Many homeowners add a beautiful area rug to the living room design. It is a great living room decorating idea. However, they do not pay attention to the size as much as the design. Although the design is important, your living room interiors will appear awkward if you choose an area rug that is too large or too small for your room. A very small rug will make the room design incomplete, while a very large carpet will stay folded on the sides if it is too large for the space. Since quality area rugs are a big investment, you should avoid making this mistake. Otherwise, you might end up making unnecessary expenses.
Understanding the right area rug size for the living room decorating idea can be a little confusing for some people. Moreover, the shape is something you have to take into consideration as well. The first thing you have to do to make the right choice is to measure the dimensions of your living room design. Once you are aware of the size of the living room, here are a few tips you must keep in mind while purchasing your area rug:
- When your sofa is placed away from the wall, and the edge of the rug stays visible, you should ensure a 10 to 18 inches gap is maintained from the wall. Otherwise, it might appear like wall-to-wall carpeting. However, if your sofa is placed against a wall, you can consider placing the rug closer to the wall, as the edge will not stay visible.
- You can choose a small rug for your living room design. However, you must ensure that it is not too small. A general rule followed by experts while choosing a rug is that the rug should be six to eight inches wider than the sofa on either side.
- Since the longer side of your area rug will be placed towards the sofa, you will have to ensure that your living room is wide enough to accommodate it before buying.
- Before buying the area rug, you must decide on the placement of your living room furniture Experts believe that leaving at least 30 to 36 inches of space between your larger pieces of furniture is essential to reduce the chances of stumbling. However, if your living room is small, you can leave a gap of 18 to 24 inches between your furniture pieces.
- It may be difficult to visualise the final living room setup beforehand. This is why experts suggest using painter’s tape for determining the placement of your living room furniture pieces and rug. It is a budget-friendly solution that will allow you to visualise the place properly without damaging your flooring or carpeting.
Layer rugs
Living room area rugs can be found in many different materials, sizes, designs, and shapes. Depending on your choice, it may turn out to be a big investment. However, you can come up with interesting ideas to make it more affordable. For instance, you can buy during sales. However, the best way to make an impact without investing in expensive rugs is by layering rugs. You can choose a stylish small rug and place it on top of your large affordable rug. Layering them together will invoke more visual interest in the space. For instance, you can choose a good quality five by seven feet Persian rug and place it on top of your nine by 12 feet jute or sisal rug. The combination will add more warmth to the space and make it appear visually appealing. Also, you do not have to worry about spending on a large expensive rug. Similar to the Persian and jute rug combination, you can combine other rugs together as well like a cowhide or sheepskin rug with a jute or sisal rug. Just ensure that the colours and patterns on both rugs complement each other, whether you choose matching rugs or contrasting rugs. Also, the small rug size should not be similar to the large rug size. If the edges appear too close to each other when you place the small rug at the centre of the large rug, they might appear awkward together.
How to place your furniture?
The position of your furniture is important as well if you want to add an area rug to your living room design. If you are not sure about your furniture placement, here are a few arrangements you can consider for your living room:
All legs on the rug
In a large living room where you can accommodate a large area rug, you can place all primary furniture pieces on the rug. Just try to make sure that the edge of the rug is at least eight inches from the edge of your furniture pieces.
Front legs on the rug
If you want a spacious seating arrangement and want to place your furniture piece a little far from each other, consider placing only the front legs of the furniture pieces on the rug. You can make your living room appear larger as well with this technique.
Float your furniture
Although it is generally not followed in maximum home designs, you can always tweak the rules slightly. You can place only your coffee table on the rug if it is too small. Just make sure that the edge of the rug is not more than 5 inches away from the sofa.