According to many interior designers, one of the easiest mistakes to make is choosing the wrong size rug for your living room. These days, wall to wall carpet isn’t nearly as popular as it used to be and many homeowners now opt for more modern wooden flooring. However, wooden flooring can be less cosy underfoot, so area rugs tend to be used to add warmth and comfort as well as protecting the floor.

However, area rugs can make quite a statement and tend to be a big investment. So, it’s important to make sure you choose the right size rug for the room that it is in. Area rugs are a unifying element that help to bring a room together. They help to anchor your furniture in the room and add balance, but only if you choose the correct size.

So, let’s take a look at how you choose the right size rug for your living room.

How big should the rug be?

One of the biggest mistakes in home decorating is area rugs that are too small for the space that they are in. So, it’s worth spending that little bit more because the motto ‘The bigger the better’ holds true here. Luckily there are some rules of thumb that we can use to discern just how big the rug should be.

The rug should be at least 15-20cms wider than your sofa on both sides and should typically run the length of the sofa. It’s important to get the orientation right and this will be dictated by the shape of the room and the position of the seating and other furniture in it.

Ideally, if the room allows, leave yourself 75-100cms between the edge of the rug and any other large furniture pieces in the room. If the room is on the smaller size this can be reduced to 50-60cms. We also suggest leaving 20-40cms from the edge of the rug to the wall. Otherwise, your statement area rug risks looking like a poorly fitted carpet.

A top tip that we’d like to share that may help you to choose the right size rug for your living room is to measure the room and the furniture first to get a rough idea of the size. Then, when you think you know what the best option would be, mark it out on the floor with decorator’s tape. This will allow you to visualize the area that the rug would cover much more clearly and will give you a sense of how the room will feel.

How to position a rug in the living room

There are a number of options that you can explore when it comes to positioning the area rug in your living room. These options will impact the size of the rug that you decide on. Don’t be afraid to mark out all of these options with tape while you are making the choice. It will help you decide on the right option for your room.

Everything on the rug

If you have a room that is on the larger size, you can choose a rug that is large enough to accommodate all your seating area furniture. Make sure that all the legs of the individual pieces are on the rug. This will create a clearly defined seating area. If your living room is part of an open plan space, the configuration will provide an anchor to group any floating furniture and make the open space feel more zoned.

Front legs only on the rug

This option is ideal if you have a slightly smaller space and can help to make the room feel more spacious. It works especially well if one edge of your furniture grouping is against a wall. In this configuration, you should ensure that the front legs of all the furniture are positioned on the area rug and the back legs are left off.

The Float

This configuration is where none of the furniture other than the coffee table is positioned on the area rug. This is the perfect option for small or particularly narrow spaces as it can help to make the room feel larger. However, it is also the easiest to get wrong if you choose a rug based on the size of the coffee table rather than the interior dimensions of the seating area. As a rule, the gap between the sofa and the edge of the rug should be no more than 15cms. Ignore this rule and you risk making the room look even smaller.

Sculptural Rugs

Unusually shaped rugs have seen a rise in popularity over the past few years. These can make a real statement when used correctly. When choosing a sculptural rug or one that is oddly shaped, let the shape of the room dictate the size and orientation of the rug. You want one that makes the space feel connected.

Layering Rugs

It may be that you already have a rug that you love and is perfect in every way, but it is too small for the space that it needs to go in. Fear not! You can layer smaller rugs on top of another larger rug that does fit the space. Just make sure that the base layer is neutral, plain, and not too highly textured. You want the smaller rug to be the star in this scenario.

These tips that we have supplied today for choosing the right rug size for your living room are only guidelines designed to help you make an informed decision. But obviously it is your home, and you must live there so the most important thing is that your space works for you and your family, and you feel good in it.

We’d love to see how you have used your Honeypot rug in your living room. Please share on Instagram and tag us with @honeypotfurniture and use our hashtag #JoinTheHive so we can see.