

Not only will these rugs cover several feet of your unsightly floors, but they'll also prevent them from getting any worse before you have a chance to fix them. If for example, a drinking glass shatters on a hardwood floor that's covered with a large rug, the shards won't scratch it or remove any of its varnish. Likewise, spills that land directly on a carpet can stain it and be difficult to remove (as you can only spot-clean a carpet), but stain caused by food or drink falling onto a rug is easily remedied, as many rugs can safely be laundered in a washing machine.

A rug can brighten up a room without reducing the amount of functional space in it

The other reason to get a few rugs for your home when you go shopping is that they're one of the few decor items that can brighten up a room, without taking up functional space. For example, whilst colorful scatter cushions, cute plant pots and quirky bookends can make a room more stylish, they can also crowd its functional areas (like its couches, beds, or bookcases).

This is not the case with rugs, as the floor space on which they're placed can still be used when they're on it. For example, you can put a coffee table over an area rug that you put in your living room. Because of this, they're particularly great for any small rooms in your home that you feel need some sprucing up, but which you don't want to overcrowd.