Design Dilemma #3: Area Rugs

If you are looking at your current living room and feel like something is lacking, the answer is probably either: a) curtains (which I discuss here) or b) an area rug.  These two elements dramatically change a space into a cozy, warm environment that feels complete.  A rug will instantly ground the space and develop concrete sitting areas, while curtains help frame the space and add height.  

The main dilemma with rugs that I see in homes is that they are too small for the space.  The rug becomes a little cocktail napkin for the coffee table. 

Placing an area rug in your room creates a soft spot for your feet, often providing one of the only sources of softness besides the curtains.  It can also provide pattern to an otherwise lacking room. 

Here are the basic guidelines for choosing the right size rug for your space:

In a living room, you want to have at least all the front legs of your furniture on the rug.  Including end tables and side chairs.  This does not have to include your media console.  Other sources tell you that all four legs of the furniture should be on the rug.  I do not agree with that theory.  The main reason you want the legs on the rug is to delineate areas for the furniture.  The rug helps to organize all the pieces of furniture together, either in a living room, dining room, or bedroom. 

 

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This is my definition of using a cocktail napkin for your coffee table.   This massive sofa (which is awesome by the way) requires a MUCH larger area rug.  The rug seems interesting, and in this case, I would probably layer a neutral rug underneath to cover the floor space.  The chair also needs to be included in the area rug as it is a part of the seating arrangement.

 

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This beautiful Aztec rug provides plenty of pattern for this otherwise neutral living area.  Plus the rug is large enough for the sofa and chair.

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This wool rug provides subtle pattern and fits the sitting area completely so that all front legs of the furniture are on the rug.

The dining room is a crucial area where the rug needs to be a certain size.  The average person requires 24” of clearance to back their chair from the table to get up.  With this said, the rug underneath the table needs to have an excess of 2 feet around the perimeter of the table or 4 feet in length and width.  The dining room rug is also a good spot to choose a bolder pattern or color because the table masks a lot of the rug. 

 

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This rug is too small for the dining area.  If you were to push back from the table in the white chairs, you would no longer be on the rug.  It will cause the rug to flip up and get damaged.  As you can see the head chairs are not even on the rug. 

 

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This rug fills up the dining room beautifully, allowing plenty of excess space to move the chairs around.  It also shows how you can do a large patterned rug with plenty of color in an otherwise neutral room.

The bedroom allows for more flexibility in size.  Most people choose to have their bed covering the majority of the rug.  You usually have the rug starting just where the nightstands end.  Another possibility is having a smaller rug turned horizontally for the bottom half of the bed.  Or a less expensive route is to have matching rugs on either side of the bed.

 

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This bedroom uses a rug large enough (probably custom made for the space) to start at the edge of the nightstand and extends out past the end of the beautiful bed.

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This rug is used only at the foot of the bed, but encompasses the sitting area in the window. 

 

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This bedroom uses matching Summak rugs surrounding the bed with runners, while an 4x6 is used at the foot.

Standard size rugs are 2x3 (bathmat, doormats) 3x5 or 4x6 (entry way, sides of beds) 5x8 or 6x9 (ends of beds) 8x10 or 9x12 (living room, dining room, underneath queen or king beds) and 10x14 (large living or dining rooms). 

One way to save costs on a rug is to buy a larger solid rug.  If your living area could use a 9x12 or 10x14 rug, head out to your local carpet store and have one of their remnant pieces bound.  This is a cost effective way of having a rug.  Then you can shop for a smaller more expensive rug to lay out on top of the neutral rug. 

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A rug on a rug is a cost effective way to use a patterned rug for your space.

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The chenille rug underneath the bed is a cost effective way to provide softness when getting in and out of bed, while the antique Oushak at the foot provides color and more floor coverage.

What to keep in mind when shopping for a rug?  First thing, take measurements of your room.  As I have listed the standard sizes, have an idea of what would work in your space.  This article had a great idea of laying out towels of the different dimensions.  That way it visually shows you the area rather than marking with the tape measure.  Bring all your fabric samples and paint sample with you while you are shopping.  I love the customers that come in with their Ziploc bags of all the necessary items for their space.  It makes shopping so much easier and allows in-house designers to help you more effectively. 

 If the rugs are hanging up in the furniture showroom, they will look VERY different once they are on the ground.  A rug will change colors once it is flat on the ground.  If it is a hand knotted or vegetable dyed rug the colors will run different if you look at the rug from different angles.  That being said, ask to take the rug out on approval to see it in your space.  With your own lighting and furnishings, the rug will change colors again.  Generally design stores will allow you keep a rug or two for 24 hours on a trial basis.  If they do not allow this, find out about return policy.  Do not buy a rug without checking it out in your home. 

While you are shopping you may notice the large price range in rugs.  They are not cheap!  Most rugs are made of wool, and take months to complete.  It is an amazing, pain staking process to create those beautiful hand made rugs you see in stores.  One should truly have an appreciation for what you stand on every day.  I found quite a few Youtube videos that show the process from start to finish.  This video is by Surya that makes beautiful rugs.  The video is a thorough description of the process in 6 minutes.  I highly recommend watching it.

I could go into WAY more detail about the varying types, construction of rugs, etc., but I will save that for another day!  (If you have any questions about rugs feel free to ask me.) My main point today is to discuss a design dilemma I often see and how to rectify it.

I have seen many great new rugs on the market now, so I will dedicate my next post to showing you new rugs that you can have!