How to place a rug in a living room?
, by Zure Australia, 5 min reading time
Positioning the rug is just as important as choosing the correct one. Read on to get the professional scoop and insight into how to place your rug in the living room!
Have you ever walked into a room and felt it was simply “off” in some way but couldn’t exactly figure what? Living rooms inevitably need a good layout that facilitates great traffic flow. Hence, rug placement and spacing is crucial for function and comfort.
Area rugs infuse a room with style, personality and warmth while anchoring the whole space. From defining a zone to making a statement, it is the ultimate style tool and one of the main building blocks when it comes to creating a cohesive space. Besides, they are meant for carpeted areas just as well as they’re meant for cold floors. However, it’s not just enough to have your dream rug, you must also know how to position it in a manner that bespeaks style and finesse. There might be a few rules in this regard that you should live by.
For your living room you should opt for sturdy and cosy materials like jute rugs, wool rugs or polyester ones that can bear a lot of wear and tear. Your main objective is to find your ideal rug and then arrange it to emphasise your stylistic decor. While color, decor style and material are important factors, you’ll need to consider something beyond them. But first, you must know the rules and second, bend them at will!
Size
Before choosing your rug size take your whole floor space and seating area into account. Go for one that complements the furnishings in the room to exhibit a highly cohesive feel. In a smaller room, you can position the rug underneath two legs of the furniture pieces while in a bigger room centre it around the principle cluster of furniture.
The size of the rug invariably depends on the living room/seating area size. The most common ones are 160x230mm, 240x330mm and 170x120mm, with most living rooms suited to the last two. Open floor plans may make it feel like furniture is floating. If you place your area rugs carefully it will create a well-defined space for working, entertainment or just to unwind.
Centring it
Your rug doesn’t always have to occupy centre stage. If your living room is of an eccentric, avant-garde shape, this will create a lot of empty space. Ensure your rug accentuates and syncs with the layout and dominant furniture of the room. The only centring you should be concerned with is to centre the furniture around the outside of the rug. For instance you have to centre your modern design rugs at an equal distance between two chairs or sofas. However, when it comes to cowhide rugs you can place it alone with nothing obstructing it on the floor making it the centrepiece of your interior design.
Decor
Since the living room is the main attraction of the house ensure the rug you choose vibes with the overall decor and style. Choose something airy with perhaps blues or light neutral colours like white, grey or beige. Florals and soft stripes or pretty boho colours on contemporary rugs may just be what you need. Not only are tribal rugs easier on the eye but you also get to indulge in a fun hue. However, if you’d want to go for something more tropical but not over-the-top opt for a bold area rug that’ll strike the right tone on the floor. You can also build your color scheme around your living room area rug which multiplies as an on-trend accent piece too!
Arrangements
When you are placing your area rugs in your living room, there are a handful of recommended arrangements that you can adapt keeping in mind that some are more influenced by room size than others. You can ensure the front legs of furnitures sit on it while others are off. This approach declutters the space, makes it look spacious and big and aims for a rather neat aesthetic. Rectangular rugs seamlessly bring together the numerous furniture pieces while extending just far enough to highlight and create a sense of proportion.
You can choose to keep all legs on or off. The former helps your rug to stand out making it the focal point, while the latter enables you to zone the space and organise a seating area that’s distinct from the rest of the house. However, small circular rugs with your furnitures arranged neatly along the outside can be a great way to introduce some style. If you can ensure the rug tone aligns with the flooring scheme to make the break between the two visually comforting and subtle.
A few inches of bare floor
Conventionality dictates that there should be approximately 18 inches of bare floor between the perimeter walls of the room and the rug edge. While this works miraculously in rooms that are enclosed, it may not work for outdoor or open spaces. You can run it up to within just a few inches of the wall instead of 18 around the entire room. Due to specific outdoorsy, rustic decor decisions, this approach feels particularly modern and helps define the room design too. You can place shaggy rugs at a distance from the wall so that they bring in a relaxed, laid lack, leisurely appeal and of course their undeniably soft texture underfoot!
Placing a rug in your living room is not complicated- it is fun and creative. Versatile rugs that are seeking to up the charm in the space or exude a playful personality are the stuff dreams are made of! We hope our comprehensive guide brought you one step closer to making your living room vision a reality.
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