An area rug’s purpose in life is two-fold: (A) to define a space, and (B) to enhance your decor. Before we get into our list of Area Rug DOs and DON’Ts, let’s break down these two roles.
How does an area rug define a space? An area rug says, “This group of furniture belongs together.” It unifies whatever furnishings are placed upon it. If you have a multipurpose room, an area rug can help you designate between functional zones, as in, “this rug defines the living room and this rug defines the dining room.” The size of an area rug also helps to define a space–the larger your area rug, the larger your room feels (and vice versa).
How can an area rug enhance your decor? It’s an opportunity to bring in colors or patterns that coordinate with the rest of your furnishings. An area rug is one of those details that makes your room’s decor feel “finished.” It can also help warm up or soften hard surfaces like wood and tile flooring, which can come off looking and feeling cold underfoot.
So now that we know why you should incorporate an area rug into a room’s decor, let’s talk DOs and DON’Ts!
Area Rug DOs and DON’Ts
DO use appropriately-sized area rugs. As noted above, the size of your rug is immensely important, because it conveys the approximate size of the room. How do you know what size to get? Let’s use a living room as an example. Some designers advocate having all of your furniture sitting within the outer perimeter of a rug, but my preference is to have just the front legs of your seating pieces on top of the rug. By letting the rug run beneath the furniture, the implication in your mind’s eye is that the rug continues indefinitely, and therefore, your space feels larger.
Living room designed by Room Fu. Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q Weddings.
Living room designed by Kim Myles. Photo courtesy of HGTV.
In a master bedroom, the typical placement of the rug is to run it beneath the bottom two-thirds of the bed, perpendicular to the bed. You want your area rug to be large enough that you can step down onto it when you get out of bed.
Master bedroom designed by Room Fu.
Bedroom designed by London Furniture And Accessories Imagine Living, via Houzz.
Children’s bedrooms can be a little different if you have a twin-sized bed on one side of the room. In this case, I usually place a 5’x8′ rug beside the bed.
Girl’s bedroom designed by Room Fu.
The vast majority of living rooms, dining rooms and master bedrooms will require an 8’x10′ rug. Children’s bedrooms typically accommodate a 5’x8′ rug.
DON’T use a “postage stamp” rug. An area rug is not meant to anchor a coffee table. It’s meant to anchor an entire living room furniture arrangement. So when you use an itty-bitty rug in a large seating group, it will look dwarfed in its surroundings.
The beige rug is well-sized. The magenta rug on top of it–that commands so much attention that it is the rug that defines the space–is too small in proportion to the furniture.
This postage stamp rug looks like a bath mat next to such a grand bed.
DO think about what areas may be obscured by your furniture if you’re considering a patterned rug. If you want to use a rug with an all-over repeat pattern, you’re pretty safe, as there will be a consistent view of the pattern peeking out from around the furniture. The trick to using a rug with a larger, more asymmetrical design is to use it with furniture that has a more delicate or open/airy frame.
DON’T hide special parts of your rug with big, bulky furniture.
DO mix patterns of different proportions. If your curtains or a chair in the space features a print, you can absolutely still have a patterned rug. You just want to pick a rug with a pattern that is obviously different in scale than the other textiles sitting on or around it.
Another great trick is to make one of the patterned elements striped.
DON’T shy away from custom options. Square shaped rugs are hard to find, as are off-standard sized rugs. If you think you have to settle for a too-small or too-large rug in your space, think again. FLOR tiles are one affordable option for DIYing a custom rug, and they come in a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures. Since they’re modular, you can create whatever size and shape rug you want–you can even cut the individual tiles if you need to. FLOR tiles are 19.7″ square, so I usually divide my ideal rug length and width by 20″ to figure out how many tiles I’ll need to create the area rug I’m after. An 8’x10 rug = 5 x 6 rows = 30 tiles.
Rugs made out of FLOR tiles.
You can also have a carpet dealer create an area rug for you out of carpet. There are some really wonderful, modern options in patterned carpet out there, so I’m not talking standard frieze here!
