Living Room Rug Size Dimensions Overview

Choosing the perfect rug size to anchor your living room decor can be tricky. A rug that is too small looks out of place and fails to define the space, while an oversized rug crowds the room. Follow this living room rug size guide to find the ideal dimensions for your space.

Rugs serve both functional purposes like protecting floors from scratches and furniture imprints, as well as aesthetic purposes like adding visual interest, warmth, and style. Using room size as a starting point for determining proper rug size ensures your new living room rug complements the space beautifully.

Measurements To Consider When Choosing Rug Size

Room Dimensions

Take measurements of your living room's length and width. Experts typically recommend a rug size leaving 12-18 inches of visible floor space between the rug's edges and the room's walls. This breathing room keeps the space feeling open rather than crowded. Consider existing furniture sizes and placements when measuring open floor space as well.

In smaller living rooms, choose a rug filling most of the floor since oversized rugs can overwhelm. For medium and large spaces, use a rug leaving that 12-18 inch border around the edges to define the seating area without making the room feel closed in.

Furniture Layout

Analyze your living room's furniture layout when determining the best rug size. Sectionals and other large living room seating typically look best centered atop the rug. Measure furniture dimensions to ensure adequate rug size for pieces to fit. Remember to account for ideal spacing around and between pieces.

Coffee tables, ottomans and additional living room accent tables should fit entirely on the rug when possible. If these furnishings rest partially on and off smaller rugs, rearrange furniture or size up rugs so all table and chair legs sit squarely on the rug itself.

Traffic Areas

Consider high traffic areas and main walkways when selecting living room rug sizes too. Your rug should cover primary foot paths across flooring without impeding openings like doorways. Pathways around furniture groupings to entryways signify common movement patterns for mapping adequate rug dimensions in relation to functional living room uses.

Recommended Living Room Rug Sizes

Small Living Rooms

For living rooms less than 12 x 12 feet, stick to rug sizes ranging from 5 x 8 feet up to 8 x 10 feet. The smaller the room, the better a rug reaching close to the walls fills up floor space nicely. Floating furniture atop a generously proportioned rug pulls the arrangement together visually in compact living quarters.

Medium Living Rooms

In average lived-in living rooms spanning between 12 x 15 feet up to 20 x 20 feet, rug sizes can comfortably range from 8 x 10 feet up to 9 x 12 feet. Rugs nearing room dimensions still provide some visible floor space for that open atmosphere. A rug too small gets lost while an oversized one overwhelms medium spaces.

Large Living Rooms

For more expansive living rooms going up to 25 x 25 feet, rug sizes between 9 x 12 to 12 x 15 feet visually define seating areas without weighting down the spread. Oversized rugs reaching room edges may dwarf furniture groupings competing with its magnitude. Anchor open floor plans effectively using experts' ideal 12-18 inch rug border rule of thumb.

Rug Size Ratio To Room Size

Interior designers agree upon the common guideline that living room rugs should measure between two-thirds to three-quarters the size of the overall room. This general 2:3 room-to-rug ratio provides that ideal border space around rug edges to prevent a crammed interior look.

For example, a 12 x 18 foot living room calls for an approximate 9 x 12 foot rug. This size constitutes two-thirds of the total floor space. Similarly, a 16 x 20 foot living room pairs well with a rug around 12 x 15 feet. So measure your room's square footage then limit rug dimensions to 2/3 to 3/4 of that overall area.

Exact Rug Dimensions For Living Rooms

Length

Living room rug length largely depends upon room shape and seating configurations. In narrow living rooms, run rug lengthwise between walls to create a visual runway. Wider living rooms anchor well with width-spanning rugs extending under the full furniture grouping.

For the ever-popular "L" shaped sofa layout, square rugs from 8 x 8 to 10 x 10 feet furnish the seating arrangement perfectly. Rectangular 9 x 12 and 12 x 15 foot rugs also envelope "L" sectionals smartly. Just ensure adequate coverage for both legs of the "L" formation with space to spare.

Width

The standard rule says living room rugs should span the entire width of the seating grouping plus another 18 inches minimum beyond. Coffee, accent and side tables should fit on the rug alongside sofas and chairs without needing to sit half-on and half-off potentially.

If existing rug dimensions cannot accommodate coffee and end tables properly, reconsider furniture placements to group more cohesively on top of the rug. Widening rug widths is an obvious solution for ensuring all related furnishings sit squarely atop for that pulled together aesthetic.

Relation To Furniture

When it comes to relating living room rug size to furnishings, bigger is better. Oversized is far preferable to undersized for functionality and form. Ideally, primary seating like sofas and lounge chairs position atop the rug entirely with feet resting at least a few inches from edges on all sides.

Coffee, side and sofa tables should also fit entirely on rug dimensions surrounding sofas and chairs. Allow 12-18 inches clearance between furniture edges and the rug borders for visual balance. Extending at least partially under front legs of conversing seats promotes intimate furniture groupings too.

Rug Size Considerations For Open Floor Plans

For expansive great room layouts embodying multiple functional zones like dining, lounging and media within one continuous space, rely on area rugs to define each segment. Use the biggest rug your open floor plan can accommodate to distinctly separate living room seating from adjacent activities.

Giant oversized rugs furnish these merged multi-purpose home spaces beautifully. Living room conversation nooks feel more intimate atop island rugs compared to vying for attention inside completely bare great rooms. Anchor open concept interiors with substantial area rugs offering decorative flair.

• When positioning furniture like sofas atop rugs, pull pieces at least 2-3 inches away from the edges so legs don't hang off precariously.
• For safety and aesthetics, ensure adequate rug dimensions exist on all sides surrounding coffee, accent and sofa tables so furnishings sit squarely not teetering half on and off.
• Feel free to float furnishings on generously sized rugs allowing ample wiggle room. But pull snug arrangements together by extending rug edges partially underneath for stability.
• Try various furniture configurations atop existing rugs to find most functional formations. Grouping pieces closely promotes intimate conversational arrangements.
• Utilize furniture, accent pillows and accessory styling atop rugs to create attractive vignettes pulling together eclectic elements into orderly formations.

By following these simple sizing methodologies, designing visually captivating, adequately functional living rooms over rugs becomes more navigable. Just remember bigger is usually better when selecting area rug dimensions. Oversized pieces allow more flexible furniture arrangements. And generous floor coverage exudes a welcoming, curated interior warmth home spaces crave.