Rug Basics

by Brian Huie on 11/5/2024

How to select rug size:
Optimum sizing depends on both the room size and the scale of the furniture in the room. But, as a general rule of thumb, the minimum recommended size for different furniture basics is as follows:

• Choose the largest rug your space can accommodate- sometimes homeowners will be tempted to buy a 5x7 rug, because they are often very economical, but trust me on this one- a larger rug will make your home feel much more upscale.
  Rug border (the amount of flooring under the rug that is displayed) should be about 8 inches to 24 inches- in very small rooms, 8 inches is fine, but if you have a larger space, you’ll want a little bit more border.

• Bedrooms: 6x9 under full size bed, 8x10 under queen size bed, 9x12 under king size bed

• Dining area: A table for 6 seats fits is ideal on an 6x9 or 8x10; A table for 8-10 chairs fits best on a 9x12 rug.

• Living area: small to medium rooms can usually work with a 6x9 rug, but the larger the better if your space can fit an 8x10, go for the 8x10. For larger rooms, the size will be 8x10 minimum, and will depend on your furniture layout.

• Still nervous to order the rug? Use painter’s tape to outline the intended rug size on your floor for visualization. That way, you’ll make sure to buy the perfect size for your space.

How to layout furniture on rug:
Sofa entirely on the rug
Placing all legs of the sofa on the rug requires an especially large rug. This choice is best for floating furniture away from walls, and when you need to define a living room space in an open area. When your room is large enough accommodate it, this is usually the highest end look, but it’s not uncommon for the size or layout of older homes in our area to not have this option. If you are planning for this layout, you’ll also want to place all other pieces of furniture (accent chairs, etc) directly on the rug. This helps unify the different elements of the space.

Front legs on the rug
This option works well in a variety of homes. Generally, it is recommended to opt for this when your living room floor plan necessitates the sofa being against or close to a wall (note: I do recommend pulling the sofa even a few inches off the wall, even in small homes- counterintuitively, it makes the room feel larger).

For a cohesive look, try to mimic the sofa placement with any chairs- all four legs of sofa on the rug, means all four legs of chairs on the rug. However, there is nuance to these recommendations. Some floor plans will necessitate only the front legs of the sofa on the rug, with the the entirety of the chairs on the rug- don’t be afraid to play around with placement. If the rug size is ideal for the space based on these other guidelines in this article, it’s possible that the furniture scale is throwing things off. That doesn’t mean you need to go out an buy all new pieces, but consider looking for a smaller (or even just a differently shaped) accent chair- sometimes one piece will make all the difference. Or, you could also try omiting a piece- maybe lose a chair or an accent table, you may not need to spend a dime to fix what doesn’t look quite right with your rug.

How to flatten curled edges of new rug:
It can be frustrating finding the perfect rug, getting it into your space, and rolling it out, onyl to find that you cannot get the edges to lay flat. Depending on the rug material, you may need to try a few things.

My two favorite ways:
1. Many canvas backed rugs stay curled and even after leaving something heavy and flat on it for a long time, it may curl back up. For canvas backed rugs, try folding the edges of the rug (roughly 6-8 inches from the end) backward and “squish” with your hands, running along the side of the rug doing this every 12 inches or so. This usually does the trick.
2. Start by lifting up the rug where you are noticing the curl. Cover the floor underneath with a garbage bag to protect from water damage. With a spray bottle, thoroughly spray the underside of the rug with water. Give it a good spray, making sure the curl is thoroughly wet with water. Then lay the rug back down and set a heavy object (such as a stack of books) on top of the corner, making sure the curled part is completely weighted down. Sometimes if the curl is along the entire edge, you may need to spray the entire underside along that edge and place several heavy objects along the length curled side.

Other tips:
-Don’t forget about an outdoor rug! Your patio or deck will feel more cozy and intriguing with this simple addition.
-Don’t forget rug pads or rug grippers. Some prefer rug pads for added comfort, but at a minimum add some form of rug gripper. On hard flooring, I tend to recommend rug grip corners, which you can find online.