An example of wall-to-wall carpet that would make a great area rug. Designed by David Hicks, photo via Wall Street Journal.
DO select your seating before your rug. As a general rule, you’ll keep your sofa and chairs far longer than any rug, so they take priority in the purchasing cycle. Make sure you have those pieces nailed down before you start looking for rugs. There are an infinite number of rugs in the world but only a few sofas you will actually want in your home that fit within your space and budget. Once you know what those pieces are going to look like, you can move on to things like rugs and window treatments. For more help with this type of question, see this blog post on what order is best for making selections.
Don’t leave living room wood or tile flooring bare. Yes, having a rug makes every living room seating arrangement look better. And sound better. And feel better. As mentioned earlier, a rug in a living room is one of those don’t-miss details that makes a room look finished. Rugs absorb sound and therefore make a room quieter–a hugely important factor for those of you with kiddos running around at high decibels. Rugs also feel warmer underfoot than wood or tile, and generally feel cushier if you’re lounging on the floor. Even if you already have carpet, I would still add a rug to your living room furniture arrangement. It goes back to my point about defining the space.
DO use a flat rug in your dining space. Your dining room is one of those areas where I totally relate to anyone who says they don’t want a rug in their dining area because they have kids who spill everything within a ten foot radius of their little baby mouths while they’re eating. But if you have a formal dining space that doesn’t get used as often, I encourage you to incorporate a flat rug–like a dhurrie, kilim or FLOR tiles. I wouldn’t rule out a wool rug in the dining room, but these flatter options will be easier to clean.
Exceptions
There are exceptions to every rule. Here are a few instances where you can sneak around the rules:
Budget. In this example, I was helping a client furnish his guest bedroom. When I saw this $20 runner at IKEA, it seemed like a great way to shave a little money off the budget (a guest bedroom is a good place to scrimp a little) and still work a bit more color into the space. Using a runner near a bed is a good way to save money, but using a 5’x8′ rug when you really need an 8’x10′ rug in a living room–this is not the way to go about saving money.
Guest bedroom and home office designed by Room Fu.
Guest bedroom and home office, designed by Room Fu.
Carpeted rooms. Already have wall-to-wall carpet in the space? Then you don’t necessarily need to put a rug on top, although it does give you a more finished look.
Good Resources for Rugs
Overstock – Be sure and check out reviews! Sometimes colors are way off from computer monitor to computer monitor, so read what previous buyers have to say. If no reviews exist, look for the same rug in a doormat or 2’x3′ size if you want to test the waters first. It doesn’t cost as much to return, so this beats the heck out of ordering a 50-lb. 8’x10′ and then hating it when you see it in person!
Home Goods – As with everything at Home Goods, this store is hit-and-miss. If at first you don’t succeed in finding something in the size and style you like, try, try again. Their merchandise turns quickly and they get new stuff all the time.
West Elm – Great place to get modern and interesting rugs. Don’t forget to hit their “sale” link as well as their “rugs” link, as they don’t always merge their sale items into their other sections.
Crate & Barrel – Another good spot for finding modern options. Ditto regarding the sale link.
Tuesday Morning – They’ve had some great options lately, if you’re looking for smaller-sized rugs like a 5’x8′. We’ll be posting pics tomorrow of some goodies spotted there recently.
FLOR – A favorite, especially for our clients with kids and pets.
Lamps Plus – Believe it or not, they carry much more than lighting.
Outlet Stores – We routinely find $200 8’x10′ wool rugs at West Elm’s outlet store. Ditto with other retail chains.
If you need help selecting the right rugs and furnishings in your own home, Room Fu can help you! Call or text us at (512) 797-5821 to speak with a black belt in bad ass design and to schedule an in-home consultation.
Disclosure: Robin Callan is a paid blogger for West Elm parent company, William-Sonoma. Read her interviews with celebrity designers and articles on the design industry at their Designer Marketplace website.
