If you love the look of area rugs in a room, you’re not alone. Shopping for the best colors and design can be exciting, especially when decorating a new room, but deciding on the size of the rug can be perplexing. Undoubtedly questions will come up. Should it fill the room or be centered between your furniture arrangement? Here’s some basic guidelines to get you started:
Measure Carefully and Test Your Door Clearance
As a rule of thumb, allow 18″-24″ of bare floor space between the rug and the walls. Smaller rooms may permit less but try not to go below six inches of surrounding floor space. Of course, you may have your own preference for more space, especially if the perimeter of the room will be lined with furniture, but this general guideline will get you started.
Also make sure to use a sample of the rug or carpet and place it under a door to make sure you don’t end up having to trim your doors. Don’t forget to include a sample of pad underneath the rug (you should always have padding) to make sure it will still fit. This could have a big determination on the final size.
Living Room
When arranging furniture just try keeping the front legs or edge of your sofa (depending on size of room and rug), loveseat and accent chairs on the rug; the back legs can remain on or off depending on the rug’s size. Also consider the pattern. Do you want specific parts of the rug to be visible? Some rugs are fabricated with beautiful intricate borders that you won’t want to hide underneath furniture.
Dining Room
For easy dining and best appearance, the chair legs should sit on the rug. Aim for 18″-24″ of rug on all sides of the table so that the back legs of the chairs stay on the rug, even when the chair is pulled out. Even better, if it’s possible, make the rug large enough so that when you push your chair back to stand up, it’s still on the rug. Not only can it be annoying to constantly adjust your chair to keep from tipping backwards, but the constant adjustments could regularly catch the edge of your rug, causing it to wear down or become damaged.
Bedroom
Comfort is the key in the bedroom: area rugs should extend beyond the sides of the bed at least 18″ for a king or queen and 12″ for a full or twin. You can also scatter area rugs to define the areas in front of the bed or dresser to add warmth and luxury. To keep the rug in place, in addition to a non-slip rug padding, consider keeping at least two legs of the bedroom furniture on the rug. If the rug is large and will need to extend under the entire bed, be careful to watch out for any center supports underneath. Those can sometimes damage your rug as the bed shifts around and can cause even more damage if you start trying to pull your rug out from underneath without remembering to lift the bed enough, so the center support doesn’t snag.
Kitchen
Your kitchen rug will need to be easy to clean and durable. Go for runners or small rugs in front of the sink and work areas to cushion you and help reduce fatigue. Smaller rugs can add interest but be sure to use a high quality non-slip padding or opt for styles with rubber backing so they’ll stay put, especially if your kitchen is a high traffic area. Remember to consider doorway clearance in kitchens so that the doors to your mud room or outdoor space will clear with no problem.
For more help with area rug sizing, please contact us or find your perfect area rug.
