Best Area Rugs

The most popular locations to use area rugs are the dining room and the living room. The rules of thumb for sizing a rug in these locations are pretty universal, but before placing a rug you must consider the size of your room. If you have a large space, the furniture grouping will dictate the size of the rugs. Both the room size and furniture groupings must be considered if your rooms are small to average.

For a rug in your living room, arrange your furniture in the manner you like best. Then measure the floor space covered by the grouping, adding a little for overhang. You can then buy the size that comes closest to this, or you may reduce the size and allow the rug to end under the middle of the sofa or chair. A rug is too small that ends in front of furniture pieces. If your room is extremely large, you may want to increase in size a little, but remember to keep the rug in proportion to the seating arrangement. You should leave at least 12 to 15 inches of exposed floor around the rug. As well as looking good you will not have to cut holes in the rug for your heat registers or radiators.

When choosing a rug for under the dining and breakfast room tables, calculate the space covered when a person is sitting in a chair and add approximately six inches. You want to have everyone seated comfortably at the table without the back chair legs hanging off the rug. Sliding the chair closer to the table can be very difficult if the back legs are hung up on the edge of the rug. The majority of rugs come in standard sizes so you will want to purchase the size that best fits the dimensions you need. If you have a very large room and this size looks too small, merely move up to the next available size.