To add that extra color and style to your living space without filling it with more furniture, fine area rugs are an excellent option. But how big should an area rug be for your particular space? There are several rules of thumb for rug size (which we’ll discuss below), but a lot of it comes down to personal taste and the current arrangement of furniture and art.
Here are a few tips for finding the right large area rug for your living room floor, the ideal round area rugs to accent your den, or whatever your decorating needs might be.
- Think of large area rugs like a painting — the area between the wall and the edge of the rug is like the frame. Typically, there should be at least 12 inches between the rug edges and the walls. However, in smaller spaces like hallways and walk-in closets, less space between the two will be fine.
- Should all the legs of your living room furniture be on the rug? Stylistically, it can work either way, depending on the layout of the room you want to place a rug. It should be noted that it can cause uneven wear to your large area rug when only the front legs of a couch or other heavy furniture piece are placed on it. Other options include getting a rug large enough to place all the legs of your furniture on it or getting a smaller rug so no legs of your couch and chairs are on the rug (like in the picture below)
- Thinking of placing an area rug in your bedroom? There are a couple common ways to place the rug that will make it an effective accent without being dwarfed by your bed. The first is to pick a large area rug to place your bed frame on. If you do this, the rug should extend past the bed at least 12-18 inches on all sides. Otherwise, the beauty of your rug is wasted underneath your bed! Another option is to get a smaller rug to place at the foot of your bed — it will still accent the room effectively, and none of it will be hidden from view.
- If you want to accent a specific piece of furniture like an antique side table or large vase, round area rugs can add a pleasant pattern or color to make the item on top of it stand out. Center the piece on top of the rug, with at least 10 inches extending from under the furniture.
Of course, you are the master of your own house, so choose what you think works best in your home. But if you’re stumped on how to make an area rug work in your space, these rules of thumb can give you some great ideas!
