How to Choose The Right Rug Size & Placement

Using a decorative rug in your home adds warmth to a room, brings out the color of your furniture and decor, and helps to define any space. Soft area rugs can bring elegance and style or warmth and comfort to living rooms, bedrooms or dining rooms, depending on their design and placement. Using smaller rugs within large spaces can define areas of movement and pause, encircling seating and encouraging pockets of conversation. If you’re wondering how to choose the right rug size for your room or want to better understand how to place a rug, keep reading!

Living Room

Rug Size

The size of your rug influences how spacious your living room feels. A rug that is too small might make the room feel cluttered, while a large area rug often opens up the space, making it feel more expansive. There are no rules for choosing the perfect living room rug, but there are a few tried-and-tested sizing guidelines that may help you choose.

Make sure the rug is big enough to connect all the seating in the room. Rugs act as a foundation for your furniture, so each part of your living room set should touch the rug. Make sure you place at least the front legs of accent chairs on top of the rug if you have limited space. The ideal rug size for your living room is eight to 12 inches wider than your sofa. For large rooms, an oversized area rug large enough for an entire sectional sofa helps unify the space.

Rug Placement

It is generally best to place the rug in the center of your living room underneath the coffee table or ottoman with the rest of the furniture around the rug’s borders. You can also place smaller rugs on top of larger ones to highlight a focal point in the room. Place narrow runners in passageways or high-traffic routes to protect your flooring and direct the flow of movement.

Rugs come in irregular shapes and textures that you can play with to create visual interest in a large room. Use rugs to group furniture and decor together based on function, such as a few armchairs with a floor lamp, an end table with a potted plant or a TV set with a sofa. Consider marking up your ideal rug dimensions and placements on your living room floor using masking tape before you buy the rug to get a feel for how it will fill the space.

Dining Room

Rug Size

Incorporating a rug into your dining room can help to define the dining area, especially in open-plan floor layouts. Choose a rug for under your dining table that is about 24 inches wider than the table on all sides — don’t forget to consider the total length of extendable tables. This sizing allows your dining chairs to fit comfortably on the carpet when you pull them out from under the table.

Don’t choose a rug that is too big for the space: leave at least 18 inches between the rug and the walls of the dining room to allow for comfortable movement around the table. People are more likely to walk around the rug when they are circling the dining table — leaving space to move prevents tripping and potential spills.

Rug Placement

The best place for a rug in the dining room is directly under the dining table. You can use a large rug that fills the room or choose a small rug that highlights your dining furniture. Experiment with using multiple rugs to create zones of activity, such as a rug that fits perfectly under your table and another that slides under the cabinet or server. Invest in a durable flat-weave or short pile rug for easier cleaning after inevitable dining room spills.

Bedroom

Rug Size

If you have a small bedroom, consider a large area rug that is big enough to lie underneath all the bedroom furniture at once. For larger rooms, choose a rug that is at least half the size of your bed to bring balance to the space. Leave some space around the edges of the room to highlight your flooring. Choose a rug that stretches past the edges of the bed frame, creating a comfortable landing spot for your feet in the mornings. A 5-by-8-foot rug is usually sufficient for a queen-sized bed and 9-by-12 feet is usually a sufficient rug size for a king bed.

Rug Placement

You can’t always secure a rug large enough to fill your entire bedroom, but you can often use a combination of smaller rugs to define spaces instead. Choose a rug that is about the same size as your bed and turn it with the long side parallel to the headboard. Next, place the rug at the bottom half of the bed, stretching out past the foot, to highlight the bedframe as an anchor in the space.

Alternatively, you can place two smaller rugs on either side of the bed near the nightstand to create balance in the room and a soft spot for each sleeper to place their feet. Your bedroom rug is a decor accent, so have fun with the texture, pattern and color to showcase your style and bring out the best in your other furniture.

Find the Right Rug for Any Room at Home Zone Furniture

No matter how big your home or a particular room is, a rug is a charming addition, and we have a range of exciting options to share with you. Our friendly team will gladly assist you in choosing the best rug to suit your style and your space. Contact us to get in touch today or visit any of our Home Zone stores to browse our extensive rug collection in person.