Sizing Things Up: The Essential Rug Buying Guide from Taos Lifestyle.

Sizing Things Up: The Essential Rug Buying Guide

Rugs are so much more than “what’s underfoot”… They play an important part in the fluidity and cohesiveness of a room. Think of them as your floor’s focal point.  Determining the size and location to place a rug can be a challenge. The Taos Lifestyle Design Team has your go-to guide on purchasing just the right rugs for your abode!

Design Tip: Get a clear visual on rug sizing and placement by outlining the area with masking tape.
Hallway
These long rectangular rugs not only protect floors from heavy foot traffic, they add a pop of color and style to a narrow area. Hall rugs should have at least six inches of floor showing on all sides.

Dining Room
Dining room rugs should extend at least 24 inches beyond the edge of the table. These 24 inches will accommodate the dining chairs when guests push back from the table. If you have a table leaf and entertain often, be sure to include those measurements.

Living Room
There are several options for living room rug layout:

1. Pull together your furniture with a rug large enough to slide under the front legs of chairs and the sofa. Another possibility is to choose a smaller rug for just under your coffee table with your large furniture pieces surrounding it.
2. If your family room is large with more than one conversation area, an individual rug helps define each “zone”. There’s no need for the rugs to be identical – the key is to blend them together with a complimentary color palate, texture, or pattern. Read more about mixing and matching here.

Bedroom
After a sound night’s sleep, there’s nothing better than the soft feeling of a rug underfoot in the morning. Measure your bed and add 24 inches to both the left and right sides. Want to showcase more of your hardwood? Position runners on each side of the bed (you can even add one at the foot of the bed!). An eye-catching option is placing a rug one-third of the way under the bed (see image to the right for design inspiration).

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Taos Lifstyle’s “Rug Buying Guide”. Our Design Team covers textures and fibers, color schemes, and more! Ready to shop? We have a wonderfully wide variety of rugs to choose from in store!