Everyday Design Dilemma ~ What size rug do I need?
My sister called me up the other day and asked my opinion on a rug she was considering buying from Rugs USA. They were having an amazing sale (65% off!!) and has been wanting to add some warmth and texture to her bedroom for awhile now, and naturally rugs are a great way to achieve that.
She was looking at getting too small area rugs for either side of her bed and wanted my opinion on the Moroccan Trellis pattern she had chosen. I took a look at it online and said, “Pattern, great! Size…wrong!” I knew the look she was going for and really like the idea myself, but the sizes of this rug that were available just didn’t fit the bill.
So that led us into our next conversation…..well,
This is a problem that I see happen way too often. People end up with rugs that are too small or too big for the space they are creating. And since most of us don't have the luxury to order expensive custom made rugs at any size, we often buy them pre-made, which also means that you are restricted to the sizes that particular company offers. Which is by no means a bad thing, it just means you must carefully consider which size would be right for you.
So, how do you go about trying to figure out what size rug to buy?
1. Grab a paper pad and a pencil. Do yourself a favor and buy a pad of 1/4” scale graph paper and sketch out your space. It’s easy. Start with our room. Measure it then plot it on your paper. One square = 3” or a quarter of a foot. Then measure all your furniture and draw it into your room. Finally, start sketching in the rug with the different sizes you are considering so you can get a visual of how that particular size rug will relate to the space. Here I made a sketch of the 2 3’6” x 5’-6” rugs my sister was initially considering buying.
As you can see, this option leaves a good amount of exposed rug to either side of the bed, but the scale is all off. Which brings me to my first tip:
2. It’s all about scale & balance. You must consider the scale of your existing furnishings and how they relate to your rug choice. Her bed is a standard double with no headboard or footboard, and the two side tables are on the smaller size as well measuring 18” x 24”. The 2 rugs were just a little too big and the placement feels a little awkward. Now if the bed were, say, a king size or a 4 poster bed or something on a much bigger scale, or if the rugs were smaller, then this option might work better.
Now lets look at a different option using a single rug. The two sizes to consider in this particular setting are a 5’x8’ rug or a 6’x9’ rug.
The 5’ x 8’ rug is looking a bit better than the 2 3’-6” x 5’6” rugs, but just isn’t quite right for this space.
3. Consider traffic flow and function. My sister lives in Canada, where it can get down right cold, and to prevent warm feet hitting the cold hardwood floor in the morning, they wanted to be able to step on the carpet when getting out of bed. The function of the rug is to provide warmth, so that is something to consider when thinking about placement of the rug. Here. when the 5’x8’ rug is placed so it will warm their tootsies getting out of bed, it only leaves an 18” strip of carpet to either side of the bed, and only a 6” strip of carpet at the bottom. Not enough room for us girls in the family who have been blessed with big feet:) You also want to think of how the traffic flows around the bed here. Do you want to be walking on the carpet, or on the hardwood?
The last option here, the 6’ x 9’ rug fits the bill perfectly. The scale of the rug correlates well with the scale of the furniture much better than the first 2 options, and the function of the rug is meeting her needs by offering enough room around the bed to keep those big cold feet warm:)
The last option here, the 6’ x 9’ rug fits the bill perfectly. The scale of the rug correlates well with the scale of the furniture much better than the first 2 options, and the function of the rug is meeting her needs by offering enough room around the bed to keep those big cold feet warm:)
So remember, before hitting that buy now button online, make sure you have measured your space and planned it on paper, took into consideration the scale & function of the rug as well as the traffic flow around the space, and you will be well prepared to make the best decision for your room! 
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to check out others in this series:
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