Finding the Right Rug Size
Looking for tips on rug sizes and room layouts? You've landed on the Lilla Rugs website ready to buy the perfect Persian or oriental rug for your space. But found yourself at a hurdle rather quickly - what is the best size for the area?
Here are THREE key steps that apply to any room:
1) Find the purpose of the rug first. This will give you an initial guide on which areas you would like a rug in your home. For example, do you have open plan living and would like to define the dining space by frame it with a rug? Or would you prefer your dining space is part of the kitchen and so just focus on a runner for the kitchen area.
2) Measure a maximum and minimum size for the space. This will give you a little more flexibility, and it’s particularly helpful with traditional handmade rugs, as they don't come in strictly uniform sizes.
Tip: Don't measure the entire room. You don't want a rug that covers the entire floor, especially if you have lovely floorboards! In general, the rule of thumb is: Make sure to leave at least 20-30cm between the rug and the walls to show off your floors.
3) Visualise! A great way to help you work out the right size for the space is to grab some masking tape and create a border for the rug on the floor. You'll be able to get a feel for how it will work.
Hopefully, this blog post will give you the knowledge you need to find the right layout and size to get you started on your journey. Start discovering the different rug placements for each room in your home today.
THE LIVING ROOM
- Front legs of furniture on top of the rug
- Spill over either side of the primary sofa (min 20cm/7 inches)
- Minimum 20cm/7 inches space around the rug
- Most common sizes: 300x200cm/ 6x9ft, 300x250cm/ 8x10ft, 350x250cm/ 8x11ft, 365x275cm/ 9x12ft, 400x300cm/ 10x13ft
Styling tip: if you have a large coffee table in the centre, go for an all-over design to avoid covering the entire medallion. If you have side tables, no table, or a small coffee table, a medallion works nicely.
Layering
Sometimes you fall in love with the colour, style and pattern of a handmade rug that just isn't quite a big enough size for your space. You can purchase a jute rug as an add on (coming soon, get in touch to pre-order) that you can layer underneath your handmade rug, framing the desired area.
Other times you want to keep your spending down and so going for a smaller handmade rug, in which case you can do the same thing and layer it with a jute to fill the desired space.
- Top rug 50-80% smaller than bottom rug
- Jute rug recommended as bottom layer
Styling tip: if the base colour of the top rug is dark, opt for the natural colour jute for the bottom rug. If the base colour of the bottom rug is light, opt for the white colour jute for the bottom rug.
THE DINING ROOM
- Keep the chairs on top of the rug
- Allow space to pull the chairs out and stay on the rug (end 2 chairs can come slightly off if necessary)
- At least 30cm/ 1ft around the rug
- Most common sizes: 300x200cm/ 6x9ft, 300x250cm/ 8x10ft, 350x250cm/ 8x11ft, 365x275cm/ 9x12ft, 400x300cm/ 10x13ft
Styling tip: A rug is a perfect way to anchor your dining room setting - your choice must fit instinctively with the other pieces. What colour are your dining table and chairs, flooring, light fixtures, and wall colour?
THE BEDROOM
Queen Bed
- Base legs under the rug
- The rug can be anywhere between 20-80% under the bed
- The rug should not be under the bedside tables
- The rug should not extend the width of the bedside tables
- Most common sizes: 250x150cm/ 5x8ft, 250x200cm/ 6x8ft, 300x200cm/ 6x9ft, 300x250cm/ 8x10ft
Styling tip: opt for a rug with a pile over a flatweave kilim, so that you have something cosy to walk on in your bedroom
King Bed
- Base legs under the rug
- The rug can be anywhere between 20-80% under the bed
- The rug should not be under the bedside tables
- The rug can slightly extend the bedside table if the room is large
- Most common sizes: 350x250cm/ 8x11ft, 365x275cm/ 9x12ft, 400x300cm/ 10x13ft
Styling tip: if you have a very large bedroom, don't be afraid to go very large with the rug. It will warm up the space and highlight its size.
Of course, there are MANY more room types and layouts, but this is a great starting point. Feel free to get in touch if you have a tricky shaped room or space you would like to find a rug for.
