How to choose the right size rug
Having the right size rug can dramatically change a room’s overall look and feel. A rug that is too small for a room can make the space feel cold and uninviting. Similarly, go too big and the room could feel smaller. The right size rug will bring warmth and depth to a room, but where do you start?
Rugs come in a few standard sizes (unless you are getting one made bespoke). Take a look at the table below to see what these are, usually a rug design will be sold in at least 3 different sizes.
So how do you work out what size you need?
The most common “mistake” I see with rugs, is that people tend to go too small for the space. This can be for several reasons, but is usually because the slightly smaller one is cheaper, or they like their floor and don’t want to have too much of it covered up. Whilst I totally understand both of these points, a well-sized rug can really enhance a beautiful floor, and the slight extra cost of a bigger rug, will make the room feel so much more cohesive.
Living Room, Dining Room & Bedroom Rugs
Whilst your instinct might be to look at the size of the room to determine what rug size to get, in the living room, dining room and bedroom, you will instead need to look at the furniture placement in the room. In an ideal world, your furniture will all sit on your rug (remember sofas don’t always need to be against a wall!).
However this will cause the amount you are spending to rise quickly. To mitigate this, I would recommend ideally that you have the front legs of your furniture on the rug, and that it goes underneath the furniture by around 15cm.
For a dining room, ideally you want the table and all of the chairs (when tucked in) to be on top of the rug. If possible, when the chairs are out they would remain on the rug, but if need be they can be only on it when tucked in.
In a bedroom, this will need to be more, ideally you will want around 2/3 of the rug to be under the bed and for the distance left at the end of the bed to be around equal to what is on the sides.
Hallways
In hallways, where usually you don’t have as much furniture, it works better to have a bit more of the floor on show. In a small room, you could aim for around a 20cm border of floor around your rug, in a larger hallway this will increase to around 45cm - 60cm.
The best thing to do once you think you have worked out what size you need, is to use masking tape to “layout” your rug on the floor. Hopefully, you will then be able to see how a rug of that size would fit in your space.
Finally, all of the above are general guidelines, you are the one that can determine what is best for your home, because ultimately you are the one that will need to live with it. The most important thing is to look around and take your time in deciding. A rug can be expensive and therefore an investment in your home, so it’s worth making sure that you have considered all of the options. Ultimately the rug you choose will be a reflection of your personal taste, so go with your gut!
Take a look at our recent blog post "Top picks for affordable rugs" if you could do with a hand choosing a style or design!
LETS CREATE A SPACE YOU LOVE...TOGETHER...
