Area rugs are a great way to complete the design of a room. When choosing an area rug and determining placement in the room, it is best to start with considering the current elements of the room.

Area rugs can blend with the current flooring. Or, to add some flair, the rug could be a different pattern or color family.

Placing Area Rugs

The type of room influences the placement of a rug. Many interior designers start with common design placement standards when looking at fitting a rug to a room. InsideOut offers some great tips from an interior stylist on rug positioning.

Dining Room

In a dining room, the area rug should be centered around the table and should be large enough to extend 24 inches from the table. This makes pulling out chairs comfortable.

Living Room

For the living room, if your furniture is set up against the walls standard design rules will have your rug sitting under the front legs of the furniture. In a floating living room layout where the furniture is set in the middle of the room, the area rug should fit under the entire piece of furniture – all four legs. These design rules are in place to ensure that the room looks unified. In practice you may wish to play around with these standards. Leaving bare floor in various places in the living room could provide some artistic value or highlight contrast between the rug and the floor.

Bedroom

Bedroom rug placement can be a little tricky depending upon what type of rug you want in the space. If you are looking to place a large area rug, preferably it should be placed under the bed and extend out several inches. Runner rugs can also be used to add style to a bedroom by gracing the sides of the bed or the foot of the bed.

Beyond The “Rules”

For other rooms in the home, the placement of the furniture or the size of the room may dictate the type of placement. A large bathroom is a great place to try a circular rug. A child’s bedroom may need a large “free area” of rug showing for play – this is also a great way to protect the floor underneath!

The placement of area rugs should be a consideration of the type and function of the room.