Decorators’ Handbook: How to pick Rug Sizes

I thought I would do a new series on the blog called, Decorators’ Handbook. In this series I will answer some of the most asked questions that I get asked and hopefully help you in decorating your own space.

First Question: How do you know what size to buy your area rug?

Answer: Well it varies depending on what room, but one key point that many agree on is that there should be at least an 18” border of bare floor in the room.

Dining Room:

When picking out a rug for your dining room you need to measure the length and width of your table and add an additional 1 ft 6 inches for the dining chairs.

You want to make sure that you have enough rug space so that when you pull out your dining chair and sit down the back legs of the chair are still on the rug.

If you use your table leaf a lot than it is also best to measure with the leaf in the table to make sure you have enough rug space.

It is also normally best to just make sure the rug goes under the table and chairs and does not interfer with sideboards, buffets, bar carts, etc.

Living Room:

If you have a living room where the furniture is placed a couple of feet off the walls then it’s best to either have the furniture completely on or off the rug. No in between.

If the furniture is placed against the wall then the rug can be placed just under the front piece:

Or away from it:

Since rules were made to be broken don’t be afraid to have a piece of furniture hanging off the edge:

As long as your chair is not wobbling it’s not a problem.

If you have a large space use two smaller area rugs instead of large custom piece:

Bedroom:

If you place a small rug under the bed most of it would be covered by the bed and there is really no point. One option is get an area rug that covers the majority of the floor space.

* If you want a smaller rug under the bed make sure it sticks out at least 18” around the entire bed if it is a King/Queen and at least 12” if it is a twin/toddler.

Or you can put a small rug to the side of the bed:

Or a runner to go at the foot of the bed:

What other questions to do you want to see answered in the decorators’ handbook?

* Images via Inspiration for Decoration