How to Place an Area Rug

Area rugs add interest to your home. Choose and place them for maximum impact using these tips.

Things You'll Need

• Rug pad

Instructions

1. Select the right size rug for your space and use. To cover a hardwood floor, leave at least 8 inches of wood around the entire rug. For a sitting area, use 4-by-6-foot or 5-by-8-foot rugs and place the furniture around the rug. Dining room rugs should be at least 4 feet larger than your table on all sides to allow space for the chairs to be moved. Choose smaller accent rugs for kitchens, bathrooms, foyers and hallways.

2. Buy a rug pad slightly smaller than the rug. Rug pads keep the rugs in place on the floor. Not only do they keep the rugs from slipping to avoid falls and injuries, but they also extend the life of your rug because rugs wear out from the bottom, not the top.

3. Make your room seem larger by choosing a lighter rug color or pattern. Increase the room's intimacy and warmth with darker colors and patterns. Select darker tones for high-traffic areas to minimize visible wear marks.

4. Decorate your flooring first when starting from scratch and build the room's design around the rugs or carpets for maximum effect. Blend your rugs with existing rooms by complementing colors and designs. Contrast existing geometric designs with florals. Complicated room designs work well with simple rug patterns or solid colors. If you have small patterns in your room, choose the opposite in your rug.

5. Select the must functional rug you can find for your room. Bathroom, kitchen and foyer rugs require frequent cleaning. Washable rugs are often the best solution. Sitting-area and dining-area rugs can more easily be professionally cleaned.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit furniture stores for full-size area rug decorating examples. Review home decor magazines to see featured rooms with area rugs.

References

• Decorate With Area Rugs
• Types of Area Rugs and Construction
• Transform a Room With Area Rugs