Choosing the right sized and styled rug for your room can be a difficult to task, so I’m going to show you some simple tips and tricks when it comes down to making that selection and staying strong with your design choice.

The three most typical places that people often have trouble with rug selection are the bedroom, the dining room and the living room so I am going to break it down for you. Now keep in mind that personal preference really comes into play here, and if you like it a certain way, don’t be ashamed to show that way off!  But if you need help getting started, here are some general guidelines.

First of all, rugs come in all shapes and sizes, but a general rule of thumb is to think of rugs like you would picture frames.  They typically come in 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, and so on.  Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but it’s a good place to start.  Like picture frames that “frame” the picture, the right rug can “frame” the room and help define different areas of your home, especially with an open concept area like most living rooms now.

Bedroom

This is probably the most difficult room to add a rug too. Whether you have hard surface floors or wool carpet, you can’t go wrong adding a rug like those vintage oriental rugs to the room. I love the way my bedroom feels with the rug. It just makes the space more comfortable and cozy for me.  There are also two schools of thought for the bedroom rug. You can either have a rug that goes all the way to the wall underneath the bedside tables and headboard, or you can have a rug that starts just in front of your bedside tables and extends out past the bed. This is personally my favorite way to go, so if she was a rug that fits your personal space. You should have at least one and a half feet all the way around the room so that when you get out of bed, your tootsies will always land on the rug. If you have a queen size bed, consider getting a rug the size of 5×7 or 5×8 rugs. The queen size bed is 5 feet wide so getting a rug that is 8 feet will give you a foot and a half on either side of the bed. Then pull the rug out so that also gives you a foot and a half at the edge of your bed. For a room with a king size bed, consider going with the larger rug. I would use about 8×10 or bigger.

Dining Room

Let’s now move into the dining room. The best way to choose a rug for your dining room is simple… Make sure every chair at the dining table remains on the rug when guests are seated at the table or when the chairs are pulled back from the table. Here is an example of my dining room. You will notice that the rug remains under table and all chairs, even when I pull out every chair for someone to sit down.

Living Room

Starting in the living room, there are a few different ways that are popular to lay out furniture. Although your furniture at home may be different, I’m going to use a couch, a coffee table, two chairs and a side table.  There are typically three schools of thought while designing your room to add a rug. The first one is having all the legs of your furniture on the rug. The second way is just having the front legs on the rug. And a third way is having no legs on the rug.

This is a personal preference. I personally like having just the front legs of the furniture on the rug but no one is wrong in this situation if they like it another way. If you are just putting the front legs on the rug, you want to make sure to have about 5 inches of the furniture including the end table or side table on the rug. This will give you stability if you want to place anything on the side table.  So first, set your furniture where it feels best in the room.

Once you have your furniture placed in the correct way you feel the room should be, measure that space. This will allow you to choose the right size rug when you go shopping. Pick your preference of all legs of the furniture, front legs of the furniture, or no legs of the furniture to be on the rug and that will give you the right size rug to buy for the room.  If you are confused which one is best, I say to go bigger. A small rug can make the room you are designing look even smaller. A large rug tends to make the room look larger if it fits well. We want to stay away from your room looking cluttered.

What is your preferred “rug style” at home? We would love to know! Share your comments below and upload your pictures on social media and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter@paigehemmis & #DIYfengshui #DIYhome We want to see your style!

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XOXO,

Paige