Blog
Updated 16 February 2021
Choosing the right size rug can be tricky, and sometimes the answer is larger than you think. We asked 5 interior designers to share their advice on relating your rug to your space, and how to place your furniture.
Juliette Arent, Arent&Pyke
Rugs help delineate and define spaces – and are particularly useful in providing softness and comfort in living spaces that have hard flooring.
Here we have used a beautiful handknotted Tibetan rug from Robyn Cosgrove Rugs in a deep inky blue. It grounds the space and defines it for its purpose, and pays special attention to complementing the tonal values in the timber in the furniture and on the floor.
We always ensure that the rug is apppropriately proportioned so that when all the chairs are out, they are all still sitting on the rug.
Adelaide Bragg, Adelaide Bragg & Associates.
We added a Stipple Sisal colour natural rug from Don Currie Carpets to 'ground' and 'relax' the room. The floor boards were very dark and I wanted to lighten the room as well as to add texture and layering against the soft furnishings.
We normally set rugs 30-40cm off the walls; this allows for the floor boards to still be visible and to add scale with a large rug.
Katie Uther, Katie Uther Design
Brendan Wong, Brendan Wong Design
A generously sized rug will make the room feel bigger by accentuating a larger footprint. I position large sofas partially on the rug and armchairs entirely on the rug, which visually pulls together the furniture into a well grounded grouping. In rooms used by families, large rugs also provide space on which children can sit on the floor. If in doubt about the size of a rug it's always better to go larger as smaller rugs can easily look lost and underwhelming.
Romaine Alwill, Alwill Design
I chose the rug because it reflected the client and grounded the space. The contemporary weave of an Ikat pattern was really suited to the design concept for the whole house. The colours were earthy and rich. I wanted the rug to sit under the sofa but leave some room at the side for circulation.
Rug secrets from our favourite interior designers
Choosing the right size rug can be tricky, and sometimes the answer is larger than you think. We asked 5 interior designers to share their advice on relating your rug to your space, and how to place your furniture.
Image by Tom Ferguson
Juliette Arent, Arent&Pyke
Rugs help delineate and define spaces – and are particularly useful in providing softness and comfort in living spaces that have hard flooring.
Here we have used a beautiful handknotted Tibetan rug from Robyn Cosgrove Rugs in a deep inky blue. It grounds the space and defines it for its purpose, and pays special attention to complementing the tonal values in the timber in the furniture and on the floor.
We always ensure that the rug is apppropriately proportioned so that when all the chairs are out, they are all still sitting on the rug.
Image by Derek Swalwell
Adelaide Bragg, Adelaide Bragg & Associates.
We added a Stipple Sisal colour natural rug from Don Currie Carpets to 'ground' and 'relax' the room. The floor boards were very dark and I wanted to lighten the room as well as to add texture and layering against the soft furnishings.
We normally set rugs 30-40cm off the walls; this allows for the floor boards to still be visible and to add scale with a large rug.
Image by David French
Katie Uther, Katie Uther Design
I chose this rug ('Quintessential Crystal' from De Poortere) because it has a lovely texture and colour that worked well with the modern feel I was trying to achieve in this extension to a classic rural country home. The colour also provided a good contrast to the dark stained timber floor.
A rug can really ground a group of furniture that would otherwise seem to float around. I like to size the rug so it extends half way under the sofa or chairs. Sometimes pieces like a flat bottomed cube side table won't work half on / half off, so there is no hard and fast rule. I will, however, always size a rug large enough to overlap the furniture setting in some way.
A rug can really ground a group of furniture that would otherwise seem to float around. I like to size the rug so it extends half way under the sofa or chairs. Sometimes pieces like a flat bottomed cube side table won't work half on / half off, so there is no hard and fast rule. I will, however, always size a rug large enough to overlap the furniture setting in some way.
Brendan Wong, Brendan Wong Design
A generously sized rug will make the room feel bigger by accentuating a larger footprint. I position large sofas partially on the rug and armchairs entirely on the rug, which visually pulls together the furniture into a well grounded grouping. In rooms used by families, large rugs also provide space on which children can sit on the floor. If in doubt about the size of a rug it's always better to go larger as smaller rugs can easily look lost and underwhelming.
Romaine Alwill, Alwill Design
I chose the rug because it reflected the client and grounded the space. The contemporary weave of an Ikat pattern was really suited to the design concept for the whole house. The colours were earthy and rich. I wanted the rug to sit under the sofa but leave some room at the side for circulation.
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