At DecoRug there are so many incredible choices when it comes to rugs. As specialists in the field, they have the right style for you, and the right size! With so many styles of rugs on offer, the idea of choosing ‘the one’ can be overwhelming to say the least. That’s where the Deco Consultants come in handy because they can help you understand what size rug will work for your space
From our perspective, getting the size right for the space is so important and something that people often get wrong. When it comes to choosing the right rug we have a few tips.
Style, fabric, and design are the fun bit and can change a look, add warmth to a space, or even define your room. BUT, when it comes to rugs, size does really matter, so let’s kick off by going through how to choose the right sized rug for the room!
Let’s chunk it down and start with thinking about the purpose for the rug your selecting. What’s the room used for, what is the purpose for the rug, what is the rug there to do in your room?
In a living room a rug will help you define the living or sitting space and provide an anchor for your living room furniture. This is especially important if you have, or are planning to have, open space living where you can move freely between the living, dining, and kitchen areas.
The rug you choose really needs to run the length of your sofa, extending under and to either side of it. Ideally it should be around a 1/3 of the way under the sofa and be around 15cm wider than the sofa.
However, if you have coffee tables on each side of your sofa, you will need to ensure they are the right proportion for the space (see our tips on scale in your interior), and allow the rug to reach beyond them.
Any armchairs you have in the setting will also need to fit onto the rug comfortably, and in equal proportion to the sofa. So, if the two front legs of the sofa sit on the rug, make sure the two front legs of armchairs also sit comfortable on the rug. Or, if you have the space to really go big and your entire sofa sits on the rug, then have any armchairs do the same. We realise this is ideal, and sometimes room proportions don’t allow it, however there some principles to consider when planning out your room and your rug selection.
We frequently talk about proportion and scale, and it’s something so important to think about when you’re styling your room. When it comes to selecting your rug, it needs to feel in proportion for the scale of the room or space.
If you can, plan to leave around 30cm gap between the edge of the rug and the wall. Leaving any less space means the rug will feel as if it’s taking over the room. You don’t want this feeling, because your rug is there to anchor and define a room, not to overwhelm it.
We see so many rooms with a rug sitting under the coffee table, but not reaching far enough to go under the sofa or armchairs. We always look at this and think…’just go up a size! It will make a huge difference!”
Choosing the right proportions ensures you join your room together, provides comfort under foot and really creates luxury.
Before you go shopping for your next rug, work out the size of the rug in your space by using painters’ tape, and tape it out on the floor of the room. You’ll easily see if the proportion of the rug will work and how, or where, furniture can be situated.
Some of us have a rug we fall in love with, and we must keep it. It’s a family favourite, or you bought it on your overseas trip (don’t we all remember those!), but it’s now too small for your space. One way to keep it, and keep the proportion of your space, is to layer the rug. Depending upon the colour of your base floor, look for something neutral, perhaps a jute rug, that is more in proportion with your space, and you can then lay your family heirloom on top. Of course, you need to be careful with the texture and pile of the base rug, but layering is fun and it’s an easy solution.
When you’re shopping for rugs, here are a couple of easy tips.
- Measure up the room or space and aim to have around 30cm between the edge of the rug and the walls.
- Plan for the rug to go along the length of your sofa, or the longest sofa in the room.
- Ensure the rug is large enough to go under your sofa by around 1/3 of the depth of the sofa.
- Anchor your rug and furniture in the space by ensuring at least the front legs of your sofa and/or armchairs sit comfortably on the rug.
- And before you go shopping, try that little trick with painter’s tape! Tape it up on the floor to see what the size looks like in the room.
Rugs are also great additions to dining rooms and bedrooms, so we’ll look at those spaces next week and give you some tips for success!
