When it comes to decorating and planning the layout of a living room, rugs are arguably one of the most important foundational pieces — they set the tone for the space overall and help designate zones for certain areas. Plus, whether you’re styling a brand-new home or just redecorating your current living room, it’s often best to work from the ground up by prioritizing buying a rug before any big-ticket furniture items. That way, you don’t have to worry about maneuvering your couch and coffee table to lay the rug down later.
While size and color play an important role in finding the best rug for your space, a rug’s placement in your living room can also really change the look. Should yours go flush against the wall or sit in the middle of the floor? How do you layer two rugs or style a round design? There’s no right or wrong way to position a rug — it all comes down to your living room setup and style preferences — but we broke down a few layout tips and ideas below.
Tips for Styling a Living Room Rug
Living Room Rug Placement Ideas
If you’re working with a lot of square footage, you’ll want a large, appropriately sized area rug to fill out the space. To prevent this accent from dominating the entire room, though, you can layer all your furniture on top of the rug to help break things up visually and anchor the vignette. This coverage also gives you more freedom to play around with bold colors and patterns, as your seating and coffee table will layer directly over it and diffuse the look.
If you don’t have the budget for a massive 9′ by 12′ or 12′ by 15′ style, or if your furniture rests against a wall, you can size down slightly with a rug that accommodates the front legs of your seating only — whether you’re working with two sofas or loveseats, a sofa and two chairs, or a sectional paired with one chair. Just make sure the rug is low-pile, such as a wool or cotton flatweave, so that anything positioned partially on the rug doesn’t wobble.
Floating Between Furniture
Another placement idea that allows you to work with a smaller rug? Floating it in the middle of the living room. This works especially well for L-shaped seating vignettes or if you have a particularly long couch that would require an extensive rug to cover the full span. Bonus: This setup makes it easier to clean a rug, too, as you don’t have to navigate underneath sofa legs with a vacuum or duster.
I love the juxtaposition of an oversized round rug against traditionally hard-edged sofas and tables, but these can be tricky to style in small spaces. Try centering a round carpet in line with your sofa or sectional, whether it’s big enough to partially tuck underneath or is simply floating out in space with your coffee table.
For added texture and pattern play, consider stacking two rugs in different sizes. Just make sure that the ratios of the dimensions still feel proportionate — a small 3′ by 5′ rug might look like a postage stamp layered over something that’s quadruple the size — and that the top style extends well beyond your coffee table on all sides.
Who says rugs always have to be placed parallel to your sofa? Forego the conventional styling method and rotate an area rug so that it runs length-wise in your living room. This works well if you’re trying to fill out more floor space in a narrow or compact space, but as a rule of thumb, make sure the width is still big enough to accommodate your full sofa.