Finding the Proper Rug Size

How to determine the right size area rug for your home or office.

How should you decide what will work in your home or office?

Determining the "correct" size rug(s) for your space is not an exact science, but the guidelines below may help in your decision.

When considering a room size rug, you should first measure the entire space. We suggest leaving a border of floor showing around the entire room, making the room appear larger and enhancing the look of your room. The type of room and furniture placement will have a lot to do with what size rug(s) you should consider. Making a rough drawing of your space, including dimensions and furniture placement, can be very helpful.

Dining room & Breakfast room

When selecting a room size rug for the dining room, you need to measure the length and width of your table, adding 1'6" per chair to your measurement. You will want the back legs of your chairs on the rug to avoid getting them caught on the edge of the rug when you are seated. Example: Your room is 12' x 16', your table is 6' long and 4' wide (with each table-leaf is 1' 6'), we would suggest an 8' x 11' to 9' x 12' size rug for your room. To accommodate your chairs and table with one leaf in place, you would need a minimum lenth of 7' 6" and width of 10' 6". For a 15' x 20' room with the same size table and chairs we would suggest 10' x 13' or 10' x14' rug size.

Living or Family room

First you must decide if you want a room size rug or smaller rug(s) to fill the space. If the furniture is placed several feet away from the walls, we suggest that the each piece of furniture be completely on or off the rug. If the furniture is placed around the walls, the rug can be placed just under the front of the piece, or away from it. Example: You have a sofa and love seat in an L-shape. One piece is up against the wall and the other is placed in the middle of the room. The rug can be placed just in front of both sofas or completely under the one in the middle of the room and just under the front of the one by the wall.

Bedroom

There are two schools of thought for placing rugs in your bedroom. You can either use one room size rug or several rugs around the bed(s). When considering one room size rug it should be large enough for you to take a step or two when getting out of bed. If you have one bed centered in the room, you can place a rug at the foot of the bed and one on each side. If you have two beds in the room, you can add one more rug in between them.

Entrances, hallways and stairs

An Oriental rug placed by an entrance, hallway and stairwell, protects the floor while enhancing the decor. Consider purchasing a rug that can handle the high traffic that will occur in these areas. Entrance area rugs usually measure 2' to 5' x 4' to 7'. If there is a hallway off the entrance you may consider a runner. If you have a large vestibule, consider a rug based on its size. When measuring for hallways the rug should continue past any side doors. When considering a runner on the steps, measure the step and riser, counting how many of each and calculating the rug size needed. Add an additional 12" to 18" to the length of your calculation so both borders of the rug can be tucked under. Runners can not be installed if you have any half steps or if your stairwell has any curves.

Below are some recommendations of rug sizes for a particular room size.

Room size	Largest size Recommended
4' x 6'	3' x 5'
6' x 9'	5' x 8'
8' x 10'	6' x 9'
10' x 12'	8' x 10'
12' x 15'	9' x 12'
15' x 15'	10' x 12'
14' x 20'	10' x 15'
16' x 20'	12' x 15'
12' x 20'	15' x 25'
13' x 20'	18' x 25'
3' x 10'	2' 6' x 9'
3' x 16'	2' 6' x 14'
5' x 16'	4' x 14'
8' x 20'	6' x 18'

By: Quality area rugs