From modern hallway runners to living-room-sized traditional Persian designs, find the best styles to fit your taste—and space—with our rug guide. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about picking out the perfect rug and compiled it in our easy-to-shop rug buying guide.
From the size of the room to the colors of your walls, a lot of factors go into selecting a rug. With this many elements to consider, it helps to begin by asking yourself three essential questions: How big should it be? What is it going to be used for? And, which style best suits my taste? We designed this guide to help you respond to each of these questions and focus your search on those styles that achieve all of your decorating goals.
It all starts with deciding how you want your rug to interact with the dimensions of the room and the furniture you have in it. In general, living room rugs should be at least 5’x8’. This will allow you to arrange furniture in conversational groupings with the front legs of sofas and chairs on top of it. If you want your furniture to fully sit up on top of the rug, opt for sizes of 9’x12’ or larger. For bedroom and dining room rugs, a good rule of thumb is to pick a style that extends 1.5’ to 2’ beyond your dining table or bed, respectively. For more info, visit our guide to Rug Sizes & Shapes.
Our sales professionals are always more than happy to tell you the dimensions of any of our styles in store, but if you’re trying to match the size of a piece you already own at home, it never hurts to know how to accurately measure a rug yourself. Start by placing the zero end of a tape measure in the bottom corner of the shorter side of the rug, making sure the end of the tape measure is flush with the edge of the rug. Extend the tape measure to the top corner of that side and record the measurement. This is the width of the rug. Repeat the same process on the longer side to get the length.
Similar to measuring a rug, start by placing the zero end of a tape measure in the corner of the room and—following the edge of the wall—extend it to the other corner on the same side, recording the measurement. Then repeat the same process for the other side of the room. The key thing to keep in mind is that you should leave at least 1.5’ of exposed floor around the edges of your rug, so subtract 18” from the dimensions of the room to determine the maximum size of rug for the space.
To create a cohesive look, you want a rug that picks up at least one hue from the other furniture and décor in your space. For a cozy, intimate vibe, consider deep, rich colors. If you want to make a small space feel larger and airier, try lighter shades. Finally, for a soothing, restful atmosphere, consider a cooler palette.
Since most people own mainly solid-colored furniture, a patterned rug is the perfect opportunity to bring some visual interest into a space. Picking the style that’s right for you mainly comes down to your personal taste and the vision you have for your home, but generally speaking traditional Persian and Moroccan styles are great for a timeless, classic look, while abstract and geometric designs have a more modern vibe. For more info, visit our guide to Rug Styles & Patterns.
If a single rug adds comfortable intimacy to a room, two layered together doubles down on the cozy factor while giving your space a rich, bohemian look. The secret to making this work in your home is to pick two styles in coordinating colors but drastically different sizes. So, start with a large rug and then layer on a much smaller piece that picks up the dominant tone from the first design. For a bold look, try mixing two different patterned pieces together, but if you prefer a subtler effect you can always stick to mixing a solid style with a pattern. To fully achieve the effortlessly, eclectic appeal of layering rugs, place the top style on a diagonal to the bottom piece.
