The rug belongs to the furniture that sits on it, not to the room. Start with the group you want it under, measure that, and the size picks itself. If none of ours fits, we cut one.
Start with the room
Seven rooms, the sizes that work in each, and the clearance that makes the difference.
Living room
- 8' × 10'
- 9' × 12'
- 10' × 12'
- 10' × 14'
The front legs of every seat should land on the rug. In a small room, all four legs on the rug reads better than a rug that floats in the middle.
How to measure. Measure the seating group, not the room. Add 12 to 18 inches of rug beyond it on the sides people walk.
Bedroom
- 8' × 10'
- 9' × 12'
- 2' × 6'
- 2.5' × 7'
Under a queen, 8 by 10. Under a king, 9 by 12. You want 18 to 24 inches of rug on each side of the bed so your feet land on the rug and not the floor.
How to measure. Measure the bed, then add 3 to 4 feet to the width. If a full rug is too much, a runner down each side does the same job.
Dining room
- 8' × 10'
- 9' × 12'
- 6' × 6'
- 8' × 8'
Add 24 inches beyond the table on every side, so a chair stays on the rug when it is pulled out. A round table wants a round or square rug.
How to measure. Measure the table with the leaves in, not out of use. Then add 4 feet to each dimension.
Hallway and kitchen
- 2' × 6'
- 2' × 8'
- 2' × 10'
- 2' × 12'
- 3' × 10'
- 3' × 12'
Leave 4 to 6 inches of floor on each side. A runner that touches both walls stops looking like a rug and starts looking like carpet.
How to measure. Measure the clear run, not wall to wall: cabinets, radiators and door swings all eat into it.
Entryway
- 2' × 3'
- 3' × 4'
- 3' × 5'
- 4' × 4'
It should catch the door swing, not fight it. A round rug softens a square hall and gives you a landing spot rather than a mat.
How to measure. Open the door fully and measure where it stops. The rug starts after that line.
Under a round table
- 6' × 6'
- 8' × 8'
The rug should reach 24 inches past the table edge all the way around, so chairs never drop off the edge.
How to measure. Measure the table diameter and add 4 feet. A 48 inch table wants an 8 foot round.
Bedside, desk and small corners
- 2' × 3'
- 3' × 4'
- 2' × 4'
- 2' × 5'
- 4' × 4'
Small rugs do one job: they mark a spot. A desk chair needs the rug to extend behind it far enough that the wheels never leave.
How to measure. For a desk, measure the chair at its furthest roll. For a bedside, one stride is enough.
Three measurements decide it
- Measure the furniture, not the room
- Almost every wrong size starts here. The rug belongs to the group of furniture that sits on it, so that is what you measure. A room measurement only tells you the maximum.
- Leave a walkway
- Keep at least 18 inches of clear floor between the rug edge and any wall you walk along. In an open plan, the walkway matters more than the wall.
- Check the door swing
- Any door that opens over the rug needs clearance underneath. A low pile clears most interior doors, but a threshold or a thick underlay changes that, so measure the gap before you decide.
Four shapes, four jobs
- Rectangle
- The default, and the reason it is the default is that it fits under a group of furniture without asking the room to change.
- Runner
- For a path, not a room. Hallways, galley kitchens, and the length of a bed. Width matters more than length: keep floor showing on both sides.
- Square
- For square rooms, square tables and reading corners. A square rug in a rectangular room makes the room look shorter, which is sometimes exactly what you want.
- Round
- Softens a square hall, sits under a round table, and works in the spot where a corner would stick into a walkway.
Every size we make
37 size and shape combinations, 34 distinct measurements. Area is there so you can compare two sizes honestly rather than by name.
