One of the biggest mistakes we see in our interior design business is the complete lack of rugs in short-term rental bedrooms. We aim to change that, however overwhelming that may seem (goals!). As easy it is to say “put rugs in your bedrooms,” we choose to be a little more detailed. In that spirit, here’s why rugs are important and specifically how to choose the right size rug for your bedrooms.
We know how most people react when we mention rugs in bedrooms – “what size and how do I place it?!” It can seem daunting, especially the idea of the price tag. Most owners have already spent quite a lot on everything else in the bedroom – the mattress, the bed, dresser, nightstands, art, lighting – and want to skip the rug to save a little money. It’s true that rugs can be pricey. But let us assure you: it’s a big-menu item in your bedroom.
Why?
Firstly, guests like something soft to put their feet on in between being in bed and not being in bed. Think of it as that special in-between realm that needs to be soft and comforting; secondly, it grounds your bedroom design, completes it so the whole thing comes together. Think of it like putting frosting on a cake – if you skip it, your cake (bedroom) looks skimpy and not finished.
However, not any ol’ rug size will do; it needs to look right. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty rules for sizing.
The thing to understand first is that each person in bed needs a minimum of 18″ of rug on their side of the bed. This roughly translates into the following:
KING BED = 8′ X 10′ to 9′ x 12′ rug
DOUBLE/QUEEN BED = 5′ x 8′ to 8′ x 10′
TWIN BED = 3′ X 5′ to 5′ x 8′
With regard to determining rug size, we highly recommend that you err on the side of the biggest rug you can fit in the bedroom. We have noticed unfailingly that people tend to buy rugs that are too small. Maybe it’s because 5′ × 7’s and 6′ x 9’s are so much cheaper than 8′ x 10’s or 9′ x 12’s. Here’s the problem: too-small rugs make the room look chopped up and random, so you end up losing money (because it looks so bad that you end up donating it and buying a bigger rug). The key is to remember that one of the main functions of a rug is to pull a room together, not chop it up.
After all, there’s a reason “go big or go home” is a thing.
Here is our three-step approach to buying rugs for bedrooms:
1. Assume the rug goes under the bed.
This is our hands-down, rarely strayed from, advice because it simply looks the best. If you can’t do it (when a bed is pushed up against one wall or if you have a built-in bed), then an ample rug beside the bed is next best. When I say ample, I mean that the rug’s length should be close to the bed’s length.
Unless it’s not physically possible, we design a bedroom so the rug sits under the bed. In this project, we specified that the queen bed sits on an 8′ x 10′ rug. The vintage rug’s pattern plays into all of the other elements in the bedroom’s overall design. Design by 1 Chic Retreat
In those cases where a rug can only fit on one side of the bed then go big and ample. You can see that the rug besides the built-in bed of this LA County tiny house is almost the same length as the bed. Design by 1 Chic Retreat
2. Take into account the size of your bed (notice I said ‘bed,’ not ‘mattress’) before shopping for a rug and get the closest one that allows a minimum of 18″ on either side, assuming the rug goes under the bed.
Measure your bed and then determine the best size rug that will amply allow a minimum of 18″ on either side of the bed assuming the rug lies under the bed. The sides are more important than the foot of your bed because people use the sides to get in and out of bed and thus want rug real estate for their footsies.
The rug does not have to be equal on both sides of the bed; in fact, symmetry is rare, so there is no need to worry about it. The important number is the 18.”
This queen bedroom with an 8′ x 10′ sisal rug has an ample 24″ of rug on both sides of the bed. Design by 1 Chic Retreat
This king bed in a Santa Monica short-term rental sits on a 9′ x 12′ rug. The left side of the bed has an ample 30″ of rug for guests’ footsies. The other side, however, sports 20″ due to space constraints. Symmetry isn’t necessary. Design by 1 Chic Retreat
3. Orient the rug to the room
If you have a long, lean space for a bed, orient the rug lengthwise. If you have more of a short, chubby space, orient it horizontally. In other words, if you have a really long and skinny bedroom, you will have to lay the longest length of the rug parallel to the sides of the bed; likewise, if the space is wide, but short, lay the rug so the longest sides of the rug are perpendicular to the sides of the bed.
Look at the bedroom floor plans from our Marquette, MI project to understand what we mean:
In this bedroom, the queen bed sits in a space that runs vertically to the bed, therefore we ran the rug so the longest side of the rug runs parallel to the sides of the bed. We call this the long and lean approach.
In this bedroom, the king bed sits in a space that runs horizontally to the bed, therefore we ran the rug so the longest side of the rug runs perpendicular to the sides of the bed. We call this the short and chubby approach.
We oriented the rug in this Palm Springs short-term rental so the long side of the rug is perpendicular to the sides of the king bed because the space was short and chubby. Because the rug wasn’t wide enough for a 24″ nightstand, we floated the nightstand so the rug wouldn’t cut the width of it. See below for a further explanation on rugs and nightstands.
PS. Hey, what about the nightstands? On or off the rug?
In a perfect world, the rug sits completely off or completely on the nightstand. Second-best is the rug cuts somewhere in the depth of the rug (running half-way or a third of the way back of the nightstand). Our least favorite approach is when the rug cuts somewhere in the middle of the width of the nightstand. If the latter situation can’t be helped, we prefer to float the nightstand to lift it completely off the floor so you don’t notice.
In this tiny house bedroom loft, we placed the night table all the way on the rug. Design by 1 Chic Retreat
In this instance, the rug sits in front and completely spans the width of the nightstand. Design by 1 Chic Retreat
Alright, any other rug sizing for bedroom questions? There’s a lot to talk about here and a lot of info out there, so ask away at 1chicretreat@gmail.com and we’ll get to all of your questions.
