How to Position a Rug in a Living Room

Rugs can be the warmth and the anchor a room needs. It might not seem like much, but a rug can completely change the feel and atmosphere of the whole room, as, without a rug, the room can look cold and incomplete. However, we recognize that picking the right rug might be very challenging because there are many options. In this guide, we will provide insight and tips about how to pick the right rug. What size, shape, and texture best suit your space, and how to position the rug in your living room? 

Size and Placement

The size and the placement of the rug are intertwined. While you can choose a rug of any size and place it in any position and area you want, you are most likely here because you want some pointers and guidelines. 

The general rule is to pick a rug wider than your sofa. Smaller rugs can look disproportionate combined with large furniture, especially in open-concept rooms. In general, rugs in your living room should be larger than the section they separate. What that means is there are different sections in any room. The sections in the living room are usually the seating and dining areas. The rug you choose will be assigned to either of these areas and separate from the other. Therefore it should be able to go under all of the furniture in that area. If you put the area rug under your sofa or coffee table, leaving one chair on the floor, it would look awkward and appear as if it doesn’t belong. The same goes for your dining area, TV area, reading area, or any area you might have. Depending on the layout of your living room and the seating arrangements, there can be other ones, or maybe you have separate living and dining rooms, which doesn’t apply to you at all. The key point is to customize these guidelines for you and your house. 

On the other hand, if your rug is too large, it might overpower and dominate the room too much. You wouldn’t want the rug to be the focal point and steal all the attention. The perfect rug should complement and elevate the space it is in. Therefore, having a living room rug that goes from wall to wall will make the space feel crowded and busy and look outdated. 

Flooring 

Your floors will be a huge deciding factor in which rug best suits your house. If you have an already patterned floor, it is probably best to have an understated and muted rug choice. Otherwise, the floor and rug pattern can clash and draw attention too much to the floor. 

However, this isn’t to say you can’t have an accent rug if you have patterned floors. The latest trend in interior design is layering rugs. You would need one smaller and bolder rug combined with a larger and simpler rug to layer rugs. Placing the larger and plain rug in between the patterns of the accent rug and the floor will allow both of those to exist without clashing too much and will break up the busy appearance. 

Not only the pattern but the color is essential too. Dark floors tend to pair better with rugs that have a similar value. In other words, choosing a dark or mid-toned rug is best if you have dark wood floors. If you have mid to light-color floors, you have more options. These light-colored floors provide a simple base, so you can choose rugs that have brighter or darker colors. The choice also depends on the size of the room. If you are working with a smaller room, it is best to pick lighter colors rather than dark larger rugs, as these rugs can make the room look even smaller. 

Shape

The most typical shape for a rug is a rectangle. This shape is a classic for a reason; it works well with all of the other rectangular shapes in the room, the dining table, sofa, coffee table, and the room itself. However, it isn’t the only option. Round rugs look excellent with round tables and bring a softer ambiance to the room. If you are interested in a round rug, picking one on the smaller side is best. This way, the roundness of the rug is more pronounced, and it can successfully create a center in the room. 

There are also rugs with irregular shapes, such as hides. These rugs are incredibly versatile; if placed in a traditionally decorated room, they can elevate and highlight this style, but in a modern and eclectic room, they can be playful and unorthodox. 

Texture

The living room rug can bring warmth to the room and be a space for your kids, pets, or maybe yourself to spend time and play on. Therefore, you should think carefully and be decisive about your desired texture. Do you want the first thing your feet touch when you wake up to be a soft and fluffy rug on the side of the bed? Are you looking for a rug that can withstand wear and tear to put right at the entrance? 

The texture also affects how easy it is to clean. For example, placing a shaggy rug right under the dinner table might not be a great idea unless you want to spend considerable time cleaning spills. In short, you should decide where you want to put the rug, how high the traffic of an area is, and how durable the rug needs to be to serve a long time in said area. Usually, rugs in your living room can be many different textures. 

Conclusion

All in all, the options of which living room rug to get are endless. You can get a large or small rug, rectangle, round, bright colors, bold patterns, fluffy, jute, or wool... There is going to be one that fits your needs and wants at the same time. What you need to do is consider all of your requirements. First of all, you need to know where you will put this rug and how big it needs to be to look proportional.

Furthermore, you should decide on how durable you need to be and what texture it can be. Now that you have all of the necessary details, it is time to think about the wants. What type of rug do you want? What colors, patterns, aesthetics, and design style do you want it to be? Knowing all those, you will have the perfect rug for your style and house.