Rectangles 17
| Size | Area | Where it usually goes |
|---|---|---|
| 2' × 3'61 × 91 cm | 6 sq ft | Entry, bedside |
| 3' × 4'91 × 122 cm | 12 sq ft | Entry, desk chair |
| 3' × 5'91 × 152 cm | 15 sq ft | Entry, small bedside |
| 4' × 6'122 × 183 cm | 24 sq ft | Reading corner, small bedroom |
| 5' × 7'152 × 213 cm | 35 sq ft | Small living room, foot of a bed |
| 5' × 8'152 × 244 cm | 40 sq ft | Small living room, dining for four |
| 6' × 8'183 × 244 cm | 48 sq ft | Living room, dining for four |
| 6' × 9'183 × 274 cm | 54 sq ft | Living room, dining for six |
| 7' × 10'213 × 305 cm | 70 sq ft | Living room, dining for six |
| 8' × 10'244 × 305 cm | 80 sq ft | Living room, queen bed, dining for eight |
| 8' × 11'244 × 335 cm | 88 sq ft | Living room, king bed |
| 8' × 12'244 × 366 cm | 96 sq ft | Long living room, king bed |
| 9' × 11'274 × 335 cm | 99 sq ft | Large living room |
| 9' × 12'274 × 366 cm | 108 sq ft | Large living room, king bed, dining for eight |
| 10' × 12'305 × 366 cm | 120 sq ft | Open plan |
| 10' × 13'305 × 396 cm | 130 sq ft | Open plan |
| 10' × 14'305 × 427 cm | 140 sq ft | Open plan, long room |
Runners 13
| Size | Area | Where it usually goes |
|---|---|---|
| 2' × 4'61 × 122 cm | 8 sq ft | Kitchen sink, entry |
| 2' × 5'61 × 152 cm | 10 sq ft | Bedside, kitchen |
| 2' × 6'61 × 183 cm | 12 sq ft | Bedside, short hall |
| 2' × 7'61 × 213 cm | 14 sq ft | Hall, galley kitchen |
| 2' × 8'61 × 244 cm | 16 sq ft | Hall, galley kitchen |
| 2' × 10'61 × 305 cm | 20 sq ft | Long hall |
| 2' × 12'61 × 366 cm | 24 sq ft | Long hall |
| 2.5' × 7'76 × 213 cm | 17.5 sq ft | Bedside, wide hall |
| 2.5' × 10'76 × 305 cm | 25 sq ft | Wide hall |
| 3' × 7'91 × 213 cm | 21 sq ft | Wide hall, kitchen |
| 3' × 8'91 × 244 cm | 24 sq ft | Wide hall, kitchen |
| 3' × 10'91 × 305 cm | 30 sq ft | Long wide hall |
| 3' × 12'91 × 366 cm | 36 sq ft | Long wide hall |
Squares 4
| Size | Area | Where it usually goes |
|---|---|---|
| 4' × 4'122 × 122 cm | 16 sq ft | Entry, reading corner |
| 6' × 6'183 × 183 cm | 36 sq ft | Square room, round table |
| 8' × 8'244 × 244 cm | 64 sq ft | Square living room, round table for six |
| 10' × 10'305 × 305 cm | 100 sq ft | Large square room |
Rounds 3
| Size | Area | Where it usually goes |
|---|---|---|
| 4' × 4'122 cm | 12.6 sq ft | Entry, reading corner |
| 6' × 6'183 cm | 28.3 sq ft | Square room, round table |
| 8' × 8'244 cm | 50.3 sq ft | Square living room, round table for six |
Between two sizes? Go bigger. A rug that is slightly too small makes a room read smaller and leaves the furniture floating; slightly too big just looks generous. And if the room wants something we do not list, we cut to your measurement.
Questions
What if I am between two sizes?
Go bigger. A rug that is slightly too small makes a room read smaller and leaves the furniture looking like it is floating. A rug that is slightly too big just looks generous.
Does the rug have to touch the walls?
No, and it should not. Keeping floor visible around the edge is what makes a room look finished rather than carpeted.
Can a rug go under a door?
Usually. The pile is low, so most interior doors clear it. Measure the gap under the door if you are unsure, especially over a threshold.
What if none of the sizes fits my room?
Then we cut one. Every pattern can be made to your own measurement in any of the four shapes.
Still deciding? Send us the room measurements at hello@rugember.com and we will tell you which of ours we would put in it.