Area Room Rug Size

When you're looking at buying rugs, you should consider what area room rug size to get for which room. It normally depends on the use of the room but generally, you can fit an rug that is 3 to 4 feet smaller than the room it will be in. That will give you 18 inches to 2 feet between the rug and your walls which is what experts recommend.

The typical area rug room size is 6 x 9. This is the most popular size rug as it fits what most people are looking for when they're trying to find an rug for their living room, den, or TV room. Other popular sizes besides area rugs are hallway rugs and scatter rugs (great for foyers, kitchens, and in front of the mantel).

For some rooms, you're going to want to be generous with your rug size. The dining room is one example. If you frequently eat in your dining room, then you're going to want to go with a larger size rug, like an 8 x 10. The reason why is you want the rug to be large enough so that when diners pull their chairs out get seated, the back legs of their chair should still sit on the rug. Otherwise, they'll have a hard time pulling up to the table if they have to lift the chair off the ground to get it back onto the dining room rug. If you have a dining room that is less frequently used, you might be able to get away with a smaller size rug like one that is 6 x 9. As a rule of thumb, add four feet to your dining room table both ways (length and width) to come up with the minimum size rug you'll need in the dining room.

About the Author

Janine Jones is a freelance writer based in Northern Virginia (she likes to call it NoVa). New to the freelance world, Janine used to work as an analyst / programmer for a beltway bandit before deciding to mix being a stay-at-home-mom with a writing career. These days, Janine tries to get a little work done when her two kids (ages 3 and 15 months) are otherwise occupied. Janine is hooked on area rugs of all kinds.