Selecting the Right Rug Size
Kara Cox Interiors
One thing that can make a room look completely off balance is the wrong size rug for the space. Too big and your furniture can appear to be the wrong scale for the room. Too small and it can seem like a tiny island in a large ocean. Neither one is a good look. So how do you select the right size of rug for each room in the first place? I have some tips that work every time!
Kara Cox Interiors
Living Room
The purpose of a rug is to create warmth and texture in a room. But designers will also tell you that it’s also important for a rug to define the space, or an area of the room. For example, in the room I designed above, the seating area is outlined by the size of the rug. The best scenario is if all of the furniture fits on the rug without any crowding. You could have the back legs of a chair or the sofa on the floor, but you want there to be a comfortable grouping with plenty of space to walk between a cocktail table and other furniture. In the room I designed above, I also layered a second rug on top of the larger one. This adds visual interest and is a great way to bring more color into a room. Don’t be afraid to experiment with layering!
Kara Cox Interiors
Dining Room
In a dining room, you want the table and all of the chairs to fit on the rug. But here’s where some people go wrong - you want the chairs to fit on the rug even when they are pulled back from the table to allow someone to be seated. Otherwise it’s difficult for people to get up and down from the table with the chair’s legs getting hooked by a rug’s edge. So be sure your dining room rug is a generous size. For all but the smallest rooms, 9x12 or 10x14 should work.
Kara Cox Interiors
Principal Bedroom
This is where I see the most mistakes made with a rug! The key is that everyone wants to step out of bed on cold mornings onto a warm rug. But if the rug is too small, someone is going to have cold feet when they wake up. I’ve seen a rug only cover one side of the bed, or look almost like a runner under the bed. Neither one works. You want to have the bed and the bedside tables fit comfortably on a rug. Usually that leaves plenty of room for a person on each side of the bed to have a rug underfoot. When in doubt, always size up. An 8 x 10 is the smallest rug you would want to use in a room with a queen bed, and they can go much larger as the bed size goes up. We also use a lot of wall to wall carpet in bedrooms to make sure feet are cozy when stepping out of bed on a chilly morning.
Kara Cox Interiors
Tricks of the Trade
If you can’t find the perfect rug for your room, there are a couple of designer tricks that you can use. If you love a specific rug but it’s too small, you can buy two and have them seamed together. I’ve definitely done that before. And in a room that needs a larger rug, or that has architectural features like the rounded wall above, I’ve also purchased broadloom carpet and had it cut and bound to look like a rug. That way you can be sure the rug will be the perfect size.
Use these ideas to avoid the “island syndrome” in your rooms. And give me and my team a call if you’ve hit a design dilemma you can’t solve.
All the best,
Kara