Choosing a rug for a room can be stressful because it can define the whole look of the room. There are many factors that play into choosing a rug other than the color such as, the print or pattern, the size, the shape, the texture, and even the precise placement. Choosing a rug that is too small can make it look out of place, like there is a little floating island in your living room.

We have shared with you some of our go-to techniques for choosing the right rug for a room.

Dining Room rug:

When choosing a rug to go underneath your dining room table, we use a strategy with the number of chairs at the table.

However many chairs you have around the table, up the rug size two feet more on the width than that. So for example, if you have 6 chairs at your dining table, we recommend an 8ft x 10ft rug. For a table with 8 chairs we recommend a 10ft x 12ft rug, this allows room for you to pull your chairs out while remaining on the rug.

When it comes to shape of your rug in your dining room, you should follow the shape of your table. If you have a round table, use a round rug, for square tables, use a square rug.

Living room:

You want your rug to touch each piece of furniture around it. Doing so ties everything together making it more defined. A piece of furniture sitting off the rug can look out of place floating out in no-mans land.

Bedroom:

It can be tricky placing a rug in a bedroom because of the different furniture pieces and size in the room. The best way to place the rug is on the bottom two thirds of your bed in a horizontal position to your bed.

Outdoor:

This one is commonly forgotten about when it comes to rugs. There are some great outdoor rugs you can find that make any outdoor space feel more comfortable and relaxing. Spacing your outdoor living goes for the same as a living room rug.

Color:

If you have a lot of color already going on in your space, it’s probably safe to say you should go for a single color or neutral colored rug. If your room doesn’t have a ton of color already in it, a fun pattern rug might liven up the room.

Texture:

Most people overlook the texture part of their rug but it can make a huge difference. Let the textures already in your room guide you when choosing your area rug. Leather sofas and seating look great with a more fluffy/shaggy rug while a more soft fabric sofa looks great with a simple and sleek rug.

We love this diagram from World Market for placing furniture with your rug.

http://www.worldmarket.com/blog/choose-right-rug-space/

To hold everything together making sure your rug stays in place without bubbles and lifting up, potentially causing someone to trip, we always recommend a non-slip rug pad. The pad doesn’t need to be as big as your rug but it should be pretty close, about three inches shorter just enough to let the area rug lay flat. It helps keep everything in its place and looking right.