Thanks for your advice!! Would you use the same rug in different sizes in either the same room ( i have an open living/dining area, or even in two different rooms (open room in living area plus adjacent family room)? I found a rug i LOVE but am unsure of how to coordinte it. Thank you. Lisa
That is certainly N easy way if you get stuck on how to pair it but the more interesting thing would be to use a different rug. Mixing patterns can be difficult but the trick is to make sure the patterns are obviously different in scale/proportion. It’s the same thing you keep in mind when coordinating fabrics. Stripes are easy to pair w/a pattern, or solids w/a pattern, and color is definitely a unifying element. It helps to have a photo of the one you already have to refer to while you’re shopping so you can really see them together. And should you think that “solid”=”boring,” here’s one we shot in a coffee table post for Austin Monthly that is gorgeous & available in a bunch of different colors: http://www.austinhomemag.com/Austin-Amplified/Summer-2012/Fab-Find-Friday/
I have a question I wanted to see if you would mind sharing your opinion – I am in love with the Stark Sisal in the diamond pattern but I have a long narrow living room – the room is 22 feet by 15 with a fireplace anchored at the end – the floor boards run the length of the room – I have measured the rug to be 19’9 X 12 ft – the max width of the Stark is 13’3 – so the diamonds will run perpendicular to the floorboards and the direction of the room – do you think that is a problem –
Also planning on using it as a runner – but again should the diamonds be running “up” the stairs vertically or horizontal to them?
Thank you for your help –
I don’t think it’s a significant issue, but it honestly depends on how affected you are by the little things. Some people respond better to arrangements and furnishings that are perfectly symmetrical, or placed with precision…other people don’t notice little details and can roll with a more organic flow. If you are someone who likes everything “just so” or in their place, this detail could irritate you more and more over time. I personally think it could be more interesting to have the diamonds running perpendicular to the floorboards. I don’t think many people would even notice the difference.
I have two blue and beige striped chairs and an cream colored sofa in my living room I
I’m having trouble finding an area rug that will go well with the chairs.
Thanks,
Thanks for your advise Great post about room design
Hi, thanks for your advice. I love the big bulky coffee table set that you use as an example. Do you know where I can find it? Thanks
Adriana, you can find those hammered drum tables at Viva Terra: http://www.vivaterra.com/furniture/tables/hammered-drum-collection.html
Awesomely helpful THANK YOU!
I just tile my dining room want to know how big rug I have to put don’t want it under chair will that look good room size 10 by13thanks
An 8×10 is the perfect fit. You will get a better look if the chairs are on the rug. If the rug is so small that only your table is on it, it will look shrimpy.
This is really helpful. I have recently come across a few obscurely sized (roughly 2x4ish) vintage turkish rugs that I would love to incorporate in my living space. Any suggestions on how best to use “scatter” type rugs that are too special to be doormats? I was thinking about getting a neutral 8×10 for under the bed and lying on on each side of the bed as to layer them. Thanks!
Hi Lindsay,
If you put a neutral rug under the small Turkish rugs, it will draw a lot of attention to the size of your patterned rugs. I would either go for broke & use a lot of 2x4s or just put the 2x4s elsewhere in places like bathrooms/entry/back door where a smaller rug feels more proportionally fitting.
Hello,
I have a large family room 19.3 by 15.6 ft which has a wide plank wood floor. What size area rug would you recommend? Would two rugs be better?
Thank you!
Hi Sandy, unfortunately there’s no pat answer…it all depends on your furniture arrangement and other elements in the space like fireplaces, bumpouts, traffic flow, etc.
Hi. Your post has lots of great tips. Our master bedroom is 14 long and 17 wide with a door 2/3rd of the way along the wall against which the bed is to be placed. This door leads into the dressing room and visually divides the room into a bed/night stand area and a narrow seating area by the window to the right of bed? Do you think i’ll need two rugs, obe unfer the bed, and another for the seating area? The floor would be white marble with grey streaks. I’m thinking of painting the room a light green and have pink and white curtains. What rug colour would you recommend? I’m sure I’ll find your opinion valuable.
Not having seen the room, I can’t say with absolute certainty, but it sounds like you could handle one large under the bed and a smaller one in the seating area. Color-wise, I’d stick to something that is just a subtle contrast to the floor color–you want to define the space but high-contrast colors will make it feel too chopped up. Maybe a slightly darker green than what you’re putting on the walls, or maybe a mid-gray.
