How to Choose the Correct Size Area Rug

Area rugs can provide a focal point in a room.

Area rugs are important accessories to many decorating schemes. They help to integrate the different elements of one room or between rooms. Area rugs also add color, texture and warmth. There are no rules about which size to use in a particular room. The size of the rug depends mostly on your taste and style.

Things You'll Need

• Flat bed sheets
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Measure the dining room table, both length and width, if that is the room in which you will be laying the area rug. The dining room is the only room for which a rule, of sorts, exists for sizing area rugs. The rug should be 2 feet larger than the table on all sides.

2. Lay flat sheets on the floor in the room in which you will be placing the area rug. Add and remove sheets to simulate different rug sizes and placements until you find one that pleases you.

3. Measure the outside edges of the sheet placement to determine the length and width of rug you will need to purchase.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are still confused about rug sizes, interior designer Susan Welch Heeney suggests that you allow 18 inches of bare floor to be exposed along all edges of the rug in large rooms and 8 inches in small rooms.

References

• Decorating Studio LLC: Choosing the Right Size Area Rug For A Room

Resources

• World Floor Covering Association: Why Area Rugs