Size Considerations When Using Rugs For Decorating Your Room

Rugs are not simply floor covers; they can be versatile decorating items to brighten up a room or hall, whether in horizontal or vertical position. It can replace, for example, a framed painting or large picture in the wall or accentuate a piece of furniture or appliance, or even the whole room. While decorating with rugs can be a ‘just-do-it’ endeavor; there are a few tips that can help you enhance the potential of every area rug you own. Following are some of them.

One very important factor in decorating with rugs is the correlation between room and rug sizes and another is to what purpose the rug is used. Common rug sizes are 2 feet by 3 feet, 3 feet by 5 feet, and 4 feet by 6 feet. Small rugs of these sizes are used as accents for some item in the room like a piano, sofa, or bed, by placing the item on top of the rug, either at the center or at a side. These rugs can also be effective decorative pieces in a hallway, bathroom, den or entryway.

Larger common rug sizes range from 6 feet by 9 feet to 12′ x 15′, or sometimes as large as 15′ x 18′. These are used in dining areas, living rooms or large bedrooms —just about where they fit. However, the bigger the rug size, the less they become available because of the price and production considerations. Keep that in mind when thinking about buying rugs for your needs, especially if your space is odd-shaped.

Consider door-to-floor clearance when measuring rugs for your room: some doors cannot swing into thick rugs. Also there may be floor electric outlets that should not be covered by a rug, usually found in large rooms. Protrusions into the room of fireplaces or closets and similar dimension-dividing construction designs can make a regular sized rug seem oddly placed. Measure and simulate the rug and its placement before buying it to avoid ‘surprises’.





Allow at least eight (8) inches of exposed floor space from the wall to the rug edge when buying or placing a rug in a hardwood-floor room. Center the rug within the room dimensions as much as possible, covering up bare floor space with movable items like cabinets and shelves where needed. An equal space from rug edge to wall all around is the general guide when using rugs of room size.

Also do not place an edge or corner of a rug along a high-traffic pathway or in the middle of an opening (like a door) to another area. It can be a trip or slip hazard. Human traffic should pass through the wider or middle part of the rug and not the edges or corners.

Whatever is the size of rug you think you need or room you have, be sure the rug fits the room. Think symmetry, balance, color and motif when selecting rugs, with the objective of making the space more attractive or pleasant. Such is the goal of decorating, and a rug is another item to use when you want to achieve it.

Interior Design experts all agree that it is essential to use rugs. One of the most popular is the Dynamic Rugs Mystique Mandarin 2086-7022.

Size Considerations When Using Rugs For Decorating Your Room
By Sarah Crosset