Hey, great colour suggestions. Thanks.
You bet!
My bedroom is long and narrow 20′ 31″ x 10′. My floor is hardwood and of course I want a large rug. Considering room size, how do I place the rug? How much goes under the bed, must it come to the edge of the dresser, night stand, chest of drawers?
Also, do I choose wall paint first, rug first, or bedspread first so colors will complement each other? I need help!
Thank you
I have a question. I have a large room that functions as a living, dining and sitting room. Currently we have a neutral colored wall to wall in the space with a raised, diamond pattern.
I want to better define the zones in the areas with rugs. Are there rules about using different patterns, colors, etc, or should the three rugs match?
Traditionally speaking, Martha Ann, an area rug serves both form and function. In cases where there are colder floors, like hardwoods or tile, it can give you a warm first step when getting out of bed. It also defines the space. In a room as large as yours, you may need two rugs–one to anchor the bed and one to define another zone (sitting area or office, if you have one in your BR). I can’t really comment on your particular room’s design without seeing it in person, but I imagine you will have an easier time using two rugs rather than trying to find one that does the job for the entire room. Hope that helps!
Jo, if you’re using three rugs, they should definitely NOT match. That would eventually bore you to tears and won’t provide a lot of visual interest. Coordinating three rugs with all of the other textiles in the open space of your home can be tricky as well. Scale is the most important consideration–you want to make sure all three rugs are obviously different where the scale of the patterns is concerned. You can’t go wrong with 1 solid, 1 stripe and 1 pattern. Alternatively, using two rugs with the same pattern and one solid between them could also work to break up the monotony while giving you some design cohesion/consistency. Good luck!
Thank you for these wonderful tips. I am having trouble coordinating an area rug for our living room that has a darker brick flooring, dark brown leather sofas and a patterned antique Moroccan table (for coffee table) in deep red with yellow design. Our walls are a light greenish gold with white trims.
I like pattered rugs like the Moroccan rugs but worried it might clash with the coffee table. What type/color of rug would you recommend (we use a 8X10 boring beige shag currently)?
Ginie, it sounds like you have a lot of options to choose from. Color-wise, I’d suggest pulling a color out of the painted Moroccan table, or if there’s not a colorful pattern there, consider pumpkin/spice colors, rich golds, steel-y blues, or deeper greens. See my reply to Jo above for tips on combining patterns. Good luck!
This info is so helpful, I have a long open concept space that flows from kitchen, to eating area to great room. Think of it as a upside down “T” wider then gets more narrow. I need to define the space but am struggling with what size to use and does it work to have one rug going wide then the other going length wise following the shape of the room? Or so have both rugs going in the same direction?
Carie, I would definitely allow the rugs to follow the proportions of the space they’re in–so a “T” configuration in the room you describe.
Thank you for this information. I’m in the process of updating my daughter to a ‘big girl room’ but I’m having a hard time deciding on what size carpet to get. We have wood floors, would it look silly to have the rug only at the bottom 2/3 of the bed? What size would you recommend for a child’s room with a full bed or queen bed?
Hey Robin, I have an “open floor concept” with the living room, dining room, and kitchen. We’re looking for a rug for the living room, and there are too many options! Our sofa and chair are a light butter or cream color. We also have a robins egg blue wingback chair, and some blue/green pillows. What color would be best with the sofa and chair that would lighten the room and bring color to the room (the walls are beige/taupe and our floor is a dark hardwood). Thank you!
Hi Annaliza, the size of the rug depends upon how large the space is, but generally speaking, exposing the rug on the bottom 2/3 of the bed (left and right), is a good way to go and pretty standard. Good luck!
Hi Ruth, as long as your walls and window treatments are light, you can afford to go a bit darker on the floor without giving up a light feeling in the room. I would try a rug with a darker shade of the blues and greens already in the space. Maybe it’s a pattern featuring these darker shades on a light beige background. The variety of the that depth of color will give you a coordinated look that brings more interest into the space. Good luck!
