Tips for Choosing the Perfect Area Rug for Your Home

A carefully chosen rug will bring your room together, serve as a central focal point, and highlight the overall design of your space. Plus, it’s a great way to inspire a cozy, hygge feeling.

The area rug play such a critical role that selecting one can be tricky — there are just so many options and considerations! I created this guide to help make sense of it all. Read through the tips below and you’ll find it much easier to choose an area rug that sparks joy and works perfectly in your space.

Rug size and placement considerations

Just like buying a new dress or suit, an area rug will only look polished if it fits right. A rug that’s too small will feel like an awkward afterthought while one that’s too big will look clumsy and out of place.

To give yourself a visual, use painter's tape to mark the corners of where you think the rug should be placed. When you have the general size outlined, measure the area. If your space is measuring a little off from standard rug sizes, it’s typically better to size up than down.

Deciding exactly how much of the room a rug should occupy is where most people have the hardest time — how do you know what size will work best in your space? Here are some rules of thumb (and examples!).

Living areas

A common misconception is that all furniture legs need to be on the rug. Actually, at least the front legs should be on the rug so it anchors the room. There are also times when you can let the rug “free float” without any furniture touching it.

Keep in mind that how your rug is placed will really depend on the size and shape of your room and how much furniture you have.

For example, having all your furniture sitting all the way on a rug might make a small space feel smaller than it actually is. But in a large room, if your rug doesn’t touch any furniture legs and is too far inside the perimeter of your space, it will look more like a mat than a rug.

As a general rule, aim to have at just the front legs of all seating (couches/chairs) on the rug — along the border is best.

Too small. Here’s a great example of a living room with a rug that’s too small. Furniture legs aren’t touching the rug and all the unused blank floor space actually makes the area look smaller than it is.

Just right! Like the photo above, this rug isn’t under the legs of the couch. However, because of the size and shape of the room, a smaller rug that allows some of the wood floor to peek through actually helps make the space feel larger.

One more variation. This space uses the “front legs only” method and helps to perfectly bring the area together in a natural way.

Dining room

If you put a rug under your dining room table, the size should be large enough to encompass a seated dinner party. You want to be able to scoot your chair away from the table without catching on the edge of the rug.

Too small. This rug is a tad too small to be effective. Even just a little larger would help give the illusion of having more space.

Just right! This rug gives diners plenty of padding under their feet and space to push back away from the table without getting their chair legs caught on the edge of the rug.

Bedrooms

You can place your rug a few different ways in the bedroom. One is to make sure your feet have a soft landing on the rug no matter which side of the bed you jump out of. Other people place their rug only the bottom two feet of the bed are on the rug.

How you choose to situate your bedroom rug will come down to a personal preference and should also be made based on the size and shape of your room.

This works. This homeowner decided to place their rug toward the end of the bed, giving their space a modern yet cozy feel.

This does too! This rug surrounds the bed and really ties the whole space together.

Choosing the right rug material

You have many types of rug materials to choose from. The most common are...

• Wool
• Silk
• Cotton
• Animal skins
• Synthetic

Your top priority when selecting a rug material is to pick something that can withstand the wear and tear of everyday life. A good thing to remember is the longer the fibers, the softer and more slouchy your rug will feel — perfect for sprawling out to read a book or watch a movie!

However, longer fibers are also more difficult to clean and may cause tripping or snagging (especially for older family members).

For families with kids or pets, I typically recommend wool or synthetic rugs, since they’re highly durable and easy to clean.

Making sense of rug colors, designs, and patterns

A rug with a unique print or color combo is the quickest way to make your room shine...or make it look cheap and unpolished.

There are literally hundreds of different colors and patterns to choose from, so homeowners often find this part of choosing a rug very overwhelming. Here are some things to consider and help you narrow down your options.

• If you have neutral walls… try a rug with a bold or bright color or ornamental pattern
• If you have bright or colorful walls and furniture… choose rugs with subtle or classic patterns like stripes
• If you have a color scheme you want to bring out… match your rug to existing accent colors
• If the rug will be in a high-traffic area or used by kids and pets… go for a darker hue or pattern

In general, remember that a darker rug will make a room feel smaller, while light-colored rugs will help open up your space. And though your rug should work with the textures and tones of existing furnishings, don’t feel like it needs to match everything in your room.

Lastly, think about what kind of effect you want your rug to create can help to. For instance..

• Do you want the rug to stand out and be a strong focal point? (Bright colors, bold patterns are great for this)
• Do you want your rug to blend seamlessly with the rest of your space? (Neutral tones and subtle patterns are best)

An area rug is a powerful design tool that can completely transform the look and style of your home. They’re also a big investment, depending on the size and material you choose. A second opinion and some professional guidance from an experienced interior designer will go a long way in ensuring you make the right decision.

Erin Davis is lead designer for Mosaik Design & Remodeling in Portland Oregon.