Pretty much any bedroom can benefit from the addition of a great area rug.
Rugs are great for comfort, making it easier to get out of bed in the morning when your feet land on a soft, warm surface. They offer practical benefits, letting you protect the carpet or flooring underneath and even giving additional sound-proofing (great if you’re living in an apartment!). And from a design point of view, anything that lets you add more colour, interest and personality can only be a good thing.
Choosing an area rug that works well in your room is actually relatively simple, if you follow the right guidelines. Here are the key things you need to know and consider to make finding the perfect rug a pain-free process.
How much space should the rug fill?
Your area rug should sit more or less in the centre of the room, not stretch from wall to wall. Designers typically suggest that rugs should jut out 18-24 inches at the sides of the bed. The exact size will depend on the space you have in your room, and in a smaller room its fine to adjust these measurements to create the right overall effect.
If you prefer, you can choose a smaller rug that sits at the side of the bed rather than extending all the way under it. In these cases a 3×5 or 2×3 rug will typically give the right look and feel.
What furniture should sit on the rug?
In most cases the rug will go under the bed, and then provide a space to stand on either side. If you want, it can lie under the whole bed – but it’s also fine for just the lower third or two thirds of the bed to sit on the rug. If the rug lies under the whole bed, you may also want your nightstands and any end-of-bed storage to sit on the rug. Furniture that sits at the edge of the room, such as a wardrobe or chest of drawers, wouldn’t typically stand on the rug. You also need to make sure you’ll have enough space to open and close the door freely.
Complementing the size of your bed
Alongside the overall size of the room, you should also be considering the size of your bed. If you have a large King Bed, then you’ll also need a bigger rug than if you have a smaller Full-Size bed or even a Twin bed, regardless of how big the rest of the space is. We’ve mentioned above that you should aim for 18+ inches of rug sticking out from the side of the bed. Another rule of thumb is that you should leave 10-20 inches of bare space between the rug and the walls. Using these measurements together gives you a rough formula for getting the appropriate size.
Larger rugs of 9×12 and bigger are likely to be best for a King Bed. 5×7 – 9×12 works well for a Queen Bed, depending on the size of the room. For Full-Size or Twin-Size beds, you are likely to be looking at 5×7 or smaller.
Personal taste trumps everything
Design rules are important because they help you understand how to bring balance and harmony to your space. However the final say always comes down to you, and your own personal preferences. If you love the idea of an oversized rug filling your room, or prefer to use something smaller and more refined… that’s fine! Just make sure you have the guidelines above to fall back on, should you need them.
For further reading we recomend the following article from Home and Gardens detailing the ideal size rug for your living room.
