Area Rug Size: Find the Best Fit For Your Space

Getting area rug sizes right is crucial to designing a space.  While they are incredibly versatile and easy to use, improper rug sizing can just as easily ruin even the best laid-out interior plans. 

Rugs are powerful statement pieces capable of transforming the overall look of a space you’re trying to design. It’s no coincidence that medieval castles and ancient imperial courtyards were covered with the finest carpets – they projected royalty and power. Even today, a large number of upscale buildings and celebrity homes around the world feature large, magnificent rugs in main entrances and hallways. And you can easily do the same for your favorite space by finding the right rug and more importantly, the perfect size.

Why area rug size matters

A beautiful rug that is either too small or too large for any living space will swiftly catch the attention of anyone looking at it. It’s how human eyes normally react to imbalance and disproportion. It doesn’t matter if you have an antique Persian rug or a cheaper machine-made one. Like buying a pair of ill-fitting jeans, it will show no matter how hard you try to hide it.

Things to consider when choosing the right area rug size    

Picking out the best size for an area rug takes more than just getting the exact dimensions of a room. You first need to figure out the function of the carpet in the space you’re trying to decorate. Do you need it to cover the entire floor and let it blend unobtrusively with the furniture and other decor? Are you looking to highlight your living room as the coziest spot in the house? Do you want to create boundaries in an open floor plan by using rugs? When you’ve decided how you want to effectively use an Oriental rug, you can start measuring the area where you plan to put it.

Living Room

The living area is often the largest space in a home which makes it a bit tricky to find a Persian rug that would fit seamlessly. For open spaces, rug placement is the key to determining the size you need. If you prefer your furniture somewhere in the middle of the room, you need a large rug where you can place the sofa and coffee table in the center so it would look like an ‘island.’ This will make your space feel bigger as you’ve essentially created a smaller ‘room.’

If you have wall partitions, you can use them as ‘anchors’ for your furniture so you can get away with smaller rug sizes. You just need to ensure that the chairs are positioned halfway inside the edges of the carpet with the table still at the center. Alternatively, if you have limited space, you can opt for longer rugs and position the furniture outside its edges. This works best for apartments as it gives the illusion of having more space to move around in.   

Dining Room Area Rug Size

Aside from improving the look of dining rooms, area rugs also help bring down noise levels which is great for household members who need to study or sleep while others are gathered around at the dinner table. To get the right rug size, always measure the table and the chairs that go with them. Add about 60 inches to each side to the actual dimensions of the table and you will have enough covered space for pulling out and pushing in the chairs.

Bedroom

There are two basic ways of installing an Oriental rug in a bedroom. First, measure the bed size and add a couple of feet to each side so you can have extra carpeted space you can walk on. Second, you can get a smaller carpet and instead of covering everything under the bed, you can move it down towards the foot of the bed with the edge just a few inches away from side tables.

Hallways

It’s a lot easier to find the right size of rug for hallways since you will not be dealing with any furniture most of the time. However, you must get enough coverage for foot traffic which is the main purpose of getting runner rugs in the first place. In addition, you also need to consider hallway posts and columns as they have special shapes that might require a custom-made rug if you want to cover the hallway end to end.

Area Rug Size for Unique Spaces

It’s almost inevitable to run into a living space or a room with irregular dimensions or odd shapes, especially in older homes. Finding the right area rug size can be a nightmare in these situations which is why it’s important to get help from a rug professional who can tailor-make a Persian rug to exact specifications which is a quicker process and hassle-free. 

Author: Carlo Vincent Mollenido