Organize & Clean

How To: Properly Place A Rug

updated Oct 13, 2022
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Our friend recently bought a nice shaggy rug for her main living room but wasn’t sure if the rug should go flush against the wall or sit in the middle of the floor? This inspired us to do some research and offer a How To for properly placing a rug in different rooms in your home.

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Here are 3 ideas for 3 of your main living spaces. While the size of the rug and the color of the rug play an important role in finding the best rug for your space, placing it can also really change the look of the space.

(Image credit: Lauren Kolyn)
Living Rooms
  • Choose a rug size that complements the furnishings in the room to create a cohesive look for living spaces. Don’t worry about whether your furniture fits entirely on or off the rug. What’s important is that it looks right to you.
  • Open floor plans can often make it seem that furniture is floating. A carefully placed rug will anchor the space and create a defined area for entertaining, working or relaxing.
  • A small rug that is sized to have furnishings cluster around it, whether under a cocktail table or on its own, helps pull together living rooms and conversation areas. Or choose a rug that’s large enough to outline the perimeter of your space.
(Image credit: Elissa Crowe)
Dining Rooms

  • For dining rooms, the rug should go center under the dining table. Consider a rug that’s wide and long enough so that when diners push back their chairs, the chairs stay on the rug.
  • A patterned rug under a glass-topped table adds an additional design element that will take center stage when your guests are seated at the table.
(Image credit: Marisa Vitale)
Bedrooms

  • Surround yourself with warmth and color in bedrooms. Place a large rug so it creates a perimeter around the lower two-thirds of your bed, or use small area rugs along each side.
  • A nice, soft rug works best for comfort in your bedroom.

Tips via Room & Board.

Check out more rug ideas at Apartment Therapy here: