Rug Size Guide — Find the Perfect Fit

This would be a small mudroom or entry area. Aim for a 3’ x 5’ rug to leave an appropriate 12-inch border between the rug and the wall, or go for a 4’ x 6’ rug if you are wanting the wall-to-wall carpet look without the expensive install. If you want to lead people into the next space, try a 2’ x 6’ runner to create a visual walkway that draws the eye forward.

Rooms this size are generally smaller bedrooms. A 5’ x 8’ rug would feel the most comfortable, since it leaves a border for slim furniture against the walls. However, if you prefer not to have your furniture touching the rug, you might want to go with a 4’ x 6’ rug positioned in the center of the room; this leaves plenty of bare floor for furniture to rest on around it.

10’ x 12’ rooms can be anything from a bedroom to a living room. This common room size lends itself well to the popular 8’ x 10’ rug. Again, if you’re looking for a little more room around the edges, try a smaller 5’ x 8’ rug that exposes more of the bare flooring and leaves more space for furniture.

A larger space calls for a larger area rug size. You can easily place a 9’ x 12’ rug in a room this size, but depending on how you want to break up the space, you might consider going with an 8’ x 10’ or even a 5’ x 8’ rug to define a smaller seating area. When used in a living room, a 9’ x 12’ should be able to fit all of the furniture on it, or at least touch the furniture if you have large-scale pieces.

If you’re lucky enough to have a room this large, you’ve got a few options. You can go with the common 12’ x 15’ rug size to fill most of the space, or size down to 9’ x 12’ or even 8’ x 10’ to help call out certain spaces within the room. You can even combine two sizes to define separate uses within a larger space.

There are three common furniture placements to try with your area rug. The most popular of the three is having your furniture halfway on the rug so that the front legs are overlapping, like in the photo here. In this layout, the rug feels like it’s grounding the furniture and holding it all together.

If you have a large enough room, you can go for furniture fully on the rug. This provides a cozy feel and really defines the entire space. Just make sure you aren’t cramming the furniture together to make it fit — ensure your pieces have space to breathe.

Lastly, you can try having your rug float freely with no furniture overlapping. A coffee table on said rug would be the exception in this case.

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When it comes to rug size and placement in a bedroom, you have a couple options. If you’re on a budget, or simply want to show off your bare floors, you can try placing a runner on either side of the bed; this provides a soft landing when you get up in the morning. Try to pick a size that extends from your nightstand to the foot of the bed.

One of the most popular area rug placement options is fully under the bed. To do this, you need a rug that is substantially larger than the bed itself so that you have ample rug showing on all three sides. The rug should come up to, but not necessarily under, the nightstands and extend beyond the end of the bed. This usually calls for an 8’ x 10’ rug, but of course the bigger the bed the bigger the rug needed to pull off this look.

If you want the under-the-bed look but don’t want to spring for the larger rug, try a smaller size, like 5’ x 8’, and place it partially under so that it anchors the foot of bed.

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Any rug in the hallway should be about 75% of the length of the hall. You want bare floor showing on all sides. You can use multiple runners to achieve this length, but it’s best to use just one when possible.

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Rug sizes for dining rooms seems tricky, but it’s really not. You always want to have 24 inches or more beyond the edge of the table so that the chairs remain on the rug when pushed out. This will save you the headache of getting the legs caught on the edge of the rug each time you get up.

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