Source: @lindseypeydey
There’s no denying I LOVE an area rug. They’re a powerful design tool with the ability to completely change the look of a room with relatively little effort.
With so many rugs to choose from and so many factors to consider - design aesthetic, color, materials, and construction - it's often helpful to start with the easy decisions first. In this article, we are going to cover the helpful guidelines that will help you find the perfect rug SIZE for any room.
Before we dive into the details, I wanted to remind you of my favorite easy tip to help visualize dimensions in any space. To get comfortable with what the rug will look like in your room, outline the rug dimensions in blue painter's tape and leave it there for a day or so. Every time you walk by the room or into the room, take it in and make sure you feel good about how it looks. Then you can confidently pull the trigger on your purchase and pull up the tape (no harm done!).
Rugs in the Living Room
In the living room, you want a rug large enough to ground and connect the seating. To make that connection you'll need a rug that can cover all the area or most of the area under your furniture. What exactly does that mean? Your furniture needs to be able to comfortably sit completely on top of the rug OR at least the front two legs of your furniture need to be on the rug.
Amber Lewis x Loloi Billie 01 in Ink/Salmon
In the image above, notice how the front two legs of the sofa, the little antique stool, and the two occasional chairs are all sitting comfortably on the rug.
In addition to the "two-leg rule", there are two other helpful guidelines to help you find the perfect rug size for your living room:
- Select a rug that is large enough to extend at least six inches on either side of your sofa.
- Try to maintain at least six inches of exposed floor between the rug and walls. This further anchors the living space and keeps your rug from looking like wall-to-wall carpet.
These are not hard and fast rules, but they should help prevent you from selecting a rug that is too small.
left: Blake 03 in Denim/Taupe (@leclairdecor) | right: Rosemarie 02 in Ivory (@warren_farmhouse)
Finally, if you're wondering what rug size to use with a sectional sofa or two large sofas, the approach is no different. You'll want a rug large enough to get at least the front two legs of the sectional or sofas on the rug and large enough to extend at least 6 inches beyond the ends of the sectional or sofas.
Below is a quick summary of the guidelines to help you find the perfect size area rug for your living room:
Rugs in the Bedroom
When choosing the right rug size for a bedroom, start with the focal point of the room, the bed. You'll want to place the rug horizontally under your bed and make sure the rug is large enough to extend at least 18" from the sides and bottom of the bed.
Amber Lewis x Loloi Billie 06 in Tobacco/Rust (source: Amber Interiors)
left: Morgan 03 in Denim | right: Ojai 01 in Ivory/Natural
You're also going to want to maintain at least a few inches of open floor space between the rug and the walls. If you focus on a rug BIG enough to extend >18" from under your bed and SMALL enough that it doesn't look like wall-to-wall carpeting, you'll likely have the right size rug - and ideal rug placement - for your room.
left: Wynter 02 in Auburn (@jennasuedesign) | right: Wisteria 05 in Cream (@fourthandeastmain)
It doesn't matter how far the rug reaches toward the top of your bed. If you have the space for a really large rug, you can pull it all the way up so it sits under your nightstands. If you don't, it's perfectly fine for the rug to lie under just the lower two-thirds, or even just one-third, of the bed.
Many standard-sized area rugs will likely work for your bed size, so run through the guidelines above and you should find the perfect size for your room. When in doubt, err on the larger side. As long you can maintain a little open floor space around the edges of the rug, you'll be happy to have a little extra area for a soft landing.
left: Jules 01 in Merlot | right: Loren 04 in Silver/Slate (Life on Cedar Lane)
One final note, every bedroom is different, so don't feel like you have to perfectly center the rug under your bed. If you need to push your bed up against the wall or need to maintain extra space on one side for access to a closet or bathroom - a little asymmetry here is A-OK.
