Five Strategies for adding a Rug to Your Living Room

One of the issues we often see when people purchase a rug is that the one they pick is too small for their living space. In many ways, a rug acts as the centrepiece of a room. So a small rug can make even the largest room feel cramped and claustrophobic. Therefore it's essential to buy a large rug; however, a large rug can pose its own problems if not laid out correctly. Today's blog will discuss a few strategies to lay out your new rug properly.

All Furniture on the Rug

Recommend for anyone with a particularly large living room. Having all the furniture on one rug creates a real sense of cohesion within the space. To make this type of living room interior, all the major furniture in the living room should be on the rug, i.e. sofa, coffee table, accent chairs, etc. The key to this effect is not having the furniture on the very edge of the rug. Instead, the furniture should be 8" from the rug's border. Also, the rug shouldn't be too close to the living room's walls. Therefore, the edge of the rug should be at least 10" to 18" from the walls. Of course, the last rule should be ignored if the sofa is against the wall.

Only The Front of the Furniture on the Rug

This is probably the most popular rug and living room layout type. Like the furniture on the rug layout, this rug interior design style allows all the furniture to be placed on the rug creating a sense of cohesion. To pull off this layout, the front legs of the furniture, like the sofa and chairs, sit on the rug while the coffee table sits in the middle of the rug. The back legs of the couch and chairs are off the furniture. You want the rug to go about halfway into the centre of the furniture. Therefore if you have furniture that's 20" deep, the rug should go to about 10" deep.

Small Rug Layering

Let's say you have a rug just a bit too small for your living room. Well, if layered with a larger, plainer rug, a small rug can still work in a larger space. For the base rug, look for a simple, jute-like rug. The key here is to select a plain colour that won't clash with the rug that will go on top. The top rug should be a little more ornate and bright enough not to get lost in the base rug.

A Floating Rug

Again this is a widespread rug layout. Simply put, this is a small rug laid in the middle of the living room. Only a coffee table should be placed on the rug while the furniture is placed around the rug.

Hopefully, the above has given you some ideas on how to use a rug in your living room space. For more inspiration, we recommend browsing through one of the largest selections of rugs in Ireland.