How to Select the Right Size Rug for Your Space

Rugs are major players in room design. They help to separate different “zones” of use and prevent furniture from looking like it’s just floating in space. An area rug can be interesting enough to be a conversation piece, or it can act as a backdrop to the rest of the furniture in the room. At B Squared we will often begin our room design with a rug and build the furnishings around it, including the art and accessories. 

We choose the size of the rug based on the dimensions and layout of the room. In terms of rug rules, generally you should either put all of the feet of the seating on the rug or put just the front legs on it (as in the below image). Make sure that the rug selected gives enough room for you to maneuver around the furniture, and keep in mind that based on the actual size of your furnishings, you may need to go bigger or smaller. Not all couches are created equal.

The best solution when you have a very open concept and are trying to differentiate your seating areas is to get a rug large enough to hold all four legs of all the furniture (as in the below image). Keep in mind that a bigger rug = bigger price, so we do our best to save our clients money (without sacrificing design aesthetic) by using smaller rugs in the living areas whenever we can. Note there ARE variations, these are not hard and fast rules. Your sofa may be on the rug entirely, while your chairs may only have their front legs on the rug, or vice versa, and ditto with end tables. Just make sure your furniture isn’t wobbly if it’s half on/half off.

When it comes to the dining room, you must be able to fit all of your furniture all of the way on the rug AND have room for the dining chairs to slide in and out. I prefer shorter pile rugs for this, otherwise your guests will feel like they’re stuck in sand trying to get up from the table (especially after a couple of glasses of wine). 

A rug is most welcome in the bedroom so that getting out of bed in the morning isn’t so painful. The sizing must encompass the bed accordingly, but will also need to be adjusted for the dimensions of the room and any other furnishing pieces that you might have. For a standard king bed + 2 small-ish nightstands, you are generally safe with a 9′ x 12′ with the rug fitting under all of the feet of the furniture. OR if you have a small sofa (or chairs) or bench at the foot of the bed, you can slide the same size rug down to just in front of the nightstands to encompass those pieces.

A third option if you don’t have a sofa or bench at the end of the bed, but still do not want to include the nightstands, is to shimmy the rug forward, thereby allowing you to use a slightly smaller 6’ x 9’ rug. Just make sure that when you place it, you’re still stepping out of bed onto the rug.

And finally, if you have a large room, you could do “room border rules” where there is roughly 12” - 18″ of bare floor space between the rug edges and the walls. In this case you would select a carpet style and have it custom bound to encompass your room in the exact size necessary. This is a great option when you have a uniquely shaped room, a fireplace, or a niche – the rug line can follow the room’s perimeter.

So there you have it-guidelines for choosing rugs for your home. This should take the guess work out and save you from the costly mistake of purchasing the wrong size. If you could still use some help choosing that rug (and making sure your entire space is designed well), please don’t hesitate to contact us!