When you want to update your living room, everyone knows that a fresh paint color or new furniture is a quick fix. But did you know that an easy way to give any room in your home a lift is to inject color, texture and pattern into your home with a new area rug? It’s true. Area rugs come in every shape and size, and they can change the look as well as the feel of a room. Beautiful rugs can even be used as floor or wall art.
Before choosing an area rug, it’s always a good idea to determine what you want to accomplish in the space. Do you need a rug to help define a sitting or eating area? Are you using an area rug to add visual interest, color or texture to a room? Area rugs are wonderful for all of these reasons. But what size rug for living room should you choose? The size of the rug depends on how you want to use it.
It may seem like a daunting task but there are a few simple rules you can follow to ensure that the size of rug you choose is ideal for your space. Letifly proudly offers some of the best area rugs for living room décor as well as kitchen rug mats, decorative bath rugs and bedside rugs. Whether you are looking for a large sheepskin rug, rugs to hang as wall art, or a luxurious bath mat that will provide a warm place to step when coming out of the shower, rugs are versatile accessories that can easily enhance a room’s design and Letifly has them all. Here are some tips on how to choose the right size rug for your home.
Start big and size it down.
When it comes to how to choose area rug size for living room, bedroom or bathroom design, going bigger is always better than going too small. If you want an area rug that fits a room, you want to have at least 15 inches from each wall to the edge of the rug. Otherwise, you should be looking at purchasing wall-to-wall carpet.
Once you know how big you can go in the room, you can then choose that size or smaller, depending on where the rug is going to be placed. A super sized area rug is ideal in a room where you want to cover up the existing flooring or make the room warmer and more welcoming.
Many designers like to leave a distance of 3 feet around the edge of an area rug. They simply subtract 3 feet from both the length and width of the space. Then they ensure that the edge of the rug is 3 feet away from every wall. The bare floor around the rug acts as a frame, giving the impression that the room is larger than it is. This also helps define the space without the rug overpowering the room.
Keep those feet on the rug!
There are different ways you can lay an area rug in a living room. If you want to define a conversation area, you can choose to have all furniture on the rug or just the front feet of the furniture on the rug. The key is to be consistent. You should never have some of the furniture on the rug and some of the furniture sitting outside of the rug.
If you are trying to choose a living room rug for a large living room, it’s a good idea to have all of your furniture (accent tables and chairs, sofa, coffee table) on the rug itself. Make sure they aren’t teetering on the edge. Allow for approximately 8” from the furniture edges to the rug edge. That will ensure that the rug is home to the entire conversation area and no furniture slips off.
Front feet only…
If you don’t want entire pieces of furniture on your area rug because your rug or your space simply isn’t large enough, consider the rug “rule” of front feet only. This rug layout places all front feet of your furniture on the rug with the back feet on the floor. It helps to anchor the furniture in your designated area.
Picture it first!
The best way to get an idea of how your area rug will look in your living room, we suggest using painter’s tape to create your own outline. It’s a great way to envision whether the rug size you are considering will be big enough.
Play with shapes
Although it’s not a rule that is set in stone, many interior decorators like to place a rectangular rug in a rectangular room, square rug in a square room, etc. If you love the look of a round rug, choose a round rug for a square room and an oval rug for a rectangular room.
When using more than one area rug in a space, ensure color or pattern consistency.
If you have a very large open floor plan, it’s a good idea to showcase more than one rug. You can have one rug in a seating area and another under a dining table if your floor plan is open. The rugs can match or at least have similar design and colors. The color palette is key to creating a cohesive look in a space.
Go bold but keep it simple.
You can choose a bold area rug on the floor that picks up a room’s color palette or adds visual interest. However, if you choose to use eye-catching area rugs, try to keep furniture patterns neutral or solid. If you have bold patterns on the floor as well as the furniture, your room will look busy and distracting.
Invite conversation with a rug that brings your seating together.
Rugs can unite a room while giving designated areas a purpose. Showcase a dining area with a rug beneath the table, or invite family and friends to gather on the sofa or chairs for conversation or games night. Your home doesn’t need walls or room dividers when you have area rugs that define spaces for you.
Quick tip for choosing a dining room rug…
When choosing a rug for beneath your dining table, be sure to leave at least 24” from the edge of all sides of the table. All legs of the chairs should be on the rug when the chairs are pulled away from the table for guests to sit. To ensure you have the right size rug, measure the length and width of your dining table. Add 24” to each dimension. Choose a rug this size or larger.
What you should know about bedroom rug placement…
A bedside rug can be placed on either side of the bed to create a sense of balance in a bedroom. If you are using a larger area rug beneath your bed, you can either place all furniture on the rug (bed and bedside tables) or you can place an area rug under the bottom 2/3 of the bed. In this case, your bedside tables should be on the floor. Leave about 24 inches of the rug showing at each side of the bed. This anchors your bed and highlights the rug itself.
Choosing a Bathroom Rug that’s multifunctional…
Whether you’re looking for the perfect decorative bath rugs or round bathroom rugs are your latest obsession, browse the selection at Letifly and let your inner designer shine. Bath mats can be used just outside the tub or can be decorative in front of the bathroom vanity. Several of the rugs and mats in the Letifly collection are versatile enough to be used as decorative bath rugs, entrance rugs or as a kitchen rug mat. The possibilities are endless!