Interior design

Open any style magazine and you are very likely to see a dash of sheepskin somewhere in the pictures. Interior designers love natural wool because they understand what it can do for a room. They also know how to use it to best effect.

There are so many styles of interior design that you could be forgiven for thinking that there aren’t any rules any more. But that’s not the case. There are some simple principles that apply whether your style is minimalist or traditional. One of these key concepts is emphasis. Every interior space needs a focus. When we go into a room for the first time, we look around it, sensing the mood, taking in the whole space, following the lines of the architecture and the furniture, looking for that special feature where we can rest our eyes. A sheepskin rug can fill this role beautifully.

Texture is another key interior design concept. Some surfaces will be smooth, some may be shiny, others can be matt, richly textured or patterned. We feel slightly uneasy in a room which is all the same texture and interior designers set up rhythms between rough and smooth, warm and cold. Imagine a loft apartment. The walls are white and the floor is tiled. The furniture is smooth leather, with clean lines. Place a large sheepskin rug on the floor and it complements the other textures in the room.

Colour is crucial when you are trying to create a mood and bring the elements of a room together. Light colours give a feeling of space. They seem to retreat from the eye, while stronger colours jump forward, demanding our attention. Unless you are trying to create a particularly dramatic mood, keep most of your walls fairly neutral. You can use stronger colours in your furniture and curtains – and then add a little of a highlight colour. All your colours should relate to each other. You can go for lighter and darker shades within the same colour range, or perhaps mix colours with their complementaries. Take a chocolate brown sheepskin rug. It would look great in a room where the predominant colours were cream and lighter brown. It would also look fantastic against a light blue wall.

Finally, think about scale. Large furniture looks best in a large room. And if your space is small, avoid large patterns on curtains and upholstery. Buy a rug that fits the proportions of your room. If you are attracted by the jewel colours of some of the sheepskin rugs, remember that bright colours really stand out. If you want a large rug, it might be more effective to choose one in a neutral colour, unless your space is very large. If you are looking for a small rug that will set off the other colours in your room, think about choosing a more dramatic shade.