Multicoloured rugs

The multicoloured rug is the joyful, characterful choice. It changes the mood of a room instantly, bringing energy and visual warmth, and letting you build a scheme that feels personal and alive. Long associated with bohemian interiors, it has won over contemporary ones too, particularly as vintage patchwork and as sophisticated multicoloured geometric compositions.

The main families of multicoloured rug

Several influences sit side by side:

• Vintage patchwork: fragments of old oriental rugs pieced together, with a palette softened by time. A boho-chic look that is very much of the moment
• Colourful oriental: tribal geometric motifs in red, blue, yellow and green on a white or dark ground
• Berber Boucherouite: colourful Moroccan patchwork made from recycled fabrics, raw and full of joy
• Modern geometric compositions: contemporary arrangements with the colours held in check (three to five harmonised shades)
• Childhood inspirations: graphic animal motifs and playful shapes for kids' bedrooms

Which room?

Multicolour lifts a space, but it does ask for a little common sense. It shines in a bohemian living room or a boho-chic one, in a child's bedroom, in an entrance hall (to make a strong statement), and in a sociable dining room. Best avoided where you want absolute calm (a serene adult bedroom, a study), unless you go for a vintage patchwork with softened colours.

How to keep the scheme from tipping over

With a multicoloured rug, the rest of the room needs to stay understated and give it room to breathe:

• Plain walls: white, cream or a soft grey. Never patterned wallpaper
• Neutral furniture: beige, grey, white or natural wood
• Coordinated textiles: pick up one or two of the rug's colours in cushions, no more
• Plain curtains in a neutral tone

The multicoloured rug should be the only strong piece in the room.

Vintage patchwork: the one to have

Our multicoloured vintage patchworks have become a boho-chic classic. Their time-softened palette (faded pinks, washed-out blues, weathered ochres) makes them far easier to work with than a saturated multicolour. They suit almost any interior, from mid-century to contemporary by way of Provençal chic.