Ever struggle to figure out what size rug you need for a certain space? Rest assured, there are no steadfast rules, however we can provide some room-to-room guidelines. A rug serves as a multi-purpose foundation that sets the tone for style, provides softness/comfort and just as importantly, protects your floors. Now let’s get started in the living room…
Living Room
9 x 12: A rug should anchor a large space; without necessarily filling the whole room. This larger size gives you the opportunity to have all the furniture legs on the rug, providing more coverage to define the entire seating arrangement. If possible, leave at least 18 inches of exposed floor around the rug.
8 x 10: The midsize, place all furniture front legs on the rug allowing back legs to hang off. Good for open concept spaces or rooms with multiple seating arrangements.
6 x 9: Good for smaller spaces, both furniture and flooring are showcased in this arrangement, with all sofa legs off and only front legs of chair on the rug.
TIP: For the best proportion, try to keep the rug width close to the width of the sofa.
Dining Room
9 x 12: For a very large dining table, this size is a good proportion. If possible leave 24 inches around the table for chairs to be completely placed on the rug when pushed away from the table.
8 x 10: Balanced, with just enough room to slide chairs out and remain on the rug. If possible, leave an eight inch border between rug and walls.
6 x 9: Fact. Smaller dining spaces have less room for chair clearance. Fear not, maintain the stylish accent in this size rug, and simply let the back legs of chairs rest on the floor. Choose a flat pile rug so chairs can move smoothly over the edge of the rug to the floor. We promise the rug police will not show up for dinner.
TIP: What about leaves? Buy a rug for the size of table kept on an everyday basis, most of us only use extension leaves a couple times a year.
Bedroom
9 x 12: Fit for a king, this size provides more than ample room for a bench or extra seating. The top of rug should be placed at the top in front of the nightstands. Try to leave eighteen inches between the wall and edges of the rug. There’s plenty of room for a moderate size dog to sleep on either side.
8 x 10: Large enough to step out of bed on a warm cozy rug, with space left for an end-of-bed bench.
6 x 9: Place this size rug under two-thirds of your bed that leaving just enough room for a narrow bench at the end.
TIP: If you’re like Goldilocks, there’s always the option of a custom size rug or try placing a runner on either side of the bed.
At the end of the day, rules are meant to be broken as long as your rug is comfortable and dog approved.
SOME OVERALL TIPS:
• Inevitably, you’re probably going to need a bigger rug than you think.
• Leave at least a 1-foot border between your rug and the walls.
• No matter what size rug you choose, never, ever forget a rug pad and always place felt tabs on those pieces of furniture that come in contact with your floors to avoid scratches and costly repairs.
We hope that we cleared some questions on the rug sizing front. The take away? There are good standard size options for most spaces and furniture arrangements. If you have a very unique space, perhaps a custom rug is the best solution.
Thanks to Room and Board and Floor Coverings International for rug content inspiration. Special thanks to Jeff Herr for the image of Phoebe, the perfect dog model.
