Designer's Insight: How to place a rug

Placing a rug can instantly transform a room by adding warmth, texture, and color. Keep reading for some tips and tricks on how to place a rug effectively in your space.

Choose the Right Size:

Ensure your rug is the appropriate size for your space. For instance, in your living room the rug should minimally be large enough to fit under the front legs of your seating and ideally should encompass all furniture pieces. This allows it to be a great anchor to your room setting. In dining areas, the rug should extend beyond the chairs when pulled out, which is usually a minimum of 32 inches past the table. This allows your guest to not get tangled up with the edge of the rug as they are entering and exiting their chairs.

Consider Placement

In living rooms, center the rug under your coffee table or seating area. Often, we are placing seating centered on a fireplace or a console that is key to the room. In bedrooms, we place the rug just in front of the nightstands so when exiting the bed you have something comfortable for your feet. Typically an 8 x 10 works great in a smaller bedroom and a 9 x 12 is even better for a larger space.

Coordinate with furniture

The rug should compliment your furniture arrangement. Use it to define spaces within open floor plans, such as separating a seating area from a dining space.

Decide on contrast

Consider the contrast between the rug and existing decor. Choosing a rug that contrasts with your flooring can make it stand out and add visual interest to a room, while a closely matched solid color rug is calming to the eye. Typically we will look to softer toned and plush rugs for a bedroom and will introduce a little more boldness into family or living room spaces.

Why are runners important

Hallways are a transition space that get a lot of usage and therefore can be quite loud. Adding a runner not only looks beautiful in these spaces but can really help with acoustics to keep your home quiet and peaceful.

use rug pads

Place a rug pad underneath for added comfort, protection, and to keep your rug in place. We always use wool rug pads and although a little more expensive, they provide additional padding and will keep your rug firmly in place which is important for safety and longevity of the rug.

By thoughtfully placing your rug, you can enhance the overall aesthetics and functionality of your space.