Whether you’re just beginning to design and furnish a room, or want to redo or enhance your space, an area rug is a great first step. With a vast choice of patterns, colors, and materials, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Perhaps the most important decision is what size to get. First you should measure your room dimensions, and determine the primary function. As a general guideline, your rug size should be one size smaller than the room size. For example, a 10’x12’ room should have an 8’x10’ rug. A common faux pas is to use a rug that is too small for the space, which tends to make the room look smaller, and less inviting. Though you will probably want some floor to show – especially if it’s beautiful hardwood – you should only leave about 8” to 18” of space around the rug, depending on room dimensions. Whichever rug size you choose, make sure you back it with a rug pad to protect your floor, and prevent slipping.

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Living Room || In general, your seating arrangement will determine what size rug to use for a living room. Typically, your sofa, chairs and cocktail table will all be placed on the rug so it will be relatively large. The most common sizes are 3’x5’, 4’x6’, 5’x8’, 8’x10’, 9’x12’, and 12’x15’. If you do decide on a smaller rug, make sure it’s at least a bit longer in length than your sofa. For a more modern look, place your furniture pieces half in and half out from the rug edges. This works especially well for an open floorplan, and with multiple furniture groupings. Since your living room is often the largest in your home, it makes sense to use a more luxurious area rug as a showcase for its design. You can opt for a soft wool rug with a rich, intricate pattern to bring the space to life.

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Dining Room || Area rugs in dining spaces sometimes take a lot of abuse so they need to be durable. Your rug should fit your dining table and chairs with room to push your chairs back. This makes a synthetic flatweave rug or one with shorter pile a good option because it will be easier to push chairs in or out. Usually, a rug that extends about 36” from the table’s edges will be ideal.

Bedroom || In addition to beautifying your bedroom, an area rug offers warmth and soft comfort underfoot, so you want it to be generously sized. Typically, your bed will be placed against a wall, so you should have at least a foot of rug extending from both sides of the bed. In general, for a queen bed, an 8’x10’ rug gives you about 2.6’ on each side, and 3.6’ at the end when the rug is placed perpendicular to the bed.