How To Find The Right Bedroom Rugs For Your Home

Last Updated December 15, 2022 By Bella Zinti

The right bedroom rugs can make all the difference in your home. Grounding your space in comfort and style, it'll bring a cozy, inviting feel to the room— whether it's your master bedroom or a guest room around the house.

To help you to design the perfect bedroom, we're highlighting a few helpful tips on how to find the perfect rug for your bed size, room configuration, and desired appearance.

How to Pick The Perfect Bedroom Area Rugs

Decide on Placement

First things first, you'll need to decide where the rug will be placed in the room. Are you searching for a rug that'll fill the whole floor? Something compact and cozy to go under your bedroom vanity table? Determining where the rug will be placed in the room is the quickest way to narrow down the size and shape you're looking for. Here are a few common ways to style a bedroom rug:

Covering Almost the Entire Floor

For maximum comfort underfoot, choose an area rug that covers almost the entire floor. Though it'll be a bit more of an investment, a larger rug will transform the space's look and feel. It's the perfect solution for a rental's unsightly carpet or laminate flooring.

Partially Under the Bed

The most popular bedroom rug placement is half to three-quarters under the bed. It'll bring a sense of coziness to your space and offer something soft to step on when you get out of bed in the morning without fully concealing the floor below.

Bedside Runner

A beside runner or two can add style to your bedroom space and softness underfoot without costing nearly as much as a large area rug. Use one alongside a bed placed in the corner of a small bedroom, or place a pair of runners on each side of a bed centered along a back wall. An added bonus: they're far easier to repurpose in a hallway, kitchen, or entryway.

Determine the Right Rug Size

Now that you've decided where to place your bedroom rug, it's time to narrow down what rug size you are looking for. Here are a few helpful tips on how to find the correct rug size for your space:

cozy bedroom with patterned bedroom rug

Source: Unsplash

Bedroom sizes

If you're looking for a bedroom area rug that covers most of the room, you'll first need to determine the overall dimensions of the space. To keep your space from feeling cramped, you'll want to leave one to two feet of flooring exposed around the perimeter. Shop for something with the same length-to-width ratio as your space to ensure an even amount on each side.

Bed Size

As the two largest objects in the room, your bed and area rug need to feel balanced. Bedroom rugs that are too big or too small can throw off the proportions of the space. For a queen-sized bed, stick with 8 x 10-foot and 9 x 12-foot rugs. For a king-sized bed, you'll want something that measures at least 9 x 12 feet.

round carpet bedroom

Source: Unsplash

Shape

Though most area rugs are rectangular in shape, there are still plenty of square, circular, and novelty-shaped rugs out there. What shape best suits your bedroom configuration?

Consider Your Bedroom Decor

Once you've narrowed down the rug size you're shopping for, then it's all down to appearances. While your final selection is entirely up to your personal preferences, we're offering some guidance to ensure your new rug coordinates well with your preexisting bedroom decor.

Decor Style

Boho, coastal, modern, or vintage-inspired, a bedroom area rug complements it all. Flip through home decor magazines, scroll through Pinterest, or scour your Tik-Tok For You Page for inspiration.

Colors

Choosing an area rug color can feel like a big commitment. Are you sticking with an understated, neutral color palette or something that'll make a serious statement? Use the colors in your bedding, furniture, and wall decor to guide your decision.

You'll also want to consider the most practical colors for your space. In general, darker colors make for easy cleaning, as they hide dirt better than lighter shades like white or ivory. If you're the type of household to keep your shoes on indoors, you'll definitely want something grey or brown.

Patterns

A patterned area rug can make a tasteful statement or totally overwhelm a space, and it's all down to how it's styled. As a rule of thumb, avoid a patterned area rug if you have patterned bedding and pillows, as that could potentially clash.

Textures

Additionally, you'll need to pay attention to the rug's texture, known as the carpet's "pile." The longer the loops, the thicker and fluffier the rug will feel. While a shag carpet adds warmth and softness, something with a low pile lends a sleek, understated feel.

Custom Rugs

If you're willing to spend the time and money, it's worth splurging on a custom-made rug. You'll be able to personalize every last detail: size, color, pile height, material, and more! Think of it as a work of art you can walk on.

dog in the bedroom

Source: Pexels

Think Practically

Your new bedroom rug is something you'll use every day, so functionality should remain top of mind when shopping. Here are a few practical things that should factor into your final decision:

Pets and Kids

If you've got pets or kids, there may be better choices than a high-priced ivory rug. Look for something made with a stain-repellant material that's easy to clean. Stick to colors and textures that hide dirt easily.

Apartment Living

If you're shopping for an apartment, there's a good chance your rug will be placed in multiple spaces over the years. When shopping for your current residence, keep in mind how well the rug would work in future apartments. Once you tire of seeing it in the bedroom, could it be repurposed as part of your dining room or living room furniture?

Material

While traditionally, rugs were made of wool or silk, most modern iterations are woven from synthetic yarns that can meet the demands of everyday life. It's especially important to double-check the materials if your skin is sensitive to wool. For kids, pets, and high-traffic areas, stick to rugs made from something durable and stain-resistant.

Price

A large area rug can be quite an investment, especially if you're shopping for something custom-made or ethically crafted. While cheaper rugs can seem like quite the score at first, their materials and construction techniques likely will only last for a while. If your budget allows, it's worth investing in something that's truly a functional work of art.

Test Before You Buy

Think you've found the perfect area rug for your bedroom? Before finalizing your purchase, double-check that it's the right size for your space by placing painter's tape on the floor. This will help you get a sense of how large or small the rug will feel in relation to the rest of the room. As technology advances, more and more rug companies have apps with augmented reality features that can help you imagine how the rug may look in your space.


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About the author

Bella has a Bachelors degree in interior design, is a master gardener. She designs nourishing outdoor & indoor spaces guided by the practice of Feng Shui.