Area Rug Size Guide | How to Choose the Perfect Rug Size 

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 Are you looking for the perfect area rug for your living room, but are unsure of what size to get? We created this area rug size guide to help you decide!

So, you have the perfect furniture for your space, but are unsure of how big of a rug to buy and where you should position your furniture in your living room. We understand the struggle. Having moved from apartment to apartment, we have had to adjust our rug size several times.

Buying the prefect rug doesn’t have to be stressful, but it’s important to be strategic in how you place an area rug in your space and how large it should be. 

We’ll be showing you how you should measure for an area rug in your living room, important tips to decide on each rug size, and real-life examples of rug placements that will inspire you.

How to Know What Size Rug Fits Your Living Room

 1.  Arrange Your Furniture to Get a Sense of the Space

This may sound like the “backwards way” of doing things, but we often like the arrange our furniture to how we would want it in the space before we decide on our rug size. Every apartment we’ve moved into, we’ve seen that this is the best way to do it.

You really don’t understand the feel of the space, what furniture will work in the space, and how much space you truly have to work with until you move all your furniture in.

Once the furniture is in its place, is when we suggest to begin measuring.

2.   Measure with 6 Spare Inches in Mind 

When measuring for the best rug size for your living room,  we always measure with 6 spare inches in mind. What we mean by that is, that your rug will want to come out at least 6 inches from the edges of what ever item is centering the room. In this case, it’s most likely your sofa that centers the room.

3. Equal Distance is Key

Symmetry in design is important, especially when you are deciding on the perfect rug size. Another rule of thumb is to center your accent chairs or loveseats along the width of the rug. It’s important to leave an equal distance of rug on either side of these pieces of furniture as well. This will look pleasing to the eye because you’ve created symmetry within the space.

To get a better idea of how to place your furniture depending on the rug size, and discover more about what rug size you may need for your living room, continue reading our area rug size guide!

Area Rug Size Guide

Determining the perfect rug for your living room can be challenging, but hopefully this area rug size guide is a great tool to help you determine the size of rug, placement of furniture and the scale of your items to fit the space. 

We’re going to show you 3 common sizes of rugs that are likely able to fit in any apartment or home. The important thing to remember when choosing a specific size is to check off the most boxes that fit your space. This will better help you determine which size rug you need to look for!

Reasons to Choose a 5 x7 Area Rug

• You have a smaller living space or area for furniture
• You have space for a loveseat and two accent chairs
• This size area rug worked well in our 750 sq ft apartment

An important rule of thumb when arranging furniture around your rug is to place two furniture legs on the rug or placing all the legs on on rug. 

With a 5 x 7 rug, you will want to place two of the sofa and chair’s legs on the rug.

Reasons to Choose a 8 x 10 Area Rug

• You may still have a smaller area of furniture, but you need a rug with a wider length
• You have space for a longer loveseat or sofa and two accent chairs
• This size rug works well in the apartment we live in now is 1153 sq. Ft. So we are able to work with a little more space

We still suggest placing the front two legs of each chair or sofa on the rug. This will seem like your apartment has more space, and even though it is a bit larger rug, trying to cram all your furniture on top of the rug would make for sure make the space feel more claustrophobic.

Reasons to Choose a 9 x 12 Area Rug

• You live in an apartment, condo or home with a larger living space
• You have space for an L shaped sofa or multiple larger pieces of furniture

It’s amazing how a few inches added to the dimensions of a rug can create a rug that has a dramatic surface area. We feel like the jump from an 8 x 10 to a 9 x 12 is sometimes such a dramatic difference that should be considered, but if you follow the 3 steps above, it’s a surefire way to measure for your space.

Finding the right size area rug can be tricky, but it’s truly just a test of knowing how much space you have and working with it. Designing doesn’t have to be stressful. After all, we think it’s one of the most fun things to do, and the challenges that arise are learning curves to work through.

We hope that this area rug size guide was helpful in making your decision. If you’re looking for an affordable area rug for your home, check out our list of gorgeous & affordable area rugs here.

If you have any questions about rug size, how to measure your space or just want to leave a happy message, let us know in the comments below!