Hi. I have a carpeted apartment with black color sofa and black coffee table. The carpet color is standard light brown and the wall paint is standard cream. What color area rug should I get? A lighter or darker shade?
Any tips or ideas will be appreciated regarding rugs in a home office/study.
Thomas, I’d recommend something in a color-color…in other words, not neutral. If you’re a guy who prefers earth tones, I’d definitely go lighter than the furniture.
Rosy, the most important consideration is in regard to what type of chair you’ll use at the desk. If you use a rolling chair, I recommend going with a flat-woven rug, like a kilim or dhurrie. FLOR also has some low-pile options, like their Fedora line, that won’t hinder the functionality of a rolling chair. If you go with something more like a dining chair at the desk, you have a little more freedom to work in something like a shag. Hope this helps!
Hi! I am having difficulty figuring out area rugs for a very long and somewhat narrow great room with 4 functions. One end is a den/TV space (10 x11 with cream couch), then there’s a diagonal door/entrance space of approximately 6×11), next a 10×12 living room area (with a corner fireplace, yellow leather chairs and a gray couch) and finally a 10×12 dining room (large modern oak table, bench and 3 cream chairs). The floors are a light tile with beige and gray tones. Would love any ideas on rugs for this space!
I live in a rental that has wall to wall 1/2″ beige carpet, and it’s stained. EW! So I am looking for a rug to cover up the discoloration and help anchor and define my living area, would you recommend high pile or low pile carpet? OR is placing a rug on carpet a bad idea?
Very helpful article. I am considering purchasing a 6′ x 9′ Persian-style rug with an approx. 12″ patterned border. Given your preference of having just the front legs of a sofa sitting on it (opposite that is a 20″ h x 84″ media console) the symmetry of the center pattern will be slightly off since I don’t want to or can’t have the media console sitting on it. Is this okay visually? I don’t have a lot of options size-wise with the rug – going to 5′ x 7′ will give it that postage stamp look.
Hello,
Do I really have to place some portion of my furniture on my new area rug? Feeling weird about making permanent ‘dents’ in the rug. Your opinion is greatly appreciated.
PL
Hello! Wonderful tips, thank you! I have 5×8 area rug with a multicolor stripe pattern (http://leahsaysviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/086093368401Mohawk-Home-Hypoallergenic-Rugs_Carnival-Stripe-Rug-300×221.jpg). It runs parallel and fairly close to my dining table. I’d like to add an 8×10 rug under the table to protect the floors from my chairs, but am struggling to find something that would complement the other area rug and not get ruined in 2 minutes by my 11-month old. Is my only choice a solid color rug? I’ve got floral curtains with a large pattern nearby as well. Any style or material recommendations would be sooo appreciated! Thank you!
I am looking to put a large area rug in our great room that is 20′ by 16′. It has a fireplace in the middle of the wall with two chairs on either side. To the left the wall on that side has two more comfy chairs with a small table and lamp in between. There is a arch way going into kitchen and on the same wall as the arch is a rocking chair sofa for two. Rounding that corner is a wall with a 7′ couch on it then another arch way to entrance way. What size rug could I use to incorporate the whole room together? The measurement is taken from archways leading to other rooms to opposite walls.
