When shopping for a rug keep in mind the size, shape, composition, and the material of the rug. Think about how it will go with the rest of the furniture placed in the room.
Standard Size Area Rugs
The first thing to address before shopping for a rug is to measure the space to get an accurate size of what will fit into the room. Here is a breakdown of most the common rug sizes according to the rooms and furniture in the space.
Bedrooms-
Full or Twin-Size Beds: 4x6 to 5x8
Queen Size Beds: 8x10
King Size Beds: 9x12
Dining Rooms-
Table with Two Chairs: 4x6
Table with Four Chairs: 5x8
Table with Six Chairs: 8x10
Table with Eight Chairs: 9x12
Table with Ten Chairs: 10x14
Living Rooms-
Small Rooms: 4x6, 5x8
Large Rooms: 8x10, 9x12, 10x14
Your choice of rug size depends on additional factors, such as the size of furniture and how it takes up the floor space, or maybe you plan to have rugs defining separate areas within the room. These are all things to consider when determining the size selection.
Area Rug Shapes
The most common area rug shape is the rectangle, as most rooms are built rectangular. Shapes such as, square, round, and oval rugs are great to use to define a specific area within a room or as a focal element. Hexagon is perfect for smaller areas, and semi-circular are ideal in front of a fireplace hearth or entrance into a room.
Area Rug Materials
Once the space has been measured, the size and shape of the rug figured, next is to select the material that will best coordinate with your room’s décor.
Rugs can either add vibrancy to your floor or neutralize the effects of colors and materials and act as an anchor element in the room. The essence of a rug is in the material that it is made up of, here’s a list of popular area rug weave and materials.
Natural-Jute, sisal, and hemp are all categorized as natural rugs. They are weaved from plant fibers, have a neutral color palette, or printed with colorful patterns, versatile and great for indoor or outdoor use, and extremely durable.
Tufted-Incredibly durable and outstanding for heavy foot-traffic regions. Uses a woven base that is threaded with a yarn woven subtly to form different cuts, loops, and textures. The renowned Asian hand loomed, hand knotted, and carved piled rugs are closer to this type of rug making.
Viscose- Made from synthetic rayon fibers, extremely durable, and economically priced.
Silk Rugs-High-quality luxurious rugs, expensive but beautiful investment, recommend placed in spots with minimal foot traffic.
Dhurries & Kilims-Flat-woven on looms using cotton or wool. Their graphic patterns and brilliant colors are the reason behind their popularity.
A rug maybe one of the first or the last purchases for a room. It's a crucial element to the decor and ties every other piece of the interior together.
