Even when a living room boasts an inviting sofa, comfortable chairs and stylish lamps, something’s off about the overall space. And, more often than not, it’s the rug. When the room’s rug is too small, the furniture can appear to float off the floor, losing their sense of unity as one conversational space. The size of the rug, more than its color or fabric, determines where the furniture grouping begins and ends.
Before you move any furniture around, put a little painter’s tape on the floor to visualize what a bigger rug would look like. Walk out of the room and take a moment to see how the rug relates to your existing furniture. Does it reach far enough beneath the sofa and chairs to visually tie them together? Next, put some tape down to visualize a smaller rug and see how the two compare. Step outside the room, and perhaps take a couple pictures, to get a better perspective of the difference between the two sizes. It’s easy to focus in on one object at a time if you’re standing in the middle of the room.
Rugs can go in different places depending on your room and furniture layout. Sometimes, the front legs of the sofa and chairs sit on the rug while the back legs rest on the floor. Other times, the entire seating arrangement is meant to sit within the rug’s boundaries. But, a small rug tucked underneath the coffee table and a long stretch of bare floor between it and every other piece of seating is going to feel disjointed, rather than cohesive.
In addition to the rug’s length and width, consider the size of the room. A large sofa takes up more room than a petite chair, so a rug that looks fine next to one piece of furniture might be too small when you factor in the whole seating area. Also, consider the traffic flow. Your rug should anchor your conversational area, not spill awkwardly into a doorway or create a tripping hazard along a common path. Take measurements of your furniture group and your available floor space to find the right rug size. Don’t rely on guesswork.
While color and pattern do play a role in making a rug seem larger or smaller (a bold print or rich hue reads bigger than a subtle print or light color), this won’t fully compensate for an incorrectly sized rug. Nor will a gorgeous rug justify awkward furniture placement. Color, pattern and fabric should be used to complement your room. Don’t allow an attractive rug to distract you from focusing on proper scale.
Once you’ve determined a few possible rug sizes, walk into the room and take stock of your choices. Do the sofa, chairs and coffee table appear as a cohesive unit? If so, your rug’s size is most likely appropriate.
