Area Rug Size Guide to Help You Select the RIGHT Size Area Rug!

How to Measure and Place Your Rug

Before you begin to shop for a new area rug, you need to know what size you should be shopping for. This means you need to be able to visualize your rug’s size and placement in the room.

To do that, first, make sure that your furniture is placed in an arrangement that you like. This is particularly helpful in living room seating areas.

In some rooms, this will mean the furniture is centered in the room. In others, the furniture or seating arrangement will be against a wall or two.

Next, use masking tape or painter’s tape to mask off a “rug” on the floor.

• If your furniture is in the center of the room, leave 8-18 inches of bare floor around the edges of the room for traffic flow and looks.
• If it’s not centered in the space, you’ll need to decide whether you want all the furniture on the rug or just the front legs of the arrangement (see the sample layouts below). Then lay the painter’s tape accordingly.

Finally, measure your painter’s tape “rug” (give yourself 2 inches extra for a margin of error) and then use that to measure the size rug needed for your space and select from the standard size area rugs when shopping.