What Size Area Rug is Best for Your Needs?

Purchasing an area rug can be tricky. After all, an area rug can really tie a room together with its color and style. Plus, rugs are not always as inexpensive as we’d like them to be. You need to be conscious of the best size area rug for your room, too. This means that it’s important to purchase the right rug the first time. One of the first questions you need to answer when it comes to purchasing a rug is: what size area rug is appropriate for my room?

What is the Best Size Area Rug for your Room?

In general, a rug is expected to take up a significant portion of your room – think 60% or more. For instance, if your room is 4’ x 6’, you’d expect to buy a 3’ x 5’ area rug. This may seem rather large but purchasing a rug that’s too small for your room can actually work against you.

Area rugs provide warmth and make a space more inviting. They can help to create an atmosphere for a space – define its purpose and mood. An area rug that is too small for the room it’s in fails to achieve any of these goals. If you’re not sure what size area rug to buy, it’s better to err on the side of caution and purchase the bigger rug.

Does Area Rug Use Matter?

That’s not to say that there aren’t reasons to purchase smaller area rugs. If you’ve got a huge room or an open floor layout that you’re looking to divide into defined living spaces, that’s a great reason to buy multiple smaller rugs. At entry ways or under desks, smaller area rugs also work well.

That said, there are some things to consider. Typically, when arranging furniture, you should expect to have the furniture on the area rug, not positioned around the area rug. This helps to define the space and make things seem more inclusive. Having a small rug that all of the furniture is positioned around can make things seem smaller and less warm. So, even when you’re using smaller rugs, make sure that at least the front legs of your furniture are placed on the rug.

At the end of the day, choosing the right size rug for your purpose depends on the size of the space you’re trying to fill. Plan for your rug to take up at least 60% of the space you’re trying to fill (even if that space is a section of a larger open floor plan). Also be sure that the rug is large enough for the front legs of your furniture to sit on the rug. From there, you can pick your rugs based on your preferences and make the style really yours.