What Size Rug for Your Living Room? An Honest Guide

Most living rooms are solved by two rules. The rest is taste, and taste is allowed.

Rule one: front legs on the rug

Sofa and armchairs should each have their front legs on the rug. It ties the seating into one island; a rug floating in front of the sofa reads like a bath mat that wandered.

Rule two: keep the walkways clear

Leave 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) of bare floor between the rug's edge and the wall. The floor frames the rug the way a mat frames a photograph.

The sizes that usually win

Compact seating, one sofa
5x8 (150x240 cm)
Sofa plus armchairs
8x10 (240x300 cm)
Large open plan
9x12 (270x360 cm) and up

Between two sizes? Go larger. Nobody has ever regretted the bigger rug; the smaller one gets moved to the bedroom within a year.

When no standard size fits

Odd alcove, sunken floor, a sectional with opinions: enter your exact measurements and we cut, bind and ship it in 7 to 8 business days. That is our Made to Fit program, priced by the square foot from $60.

Try it on your floor plan

Every product page carries a floor planner: pick your sofa, see the rug in scale.

Browse the rugs