Living Room Rug Placement and How to Break the Rules

In truth, there are not many rules as it comes to living room rug placement. Of course, if you ask at the store they will tell you to buy the largest rug you can afford.

As far as the area rug placement style it’s pretty much about cultural traditions. For example, in Ukraine (my home) a living room rug was proudly in the middle of the living room as a solo with nothing or no one touching it. Because luxuries, such as area rugs were rare, families took special care of them. For example, very often you could see an area rug hung on the wall similar to an art piece.

But let’s talk about what’s working in today’s world of decorating in most of our homes.

Here are the tips for a living room rug placement:

1. Unless you are decorating a playroom, don’t put an area rug in the middle of the living room without any furniture on it.

2. Leave about 18 inches of the floor showing around the area rug.  

It used to be a rule of thumb that 18 inches of space should show in a large living room. This rule has been broken many times but I have to admit that I love this look. Meanwhile, if your living room is on a smaller scale and you want this look, consider leaving out only 6-12 inches around the perimeter of the room.

3. Living room area rug placement should be such so that the front legs of the sofa are on the rug.

This above photo is my interior design work. As you can see, the legs of the sofa just barely touch the area rug. Since a client wanted a specific burgundy color area rug I was after the color more than the rug size. It works with a color scheme and picks from the colors of the upholstery.

This is my other project where the living room area is part of the open floor plan as it connects to the kitchen and dining areas. The area rug defines the living room space. The area rug colors work with the colors of the furnishings pulling the room together.

 A neutral color area rug in the living room above defines the sitting area around the TV. It looks cozy and inviting.

4. Show the pattern of the area rug.

Some area rugs with beautiful patterns are there to make a statement. They are so pretty and so expensive that they, in fact, become a focal point of the room. For instance, a small charcoal and ivory area rug above is placed in front of the sofa so that it’s pattern is shown fully at least at one corner.

5. A living room rug can be of a smaller size in the middle of the room if it’s color blends with the color of the floor.

Here the living room rug placement is between the two sofas. It works because it’s color blends with the color of the floor.

Bottom Line

1. Don’t buy a miniature dollhouse rug just covering a small area in front of the sofa unless it’s color is similar to the floor colors.
2. It always looks better when at least front sofa legs on the rug.
3. Think about safety first. The worst thing is tripping over a rug and falling! Choose a rug with a low pile for wheelchair users.
4. Use padding to protect the floor and the rug.

Please let me know about your decorating dilemma when it comes to living room rug placement. Comment here below and I will be thrilled to help.

Traditional Style Rugs:

Modern Style Rugs:

Boho Style Rugs: