What area rug size & style is best for your home

Rugs are an important part of your home’s designs. They muffle noise, soften floors, and add to the aesthetic of your room. However, finding the right rug for your space can be challenging. From what size your area rug should be to what material to choose, there are a lot of choices to consider. That’s why we created this comprehensive guide to area rugs.

In this post we’ll cover:

  • How to size & arrange area rugs for each room in your home
  • How rugs are made
  • What pile height is & why it’s important
  • What materials are available & which you should choose
  • Popular rug styles
  • Rug decorating ideas

    • What size should your area rug be?

    Area rugs for your living room

    There are a few different ways to style an area rug in your living room. Each will require its own unique set of dimensions. Below, we’ll share the most popular ways to arrange this textile in your space and how to measure for each.

An illustration of how to choose area rugs for living room.
A. All legs on rug
You may like the look of having all your furniture’s legs on an area rug. This is especially great for creating “rooms” within an open-concept floorplan. If this is the look you decide on, make sure your rug is large enough to extend six inches beyond each side of your furnishings. If you’re not using this layout in an open-concept space, make sure there are at 12-18 inches of floor exposed beyond your area rug.
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An illustration of how to choose area rugs for living room.
B. Front legs on rug
This is a common choice for many living rooms. It’s especially good for medium-sized living rooms where one piece of furniture is up against a wall. To find the right size of an area rug for this type of layout, you’ll want to stage the furniture as you plan to arrange it. Measure the length and width of the space starting at the front of one furnishing and going to the front of the design across from it. Add six inches to each measurement to get the dimensions of your area rug.
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An illustration of how to choose area rugs for living room.
C. No legs on rug
This layout is best for small spaces but can work in any home. A common misconception is that you should base your rug’s proportions on that of your coffee table. Instead, you’ll want to base your rug on the largest dimensions of your living room layout. In the illustration above, we can see that the length of the rug (“x”) directly corresponds with the length of the living room set-up (“A”). Same with the width.
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