Hi! Great article! Hoping to get your feedback on this – trying to decide between two area rugs for our living room. We have the West Elm dive grey sofas and raw mango wood coffee, side & media console tables that are similar in shade to out honey wood floors. I know we def need a 9×12 rug to define this living area space (which is separate from a small play area off to the side. My question is which one of my top two rug choices would be most complimentary to the room – looking at West Elm honeycomb ivory rug and the sweater oatmeal rug. The honeycomb ivory is solid ivory but has a cool honeycomb design in the rug – very clean, simple, modern, contrasts nicely from the grey couches and rustic/honey toned wood furniture and floors – but I’m worried that ivory for area rug isn’t a wise choice esp with kids and that although it has honeycomb pattern bc it is solid ivory it will look too stark, too modern (vs relaxed, friendly). The sweater oatmeal has a nice heathered pattern/color variation that pulls in grey from the couches and has a lil contrast from furniture and floors with the oatmeal although I wish the oatmeal was slightly lighter in shade to provide but more contrast. Should add this room doesn’t get much natural light so it doesn’t really bring out the lightness of the oatmeal I suppose – and I don’t know if having an ivory rug in the room is really the best way to brighten/lighten up the room. Anyways, sweater rug is kid/dirt friendly (won’t show second it gets dirty) and def gives a cozy vibe. I worry that it doesn’t provide enough contrast from floor and furniture ? Or maybe it’s a great neutral choice that provides JUST ENOUGH contrast and has some interest with the heathered pattern/weave without distracting too much? I am so torn between these two choices! My first attempt at rug was West Elm herringbone/chevron jute chenille rug – looked awesome and provided room this airy, beachy, neutral yet interesting vibe BUT the zigzag pattern on such large scale 9×12 actually made me dizzy so it was returned and here I am totally unsure if the solid herringbone is the way to go or too white/light in color and possibly too boring/blank or if the sweater rug is best choice bc it’s kid friendly and has some interest but not overwhelming – but worried it doesn’t contrast enough with the wood furniture and floors – leaving me wondering is that what I want ?! Ack! Any feedback much appreciated!!!
Robin, your tips on here are amazing. Thanks for what you do!
I am moving into a new house that has a living room doorway setup I’m not totally sure what to do. When you walk in the front door to the house there is a large opening that goes into the living room and then the living room flows right to the dining room through another door. The way one would walk from the front door to the dining room is an L shaped path. I’m not sure where to put the furniture in the living room. Do I pretend the openings aren’t there and place furniture accordingly, or do I leave an open walkway through the living room so people don’t have to navigate around the furniture to get through the room?
Hi,
I am trying to buy area rugs for the 1st floor of my house. I have a front living room that flows into the back kitchen/family room area. The stairs divide the rooms since the stairs are in the middle of the house, but you wouldn’t really be able to see both rugs at the same time unless you stood in the short hallway. The walls are 2 different shades of gray with white trim, floors are walnut hardwood. Living room furniture is light gray with a small pattern/texture, so it could be made to look more formal or casual depending on a rug. Family room furniture is a brown leather couch and is connected to the kitchen with cherry cabinets. My husband wants a navy/gray contemporary rug in the front, and orange in the back. Individually that works for each room, but I don’t think they coordinate to give a good flow to the 1st floor color scheme. Should the rugs coordinate in color scheme/patterns since they are in adjacent rooms on the same floor? Or no? I’m having so much trouble finding 2 rugs that coordinate yet work with existing furniture and paint. Any advice?
Thanks for these tips. We’ve just had dark oak handscraped hardwood installed, and the dining and living room are one large area. The dining area is defined by having the back of sofa facing dining area. We would like to use an area rug similar to the geometric one paired with the hammered drum table for the living room grouping. What’s got us stumped is what rug would work in the dining area which has a round table. Can you help, please? Thanks.
Im moving into an apartment and have haas my heart set on a animal print rug w red duals the accent color. My floors r a black distressed porcelain tile with a traces of a gold tone in it. I have animal print pillows from my last house (a red fabric couch and brown leather) what color and fabric couch would u suggest? Tjhanks,lisa
Hi, I have a beige/cream patterned tile in the dining & living areas. I really would love to cover a lot of the tile with some large rugs and take the attention off the tile. The basic one color rugs I have are so boring. Would it be to busy to have a large rug with a pattern on it?
Patti, you shouldn’t feel limited to solid colored rugs, but you do want to pay attention to scale when combining patterns. You want to make sure there’s an obvious contrast in terms of pattern size between your tile and the rug, and similar colors help too. Stripes are the easiest thing to combine with other patterns.
Lisa, if you already have some brown leather in the mix, you could consider just about any shade of brown/beige. Grays could also work.
Sandy, see my note in other comments about combining patterns. In addition to those tips, I would suggest sticking with something with a graphic pattern. Don’t dismiss color from your range of options either…