Whether you're moving into a new space or going through a renovation, you're going to need to figure out where all of your furniture is going to go—and one of the most important steps in arranging your furniture is figuring out the correct placement of any area rugs you plan on putting down. Let's be honest: finding the perfect rug for your space can be quite the challenge, both in style (it's the base for your whole room, so you need to find one you really love!) and in size, no matter how many times you measure.
The good news? Knowing where it will live in your space and how you plan to arrange your furniture on top of it will help you get the size right every time. To help guide you, Cyrus Loloi, principal at Loloi Rugs, shared some of his best tips for placing a rug with House Beautiful.
In the dining room
Placing a rug in the dining room is essentially all about the experience of sitting at the dining table. You'll want to center the rug under your dining table, and then make sure it's big enough to accommodate all of the chairs. "The key is to make sure the chairs still sit comfortably on the rug when pulled out and away from the table for someone to sit in them," Loloi says. "You don’t want chairs half on, half off a rug when it's pulled out."
If you're not sure what size to buy, pull out the chairs around your table, then measure the space so you know your rug will fit perfectly underneath.
In the living room
In the living room, placing a rug gets a little trickier, but it still all depends on the size of your space and your plans for laying out your furniture. According to Loloi, you have three main options for living rooms of various sizes:
- For smaller living rooms, you have two options: You can go with a smaller rug (like a 5' by 8') that can float in the room in between the furniture, but under the coffee table says Loloi ("A rug that sits six to 12 inches in front of the sofa will anchor your space nicely, and still allows for walking room around the furniture.") or if you're trying to make your space feel bigger, you'll actually want a bigger rug that fits all furniture (like in the larger room section below) to unify the space.
- For mid-sized rooms, go with a larger rug (like an 8' by 10') and place your large, anchor furniture (i.e. the sofa) around so that only the front legs are on top of it. Loloi notes that you'll want the rug to extend beyond the sides of the sofa, too.
- For larger rooms, Loloi suggests getting a bigger rug (like a 9' by 13') and using it to frame your space. Then, place all of the furniture completely on the rug. "Just be sure there is still room around the outside of the rug for walking, so you aren't partially on and off the rug," Loloi says. Alternately, if you're trying to divide the room up into different spaces (like various seating arrangements, or an open concept with dining and seating areas), use different rugs to define each of these spaces.
Even if the suggested rug sizes above don't quite work with the dimensions of your home, you can still follow the same principles of placement and buy a rug based on the dimensions of your living room and your furniture.
In the bedroom
When it comes to the bedroom, sizing really depends on the size of your bed. Loloi explains that the ideal size for a queen bed is an 8' by 10', while a king would look better with a 9' by 12' rug (and that same size works for two twin beds in a kids' room). For a full, a 5' x 8' rug should suffice.
In terms of placing the rug, you have a lot of options, but the most preferred way is to place the rug partially under the bed. In this case, you'll want to lay the rug perpendicular to the bed and pull it under, stopping a few inches before your nightstands so it's around halfway under the bed, with the bed centered on top. "This maximizes the amount of useable rug space, and gives you a soft surface to step onto when getting out of bed," Loloi says. In a smaller room, you can also try just placing a rug in the middle of the room, or at the foot of the bed to add interest and help pull decor together, Loloi adds.
If you don't want to place a full area rug under the bed or in the bedroom at all, Annie Selke, founder and CEO of her eponymous rug and decor brand, has an easy hack: Just place runners on either side of the bed. You'll still have that soft, comfy experience when you step out onto the floor in the morning, no matter what size the room (or bed) is.
One thing to keep in mind no matter what room you're putting a rug in? "Remember that rugs can create an optical illusion, so make this work in your favor," Loloi says. "Too small of a rug can make any space look disconnected. When in doubt, go for the bigger rug—it will unify the furniture and make the room look bigger than it is."
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Brittney Morgan is a noted land mermaid and a Virgo with a penchant for crafts, red lipstick, and buying way too many throw pillows. Her work has also been published at Apartment Therapy, NYLON, HuffPost, Hello Giggles, Elite Daily, and more.
