Living rooms are the highlight of every house. It is where you can flaunt your personal style, your aesthetics, and impress your guests by staying updated on the trending styles. The right rug size for your living room plays an integral part in this.
Many of us do not have the budget flexibility to accommodate an interior designer. So, we struggle with getting the right sizes, the right color combinations, and the right accents for our desired theme. Many also choose to make the interior decoration of their home their own project. In either case, the correct rug size is always a tricky process.
This is why we have put together a guide to help you get just the right rug for your living room. The perfect rug makes your space more welcoming, brings more harmony to your design theme, and highlights your décor.
How to Rug Your Living Room
The general rule is to select a rug that is just about the size of your seating area in the living room. This will ground your conversation space, and the room will look more organized.
The common mistake most people make when choosing a living room rug is choosing a rug shorter than the sofas and then not aligning the furniture correctly. You must primarily look for a rug size for the living room that is one foot wider than your sofa on both sides. This will prevent your room from looking awkward with the rug.
As for the placement, you must not focus on placing the rug in the center of your living room. It is a better idea to consider your seating set up to determine the best placement of your rug.
If you have large-sized furniture in your living room, such as furniture that is not against a wall but is sectional, you must orient your rug with the room's shape. Coordinating the rug with the living room's shape will add more visual flow as well as an illusion of a bigger space in the room.
Let's consider some of the placement options for your living room rugs.
1. All Sofa Legs on
If you envision a more unified look for your living room, this is the best option for you. Opt for a living room rug that is large enough to accommodate all the furniture in the room. There are a few technical factors you will have to follow in this placement.
The first rule is to arrange your seating area of your room-sized rug, by leaving a few inches of space beyond where your chairs and sofas sit. Your room will look more organized with this subtle trick, and the seating area will look more distinguished in the room.
2. Front Legs of Furniture on the Rug
There may not be enough allowance in your budget to afford you a room-sized rug. In such a situation, you don't know to lose heart because you can still achieve a unified look easily. All you have to do is configure your seating area in a way that the front legs of your sofas and chairs tuck the rug underneath them.
You will easily create harmony and neatness, and the rug will still catch attention nonetheless.
3. Rounded Arrangement
If you possess a unique or unconventional personality, then you should perhaps make this your interior style statement as well. The rounded arrangement is quite unconventional and utterly eye-catching. Choose a large round rug for this option.
You must look for a standard-sized rug that is large enough to accommodate all of your furniture while still sparing a few inches. Let the front legs of each furniture piece sit on the round rug with a few inches to spare beyond.
4. All Legs Off
This is the least preferred option but works for those who have to work within a minimal budget. Sometimes a small rug is really all that you can afford for your living room, but you can still add style and comfort with it.
In a smaller living room, you can place a small rug in the center of your sitting arrangement. You will have to exercise precision here, making sure that you accurately place the rug in the center among your furniture.
With accurate and precise placement, your smaller rug will still look stylish and in harmony with the décor.
Rug Choices for the Living Room
When you set out to select a rug for your living room, your choices narrow down to three options:
- 5 x 8
- 8*10
- 9*12
Which size goes best for your room depends on what style you settle.
- If you opt for all the furniture legs on the rug look, you will undoubtedly have to pick the 9 x 12 size. This rug allows all the furniture in your living room to sit upon the rug with a few inches to spare beyond. An interesting fact to note here is that the bigger rugs you choose, the larger your room will appear. However, you need to ensure that you also expose around 18 inches of bare floor around the edges.
- The 8 x 10 rug size allows the front legs of your furniture pieces to sit upon the rug. However, this size allows you more versatility as you can choose how much of your furniture you want to place on the rug, or even leave all of it off it.
- The 5 x 8 is the smallest rug size that will only accommodate your coffee table on it the most. With this rug size, you have to place the rest of your furniture off the rug.
Indoor and Outdoor Rugs
Indoor and outdoor rugs are generally different in terms of fibers, fabrics, and purposes. The latest trends suggest the possibility of fusion. You can consider using an outdoor rug for your living room if you have heavy human traffic.
If your kids have the freedom to run around your living room while pets chase them, this fusion might fit your needs just perfectly. Since your living room rug will be the subject of heavy use, why not incorporate an outdoor one with the theme?
An outdoor rug possesses durable fibers that do not give in to wearing too soon. With all the rough use, your outdoor rug will still manage to retain in its beauty for a long time, sparing you the added burden of buying a new rug now and then.
Final Thoughts
When choosing the right rug size for living room, you must allow the room's shape as well as your furniture to dictate its size and orientation. Rugs serve the purpose of stabling a connection among your design theme as well as making your space appear larger. With the guidelines we have provided you, choosing the right rug size should be a piece of cake in the next shopping spree.
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