The one mistake almost everyone makes is a rug that is too small. Here are the simple rules designers use, room by room, and a planner to try your rug in your own room before it is woven.
By Wool Heritage, M'rirt··6 min read
Find your size
Four steps to the right rug.
Measure the room, and the furniture the rug will hold.
Follow the rule for your room, below.
Choose that size in the Rug Studio: the design is redrawn for it, with its price.
Between two sizes? We weave to measure, in half-foot steps.
A rug sets the size of a room's furniture group. Too small and the furniture seems to float, and the room looks smaller than it is. Big enough and the sofa, chairs and table read as one calm group. When in doubt, go one size up.
01The three rules that always work
Leave a border of floor. Keep about 18 in (45 cm) of floor between the rug and each wall. In a small room, 12 in (30 cm) is fine. Never less than 8 in (20 cm).
Put the legs on it. In a living room, at least the front legs of the sofa and chairs should stand on the rug. Under a bed or a table, the rug should reach well beyond it.
Measure the furniture, not just the room. The rug is chosen for the group of furniture it holds together. Measure that group, then check the walls.
A simple trick before you buy: mark the rug's outline on the floor with painter's tape and live with it for a day. Then choose that size in our Rug Studio, where the design is drawn to its real proportions.
02What size rug for a living room?
There are two good ways to place a living room rug, and one to avoid.
The same sofa and armchairs on three rugs. The smallest makes the furniture float.
All legs on
The rug is big enough for every piece of furniture to stand on it completely. It is the most luxurious look and suits large or open-plan rooms, where the rug marks out the living area.
Front legs on
The front legs of the sofa and chairs stand on the rug, the back legs on the floor. It is the most common choice, it works in almost every room, and it lets you use a smaller rug while keeping the group together.
Too small
A rug that only sits under the coffee table, with no furniture touching it, makes the room look smaller. If that is all that fits, choose a bigger size and pull the furniture in.
The rug should also be wider than the sofa: ideally about 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) beyond each end.
Your sofa
Front legs on
All legs on
Loveseat, 5–6 ft (150–180 cm)
6 × 9 ft
8 × 10 ft
Three-seat, 7 ft (215 cm)
8 × 10 ft
9 × 12 ft
Long sofa, 8 ft and more (245 cm+)
9 × 12 ft
10 × 14 ft
Sectional or L-shaped
9 × 12 ft
10 × 14 ft or made to measure
03What size rug under a bed?
Place the rug across the bed, starting just below the nightstands, so it runs under the lower two-thirds of the bed. What matters is the strip of rug on each side: about 18 to 30 in (45 to 75 cm), so your feet land on wool when you get up.
A queen bed on an 8 × 10 ft rug, turned across the bed: 30 in (75 cm) of wool on each side.
Your bed
Rug size
For more rug
Twin
5 × 8 ft, across the bed
6 × 9 ft
Full / double
6 × 9 ft
8 × 10 ft
Queen
8 × 10 ft
9 × 12 ft
King
9 × 12 ft
10 × 14 ft
In a small bedroom, two runners, one on each side of the bed, do the same job with less rug.
04What size rug for a dining table?
The rule here is strict, because chairs move: leave at least 24 in (60 cm) of rug on every side of the table, so the back legs stay on the rug when a chair is pulled out. In other words, the rug is the table plus 4 ft (120 cm) in both directions.
24 in (60 cm) of rug all round the table: the chairs never catch the edge.
Your table
Rug size
Up to 48 × 72 in (120 × 180 cm), 4 to 6 seats
8 × 10 ft
Up to 60 × 96 in (150 × 245 cm), 6 to 8 seats
9 × 12 ft
Up to 72 × 120 in (180 × 305 cm), 8 to 10 seats
10 × 14 ft
Round or square table
Made to measure: the table plus 4 ft (120 cm)
A thick pile makes chairs harder to move. Under a dining table, choose a low or medium pile.
05Hallways and runners
A runner should leave about 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) of floor on each side, and 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) at each end of the hall. Our standard runner is 2½ × 8 ft (76 × 244 cm), and any other length can be woven to measure. Check that doors opening over the runner clear its pile.
06Standard rug sizes, in feet and centimetres
Our sizes, drawn to the same scale.
Size
In centimetres
Good for
Runner, 2½ × 8 ft
76 × 244 cm
Hallways, beside a bed, kitchens
5 × 8 ft
152 × 244 cm
Small living rooms, a twin bed, entrances
6 × 9 ft
183 × 274 cm
Front legs on with a loveseat, a full bed
8 × 10 ft
244 × 305 cm
The classic living room size, a queen bed, most dining tables
9 × 12 ft
274 × 366 cm
Large living rooms, a king bed, 8-seat tables
10 × 14 ft
305 × 427 cm
Open-plan rooms, all legs on
Your size
Any width and length
Made to measure for your room
07When to have a rug made to measure
Standard sizes come from what factories find easy to make, not from your room. Because every Wool Heritage rug is hand-knotted to order in M'rirt, it can be woven to any width and length, in half-foot steps, priced by its area at the same price per square metre as every other size.
A made-to-measure rug makes sense when the room is an unusual shape, when a standard size leaves too little floor at the walls, or when a sectional or a long table needs a rug that a standard size cannot give. A simple starting point: the room's width and length, minus 18 in (45 cm) on every side.
08Questions we are often asked
What size rug do I need for my living room?
For a three-seat sofa, an 8 × 10 ft rug with the front legs of the sofa and chairs on it works in most rooms. For a larger room, or to put every leg on the rug, choose 9 × 12 ft or 10 × 14 ft. Leave about 18 in (45 cm) of floor to the walls.
How far should a rug be from the wall?
About 18 in (45 cm) is ideal. In a small room 12 in (30 cm) is fine, but leave at least 8 in (20 cm) so the room does not look wall-to-wall carpeted.
What size rug goes under a queen bed?
An 8 × 10 ft rug, placed across the bed and starting just below the nightstands. It shows about 30 in (75 cm) of rug on each side. For a king bed, choose 9 × 12 ft.
What size rug for a dining table?
The table plus 24 in (60 cm) on every side, so chairs stay on the rug when pulled out. An 8 × 10 ft rug suits most tables for four to six people, 9 × 12 ft suits tables for eight.
Is it better to have a rug too big or too small?
Too big, within reason. A rug that is too small makes furniture float and the room look smaller. As long as you keep a border of floor to the walls, a bigger rug almost always looks better.
Should the sofa be on the rug?
Yes, at least its front legs. That joins the sofa, chairs and coffee table into one group. In a large room, the whole sofa can stand on the rug.
Can I order a rug in a custom size?
Yes. Every Wool Heritage rug is hand-knotted to order, so you can choose any width and length in half-foot steps in the Rug Studio. The price and weaving time update as you change the size.
Rug Studio
Your size. Your design.
Choose the size, the design and every wool color, and see the price straight away. Nothing is woven until you order.
