Which rug goes under your sofa and table

A rug that is too small is the most common thing we see in photos people send us for design help. It sits in the middle of the room like a bath mat, and the sofa and chairs float around it. The fix is nearly always one size up.

The Field Wool Rug comes in three sizes: 5′ × 8′, 8′ × 10′ and 9′ × 12′. Here is which one goes where, with the numbers we use in the showroom.

Under a sofa: front legs on, or all legs on

There are two ways to place a rug in a living room. With the front legs on, the rug starts under the front of the sofa and the chairs, and the back legs stand on the floor. With all legs on, every piece stands on the rug. Both work; what doesn’t work is a rug that touches nothing.

Either way, let the rug run past the sofa by 6–12″ on each side. A rug exactly as wide as the sofa looks too small, even when it isn’t.

• 74″ Apartment sofa: a 5′ × 8′ (96″ long) with the front legs on, or an 8′ × 10′ for the whole seating area
• 86″ Standard sofa: an 8′ × 10′, with the 10′ side along the sofa
• 98″ Grand sofa or the Lowell Sectional: a 9′ × 12′, with the front legs on

Around a coffee table

The coffee table should stand fully on the rug, with at least 12″ of rug showing on every side. The Mesa Round Coffee Table is 36″ across, so even the 5′ × 8′ leaves room, but in most living rooms the table sits 16–18″ from the sofa, and that is what pushes you to the larger sizes.

Leave about 18″ between the rug’s edge and the wall. Less, and the room looks as if the rug was bought for a different one.

Under a dining table

Under a table, the rule is simple: the rug needs to reach at least 24″ past the table on every side, so a chair can be pulled out and pushed back in without its back legs catching the edge. Measure the table, add 48″ to its length and its width, and choose the rug that covers both.

• Arden Round Dining Table, 48″: 48 + 48 = 96″, so an 8′ × 10′
• Arden Extending Dining Table at 72″ × 38″: 120″ × 86″, so an 8′ × 10′ just covers it
• Arden Extending opened to 94″: 142″ long, so a 9′ × 12′

If you open your table only twice a year, choose the rug for its everyday length and accept that the end chairs stand on the floor at Thanksgiving.

Height, doors and rug pads

The Field rug is a flat weave about 0.3″ thick, so doors swing over it and chairs slide on it. Lay it on a rug pad: it keeps the rug from creeping, gives it a little give underfoot and protects the floor from the wool’s grip. Choose a pad 1–2″ smaller than the rug on each side, so it doesn’t show.

A new wool rug sheds for its first weeks. Vacuum it without the beater bar, or with the bar raised, once or twice a week until it stops.

Still not sure

Tape the outline of the rug on the floor, the same way we suggest for a sofa, and leave it a day. Or send us a photo of the room with its measurements through the contact form, with the topic Design help, and we’ll suggest a size.