A warm, cozy rug can make a room look and feel more appealing in the cooler months and offer a source of comfort year-round.

Here, three interior designers — New York-based Michelle Gerson; Ashley Moore in Texas; and Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, design director of Nate Berkus Associates — offer advice on choosing rugs and using them strategically to add color, texture and warmth to a room.

Neutral, bold or both?

Gordon and Moore both advise clients to consider rugs as neutral backdrops for the rest of a room.

“Instead of being bold on pattern and color,” Gordon says, she prefers to get creative with the look and texture of the material. She might choose a flat-weave jute rug in a neutral color, or “mohair, woven-knit rugs that look like sweaters,” depending on the room and the client.

Really lush materials like alpaca can make a dramatic statement without bold color or pattern.

Moore’s approach is similar: “I tend to have it as a neutral palette, because it tends to be one of the most expensive pieces in the house,” she says. If a client is seeking pops of bold color or pattern, she brings that in through items like pillows and accessories that can easily be changed if the homeowner wants something new.

Layering

Layering rugs can give you both looks in one: a larger, neutral base with something striking, like a thin Moroccan rug with a colorful, intricate pattern, laid on top.

Moore uses one as a runner on her kitchen floor to add a burst of color. She also says they can be great if you’ve bought a home with wall-to-wall carpeting that you don’t love but aren’t ready to actually pull up.

“My carpet in the bedroom is actually really dark, so I have a bright rug on it now,” she says. Beyond adding color, the smaller rug helps “define the space,” she says.

If you’re layering, make sure the rugs are the right size, Gerson says. “Type into Pinterest ‘layered rugs,’” she says, and search for pictures you love. Note the sizes of the rugs and their placement, so you can create the right balance in your own space.

Softness and durability

Many people are particular about what their feet touch first thing in the morning, Gordon says. So a thick rug of mohair or soft, fluffy wool can be a great choice.

But in houses with young children or pets, an open-weave rug may soon look worn.

Many wool or mohair rugs also shed, especially less expensive ones. That may be a worthwhile tradeoff: If you’re buying a rug for a child’s room and know you’ll be redecorating in just a few years, Gordon says, you might be “fine with knowing that it may shed.”

Not sure about the durability of a rug you find online? Read the comments, Moore says, to see what other shoppers have experienced.

Consider going vintage: If a rug has already survived a long time and still looks good, Moore says, it will probably weather the wear you will give it too.

And protect rugs before stains happen: These designers suggest having rugs (and upholstery, too) professionally sealed.