Finding the Right Rug Size

Room layouts and tips for finding the right rug for the room.

So you've landed on the Lilla Rugs site, or another, ready to buy the perfect Persian rug for the space that needs it. But you've found yourself at a hurdle rather quickly: what is the best size for the space?!

Hopefully this blog post will give you a starter guide, with room layouts and tips to get you started on your journey.

First of all, here are THREE key steps that apply to any room:

1) Find the purpose of the rug first. This will guide you to taking the right measurements. Don't worry, purposes are explained below. An example would be: you would like a rug to define the dining area in open plan living, therefore you'd like the rug to frame the dining table and chairs. 

2) Measure a MAXIMUM and MINIMUM size for the space. This will give you a little more flexibility and be especially 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 floor boards! Why cover them up completely.

3) Visualise! A great way to help you work out the right size for the space is to grab some masking tape and create the border of the rug on the floor. You'll be able to get a feel for how it will work.

Room by room:

The Living Room

There are three key layouts to pick from in the living room. You simply need to pick which looks like it will fit your living room best - this could be down to personal taste or the furniture you have in the room. 

Layout 1: Coffee table on top of the rug (this is the most common approach)

This is the most popular use of a rug in a living room, and works perfectly, especially in slightly smaller spaces (it'll make the space feel larger). Put all the furniture in place, with the coffee table where you'd like it to sit, and create a masking tape border around it. Usually leave 40-60cm between the sofa and the rug. Don't take the width much beyond the width of the master sofa, as per image below. 

Layout 2: Front legs on top of the rug

This is the best option if you have one main/hero sofa, with or without an armchair. To get the size right for this, measure from the halfway point of the sofa depth and bring out the length to the point at which you feel is best for the space. If you have a coffee table, it would be with the coffee table in the middle. For the width, you'll need roughly 50cm - 70cm spill over from the sofa ends. 

Layout 3: All legs on top of the rug

This layout calls for a larger sized rug. If none of your furniture is up against a wall (floating) and you have a large & breezy space, this is the one to go for. It is also great for large open plan living spaces. By placing all the living room furniture on top of the rug, it defines the space as a functional zone. If this is the one you're opting for, arrange all the furniture in place and map out a border with masking tape. Measure the length and width of the masking tape area, and then work out how much smaller/ bigger you'd be willing to go to give your maximum and minimum (usually flex of 5-10cm in both width and length). If you're near a wall, we recommend at least 50cm gap between rug & wall. 

The Dining Room

There are two ways to use a rug in the dining room, dependent on the shape of the space and the dining table. Tip: ensure you have at least 50cm between the rug and the walls (if it's close to walls).

Layout 1: Rectangular Rug

All legs on top - that's chairs and dining table. For the best size - place your dining table and chairs in the desired space. Pull the chairs out as you would when you're about to take a seat, then stick down a masking tape border another 50cm from the back chair legs. You should achieve roughly a 90cm border beyond all sides of the table. This will ensure that the chairs don't snag on the rug edges when moving in and out. Tip: If your table is extendable, make sure you take this into consideration.
 

Layout 2: Circular Rug

Again, all legs on top here. If you have a circular table, or an unusual shaped room, a circle rug is a great way to go. Follow all the same rules as with the rectangular rug in layout 1 - keeping a healthy amount of space to move the chairs in and out without snagging. 

The Bedroom 

Two key layouts here: one that heros one rug, and one that heros the bed. 

Layout 1: Front legs on top of the rug - the rug is the centrepiece 

The size of the rug for this layout is quite dependent on how big the bedroom is. As a starting point: the middle of the rug will be where the front legs sit. So, measure from the legs, halfway into the bed & then half out of the bed - this will give you your width. For the length: as a ballpark we recommend a spill over of 70cm - 1m on either side of the bed ends. This is dependent on how much space you have around the bed & should be increased or decreased accordingly. Remember, if you are going near a wall, leave at least 50cm from wall to rug.

Layout 2: Frame the bed - the bed is the centrepiece 

The second option is to frame the bed with rugs. Start with two long and narrow rugs on either side of the bed, then if it feels right, add one in front of the bed too. For the two rugs on either side: if you have nightstands, start measuring from approx 30cm out from the nightstand, up to approx 30cm before the end of the bed. You don't want the rugs to extend beyond the bed length. 

For the rug in front of the bed, leave around 20-30cm from the front legs and take the length out to meet the middle of each runner on either side of the bed (as in the image below). As for the width, this is simply down to the space you have available in front of the bed - but best not to extend beyond double the width of the runners, as the proportions will no longer look right.

Bonus Layout - for any room: LAYERING

Layering can be used in ANY room. If you're a rug addict, like we are at Lilla Rugs, you might want to have more than one rug in the space. Instead of having them side-by-side, create layers by placing one, or even two, slightly on top of each other. 

The other benefit of layering: if you LOVE a handmade rug but it's a little too small OR you don't have the budget for a large enough one, you can place a rattan rug or plain rug at the bottom to fill the necessary space, and then layer the more exciting rug on top. 

Of course, there are MANY more room types and layouts, but this is a great starting point for the most popular rooms and layouts. If you need advice for a different space, just send over an email to info@lillarugs.com and attach a photo for FREE bespoke advice. Our rugs are such a work of art, that you can even hang them on a wall, as you would with a painting. If you have any further questions, check out our FAQ Section. Brose our collection of Persian Rugs, our speciality, or even better, visit our lovely showroom in London to see and feel all the rugs yourself! Remember that we also have “Try Before You Buy” service available in London and surrounding area if you wish to see the rug in your own home before buying.