Each room has its own rule, and they do not transfer.
Living room — furniture legs
The front legs of every seat sit on the rug. All legs on is better if the room allows.
That ties the seating group into one object. A rug touching no furniture leaves each piece stranded, and the eye reads the room as disconnected islands — which makes it feel smaller.
| Room size | Rug |
|---|---|
| Up to 11×13 ft | 5×8 or 6×9 |
| Up to 13×16 ft | 8×10 |
| Up to 14×18 ft | 9×12 |
| Larger | 10×14 or bigger |
Full guidance in living room rugs.
Dining room — chair travel
Table dimensions plus 60cm on every side. Not 45. Sixty.
That is how far a chair actually travels when someone stands up. If the back legs drop off the rug at that point, the chair catches every single time.
| Table | Seats | Rug |
|---|---|---|
| 120 × 75 cm | 4 | 6×9 ft |
| 180 × 90 cm | 6 | 8×10 ft |
| 220 × 100 cm | 8 | 9×12 ft |
| 270 × 110 cm | 10 | 10×14 ft |
| 120 cm round | 4 | 240 cm round |
Round tables need roughly double their diameter. See dining room rugs and round rugs.
Bedroom — where your feet land
Three valid arrangements:
Full — rug under the whole bed, extending 45–60cm beyond on the two sides and the foot. 8×10 for a queen, 9×12 for a king.
Partial — rug starts below the bedside tables. Covers the floor you actually stand on, visually near-identical from the door, and materially cheaper.
Runners — one each side, optionally one at the foot. For rooms too small for either of the above, or where the floor is worth showing.
Detail in bedroom rugs.
Hall and entry — width clearance
Leave 10–20cm of floor on each side. Measure the narrowest point, not the widest — doorways, radiators and skirting mouldings all intrude.
Stop 15–20cm short of the wall or doorway at each end. For a hall longer than standard runner sizes, two runners with a deliberate gap beats one that fits badly.
Runner rugs and entryway rugs.
Under a desk
The rug should sit under the desk and the full travel of the chair, or not be under the desk at all. A rug edge in the middle of the chair's range catches on the castors constantly and curls — home office rugs.
The constant across every room
Leave 45–60cm of floor at the edges
A rug that nearly reaches the skirting reads as failed fitted carpet. The exposed border is what makes it read as a deliberate object rather than a covering that fell short. The exception is a hall, where 10–20cm is right because the space is narrow.
When in doubt
Go bigger. Undersizing is the defining mistake in this category and it cannot be corrected later; a lower grade at the correct size beats a better rug that is too small.
Tape the footprint out before committing — the method is in how to measure your room, and the dimensions available in standard rug sizes.
Common questions
Is there one rule that covers every room?
No, and that is why people get it wrong. Living rooms are governed by furniture legs, dining rooms by chair travel, bedrooms by where your feet land, and halls by width clearance. Applying the living room rule to a dining room produces a rug that catches chairs forever.
What if my room is between sizes?
Go up. An oversized rug reads as generous; an undersized one reads as a mistake and makes the room look smaller. The only constraint upward is leaving 45–60cm of floor showing at the edges.