How to Choose the Right Rug

Posted on - 11th January 2021

Adding a rug to a room can easily alter its overall look, so if you’re looking to add a pop of something fresh to one of your rooms a rug is a great option.

When choosing your new rug though, it’s important to consider the size and style you want, as the correct size rug can perfectly balance and complete a room.

However, beware of a rug that’s too small or too big; a rug that’s too small can make the room look unbalanced, while a rug that’s too big can swamp a room, making it look smaller than it actually is.

So how do you go about choosing the perfect sized rug?

Don’t focus on the size of your room

It’s easy to simply pick a rug out based on the size of your room, and how much of the floor you want to ‘cover up’. After all, if you’ve just invested in beautiful new flooring why would you want to cover it up with a huge rug?

This is a common trap to fall into, when actually, the correct way to pick a rug is to consider the layout of the furniture in the room, rather than the entire room itself.

Consider the old fashioned rules

There are some traditional rules of thumb that could help when it comes to choosing a rug. Firstly, if you want your furniture to sit on top of your rug, say in your living room, or under your dining table, then a simple rule to consider is that your rug should extend at least 6 inches beyond the edges of your furniture.

So, if you want your rug to sit under your sofa and coffee table for example, ensure there is at least 6 inches of rug outside of any pieces of furniture placed on top of it.

You should also consider giving yourself at least 10 inches of space between the edges of your rug and the wall. If the rug sits any closer to the wall you risk overwhelming the room, and making the rug look like it lies from wall to wall.

Try the masking tape trick

Of course, there are no gospel rules when it comes to choosing a rug, if you have a seemingly unconventional idea for where you would like your rug to be placed, why not try it out anyway!

A great way to try out a few different positions for your rug is with masking tape, simply create an outline on the floor of where you’d like the edges of your rug to sit with tape. Being able to see an outline of where the rug would end could help you to visualise how a rug that size would fit in your space, and work with your furniture.

Now that you’re all ready to start rug shopping, why not explore our collection online, and feel free to contact us to get help and advice from our fantastic team!