An area rug is an important addition to any room. It defines the space and enhances the room’s decor. A rug can pull the pieces of furniture together and unify the pieces of furniture placed on it or it can define the spaces between rooms if the floor plan is more open. A rug can also coordinate patterns and colors and bring together details of the décor to make a room feel more finished. It can accentuate the colors of the room and anchor the furniture to give the room a finished look. Where to place the rug in a living room is an important detail and the exact placement depends on what look and feel needs to be achieved.
Before placing the rug, it is important to choose an appropriate sized rug. The rug should pull the living room furniture arrangement together. Putting a single small rug in the center of a group of furniture will draw too much attention to the rug itself and not enough to the furniture surrounding it. Also, it is important to select seating before purchasing a rug as it will be easier to determine size and the pattern of the rug. Before placing a rug, make sure all the furniture is placed how you want it in the room.
There is some debate as to whether living room furniture should be placed entirely onto the rug or if only the front legs should hit the rug while the back rests on the wood or tiles. Either is correct, depending on the look you’re trying to achieve. The placement of the rug also depends on the size of the room. Correct placement can make a room look bigger or smaller.
Placing only the front legs onto the rug will work in most situations. It is especially nice when the rug is the same tone as the flooring. It is also possible to mix the look with some front legs on the rug. This works well when the sofa has the front legs on the rug and the chairs have all of the legs on. Usually, this type of placement looks better when the rug is a contrasting tone to the flooring beneath it and the room is larger. Placing all furniture legs onto the rug makes a room look the most pulled together.
To change the look up in a very large room, bring multiple smaller rugs in to place under more than one seating arrangement. For example, a small rug can be placed under a coffee table in a seating arrangement that is in front of a fireplace. The smaller rug can make that area feel cozy and comfortable. Also, a “statement” rug such as a hide rug can be placed on top of another larger rug. For example, the bottom rug could be under the sofa and chairs to pull the seating arrangement together and the statement rug sits just under the coffee table. Just make sure both rugs will lay flat and not sink into one another.
There is a standard rule in interior design that there should be 18 inches of flooring around the rug in any room. This generally applies when the room is large, enclosed and separated from the other rooms. In a smaller room, this perimeter of bare flooring can be reduced to eight inches.
There really is no set rule for placement of a rug. The only guideline is to make sure that the room looks proportionate. The living room should be comfortable and The Rug Seller can help you find a rug to accomplish that.
