How to choose the right size rug for each room in your house

Buying rugs for your home can be overwhelming for many people, which is why we've decided to de-mystify things with an easy guide to choosing the right rug for your space. It's not rocket science! Here are some handy tips to consider to ensure that you're making the right choice.

Firstly, think size. The Golden Rule is, the bigger the better (depending on your space, naturally). People often feel it's safer to go for a smaller rug, but the reality is that a larger rug is often more effective. 

Living Room

A large area rug in the living room helps to ground the space and acts as an anchor, setting the foundations for your furniture. For living areas, choose the largest rug possible (while still leaving breathing space between the rug and walls, and ensure that you have enough space to open the doors).  Time and time again, we’ve seen how a large rug will help make a room feel more spacious, whereas a small rug can shrink a space, making it look out of proportion and bitty. Nobody wants that! An area rug in a lounge setting should fit underneath all the furniture. At the very least, the front two legs of your sofa and armchairs. 

Alternatively, you could go for a really large rug and place your entire couch, coffee table and chairs on the rug. This is very impactful, but it’s only really suitable for large open plan living areas (or in a room where there is minimal furniture).

Dining Area

Here’s a controversial one… whether to use a rug under your dining room table or not? We believe that the answer lies in your choice of rug, as it’s a no brainer you need to pick a rug that’s easy to clean (think kid-friendly and dinner party-friendly!). If you choose to ground your dining area with a rug, a helpful guideline is to ensure that it extends 60 to 70 centimetres beyond all edges of the table. This means that your chairs’ back legs will still sit on the rug when pulled away from the table (which is also helpful in protecting hard floors from scuff marks and scratches).

Bedroom

No matter which side of the bed you get out of, make sure you’re stepping onto a beautiful soft rug. Your toes will thank you! Just like in every other room, a bedroom rug acts as a visual anchor for your space, bringing focus to the room. Even if you have wall-to-wall carpeting, you can inject colour, texture, and pattern  into your room by layering on an area rug under your bed. If you have a small bedroom, select a rug that's large enough to nearly fill up the entire space (but be sure to leave at least 5cm of bare floor between the rug and the walls.

We hope you find this guide helpful in choosing the perfect rug. It’s all in the details, which make all the difference in creating a look that feels spot on.