What Different Area Rugs Will Look Like Under Your Bed

Bedrooms are highly personal spaces, so it’s no surprise that people dedicate a lot of time and effort into making sure decor is perfect for their needs. I moved into my apartment a few years ago and yet, I’ve spent years on a quest to finally feel a “perfect” look has been achieved; I’ve rearranged just about everything in a myriad of layouts, too.

The only constant? The woven rug that sits adjacent to my queen-sized bed. It was actually the first thing I purchased for my new room, and I absolutely love having something soft underfoot when I get out of bed in the morning. But when I started my hunt for the perfect rug from West Elm, I wasn’t sure what dimensions I would need for the perfect fit.

So to make it a little easier on all of us, I teamed up with Apartment Therapy’s Art team to create these handy visual guides. You can see what three of the most common area rug sizes will look like under the four standard bed sizes — twin, full, queen, and king — as well as various placement options. Follow along to demystify the size you’re looking for!

Twin beds measure 38 inches wide and 75 inches long, making them by far the smallest of the common bed sizes. Here are the best rug size solutions you should shop for:

• For a single twin bed, the best solution is usually a a 5’x8′ rug, the safest bet to allow for appropriate display around each side of the bed.
• In larger bedrooms, alongside full-sized furniture — think loveseats, armchairs, plus desks and an office chair — a larger 8’x10′ rug can work, too.
• Going with a 9’x12′ option might be a little bit of a stretch, unless the rug extends to all four walls, almost mimicking the look of carpeted flooring.

Full-sized beds are trickier to work with since they are longer than a twin bed, but not exactly as wide as a queen-sized mattress. Here are the best rug sizes you should look for:

• If you live in a smaller home or studio apartment, and don’t have much clearance around your bed, stick to a 5’x8′ rug.
• If you are living in a larger bedroom with more clearance and room for travel, opt for a 8’x10′ rug — or a 9’x12′ rug for those with surrounding seating that may be placed near your mattress as well.

There are three main options for a queen-sized mattress, which measure 60″ wide and 80″ long. The goal is to ensure that (at minimum!) the foot of the bed is nestled on top of a rug. Here are the best rug sizes for a queen-sized mattress you should shop for:

• The most appropriate size is a 8’x10′ option (pictured middle above), as this encompasses the entire bed, including a headboard — a great option for a bed that hugs one side of the bedroom’s wall.
• The second best option, should room allow, is a 9’x12′ rug, which allows you to also provide coverage for surrounding details like a footboard, settee, or an ottoman.
• While acceptable in tight rooms, you should avoid a 5’x8′ rug if at all possible, as visually these rugs will be lost given that the bulk of the rug’s design will be covered by your bed.

Shopping for a rug beneath your king-sized bed? Lucky you. Only one rule: Skip a standard 5’x8′ rug, as these will have barely any clearance around the bed. Here are the best rug sizes for a king-sized mattress you should shop for:

• Bigger is better in this case: I love the look of a substantial 9’x12′ rug paired with a king, but an 8’x10′ option works as well.

Not every rug has to be perfectly centered beneath your bed. In fact, if you have tight bedroom space constraints or a strict decor budget, your rug doesn’t have to go under the bed at all — you can opt for a smaller, more affordable 2’x3′ or 3’x5′ option to fill out the empty floor space parallel to the side, giving you something cozy to step on first thing in the morning.

For larger rooms, though, you can choose whether to partially float the bed on top of an area rug, or have the bed styled completely over it. There’s no right or wrong choice here — it’s entirely up to you and your rug size/bedroom layout. For the latter, just make sure the rug is wide enough to fit any surrounding side tables or nightstands to fully ground the bedside area.