Rug Size Guide
Rugs are returned for size more than for anything else, and every one of those returns was avoidable with two measurements and three rules.
A rug size is not a matter of taste. It follows from the room's measurements and from what the furniture is doing, and once those two things are known the answer usually narrows to one stocked size. The finder on the home page does the arithmetic; this page explains it.
The three placement rules
- The 18-inch border. A centre rug looks intentional when a band of bare floor stays visible at the walls. In a small room that band can shrink to 8 inches, but it should never disappear.
- Front legs on. Seating reads as grounded when the front legs of the sofa and chairs sit on the rug and the back legs sit off it. All-legs-on needs a size up; all-legs-off makes the rug look like it floated in.
- A foot short at each end. A hallway runner stops 12 to 18 inches before each end of the hall, and leaves an even margin along both walls.
What each stocked band does
| Size band | Belongs | The rule it serves |
|---|---|---|
| 2x3 and door sizes | Doorways, sink fronts, laundry stations | Catches the mess where it starts; washes weekly without drama |
| 2x6 | Short halls, galley kitchens, bedside | The runner rules, in a length a household washer still takes |
| 2x8 to 2x12 | Long halls and stair landings | A foot short at each end, even margins both sides |
| 4x6 | Under a desk, beside a bed, small seating | Front legs on for a loveseat, all legs on for a chair pair |
| 5x7 | The most-bought room size | Front legs on for a full sofa wall in an average living room |
| 7x10 | Large living and dining rooms | All chair legs stay on even when pulled out from the table |
Dining rooms are their own case
The rug has one job under a table: the chairs must stay on it when pulled out. Measure the table and add 24 inches on every side. A standard six-seat table lands on a 7x10; smaller than that and chair legs drop off the edge every meal.
Bedrooms, the cheap way
A full under-bed rug is the expensive answer. The range's answer is a runner along each side of the bed, or a 4x6 across the foot: bare feet land on pile, and the pieces go through a washer, which an under-bed size never will.
Sizes in stock are on the area rug, runner and accent shelves, and every listing states its exact cut.