Loloi II Teagan 03 Ivory/Sand (House Seven Design)
Rugs in the Dining Room
I love having a rug in my dining room, but (a big but) our dining room is not our primary eating space. If I had to worry about spilled milk and food particles in my dining room on a regular basis, I'd skip the rug altogether. Why am I telling you this? I just want to make sure that before you start thinking about what size rug you need for your dining room, you know you actually want to put one there. If the answer is yes...the guidelines here are pretty straightforward.
left: Millie 01 in Silver/Dove | right: Jules 04 inTangerine/Mist (@restorationhusbands)
Generally speaking, you want your rug to extend at least two feet beyond the edge of your table on all sides. The main goal is to make sure that your chairs don't fall off the edge of the rug when you push them back from the table. There's nothing more annoying (and potentially accident-inducing) than chairs that are constantly getting caught on the edge of the rug.
How do you know if your chairs will stay on the rug when they're pushed back from the table? Sit down and take them for a test drive!
Finally, if you have an extension table, make sure that you are taking into consideration the table dimensions at its longest length. As long as you're able to maintain a few inches of open floor space between your rug and the walls - avoiding that wall-to-wall carpet look - a larger rug that can accommodate your table in any format will likely be the best option.
left: Humphrey 03 in Forest (Chris Loves Julia) | right: Francis 01 in Beige/Charcoal (Chris Loves Julia)
left: Buena Onda 02 in Denim/Charcoal | right: Layla 03 in Olive/Charcoal (@hamiltonparkhome)
Rugs in the Home Office
The first step in sizing a rug for an office is to decide how you want to layer it with the furniture - especially the desk (or desks). If you’re planning to put your desk in the center of the room, and want to layer a rug under your desk, you'll want:
- A rug that’s about two feet larger than the desk size in all directions.
- A rug big enough to provide plenty of room for your chair to move around without getting caught on the edge.
- At least a few inches of open floor space between your rug and the walls (again, trying to avoid the wall-to-wall carpet effect).
left: Francis 01 in Spa/Granite (Chris Loves Julia) | right: Billie 01 in Ink/Salmon (@rebekahwestover)
In both of the images above, the rug size works well in the space, but I'd recommend moving the desk forward a bit so the desk chair hits more in the center of the rug.
If you're planning for the desk (or desks) to be pushed up against a wall, you can pick a size that comfortably fits the room - again, just try to keep at least 6 inches of open floor space around the perimeter of the rug.
Skye 01 in Blush/Grey (source: @homeonharbor) | Giada 04 in Ivory
Rugs in the Kitchen and Bathroom
In the kitchen, rug placement and size are largely function driven. Since we tend to spend the most time in front of the sink - anywhere it's nice to have a little extra cushion underfoot - it's usually best to center a small rug in front of the sink or place a runner in front of the sink.
Amber Lewis x Loloi Georgie 07 in Moss/Salmon (source: Lindsey Pedey)
When using a runner in a narrow space - center the rug on the floor the way Lindsey Pedey did in the image above between the cabinets with the oven and the kitchen island. If you have a really wide space, you may want to push the runner closer to one side if that is where your sink is.
left: Jules 03 in Antique/Sky (Chris Loves Julia) | right: Chris 02 in Natural/Sage (Chris Loves Julia)
The same guidelines apply in the bathroom. Choose a small rug, bath mat, or runner to place in front of the sink. For larger vanities or a set of two vanities, place rugs at the foot of every sink or use one long runner.
left: Billie 01 in Ink/Salmon (Lindsey Pedey) | right: Billie 03 in Clay/Sage
left: Cornelia 02 in Indigo/Natural (@joineryanddesignco) | right: Rosemarie 02 in Ivory/Natural
Rugs in the Entryway (Hallway and More!)
The entry is where you get to wow guests with a killer first impression. To make the area appear larger and more welcoming, select a rug that is big enough to frame the doorway and fill as much of the space as possible.
Source: Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Jules 06 in Denim/Spice
left: Georgie 04 in Teal/Antique Ivory | right: Humphrey 04 in Plum
left: Jules 02 in Terracotta (@joineryanddesignco) | right: Layla 03 in Olive/Charcoal (Lindsey Pedey)
As always, try to maintain at least a few inches of open floor space between rug and walls to avoid that wall-to-wall carpeting look. If you have statement tile or gorgeous hardwood, just make sure your rug is wider than your doorway and show off your flooring.
That's a Wrap.
I hope that you are now empowered to go forth and select your rug size with confidence!