Can A Rug Be Smaller Than A Couch?

It is usually advised against your rug being smaller than your couch, but depending on the living space that you have, you might be able to get away with a rug smaller than your couch.

The mistake you don’t want to make is having a rug too small for your living room. 

Small rugs can get lost in the space and won’t provide your living room with a cohesive and relaxing feel; instead, they can feel disjointed with lots of bare and dead space. 

Ideally, your living room rug should ground the whole seating area and become the room’s focal point.

If the rug is too small, it can get lost in the room, overshadowed by the furniture, and just seem a little disjointed. The last thing you want is a tiny or awkward feeling rug! 

Generally, it's recommended that your rug is the same size or larger than your couch, especially if you are using the rug as an area rug.

You will want the rug large enough for at least two legs of all your furniture to be on it, and all four if you can manage it!

A large rug like this ensures your living room flows and clearly shows where the seating area of your living room is. 

But large rugs aren’t suitable for everyone. If you can, avoid a rug smaller than your couch and follow the tip we mentioned earlier to include your furniture legs on the rug. If you have a smaller living room, you might not be able to achieve this. 

In these cases, you will want to opt for a rug that is smaller than your couch. But avoid going too small.

If possible, aim for it to be just smaller than your couch (get your measuring tape out to ensure that you purchase the right size for the space).

You will still want a smaller rug to fill the space and fill the gap in front of your couch. For smaller rugs, you can leave a small amount of space between the rug and the couch.

Setting it a little in front of the sofa will help make the rug a focal point without seeming too small. 

It's hard to give measurements, as every living room is different, so we recommend measuring your floor and selecting the measurement that will fill the space best.

Be sure to measure twice to ensure that you purchase the correct size rug; there’s nothing worse than having a rug too big or small for the room!

You can also place these smaller rugs underneath the couch if you wish and have it spill outwards. This usually creates a more cozy and intimate vibe, especially if the rug is quite fluffy.

Be sure that the rug is large enough to still be seen and not dominated by the couch! 

This styling usually works best with smaller couches. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules; style the room in the best way for you and the room. 

Should An Area Rug Be Wider Than The Sofa?

Yes, area rugs should be wider than a couch! A good rule of thumb is to allow for a foot of the rug on either side of the sofa to be shown.

Doing so allows you to frame the sofa with the rug and shows off the pattern away from the sofa. A large area rug will allow you to make a statement in your living room.

These larger rugs are perfect for filling up any dead space and will provide you with some comfort for your feet as you move to and from the sofa. 

When it comes to placing your area rug, there are some tips that expert interior decorators suggest you follow.

These will allow you to create a beautiful living space with your large area rug. 

As well as having roughly a foot of rug on either side of the sofa, you will want a minimum of 18-inches of bare floor around the rug.

This allows you to see your bare floor still and ensures that the rug looks like a rug and not a carpet.

If you’ve gone to the trouble of laying beautiful flooring, then you want to see it, don’t you? 

Another tip is to keep the front legs of the sofa and any accent chairs on the rug. You will need to ensure that your rug is large enough to do this, often needing to be wider than the sofa.

Placing the front legs of furniture makes the living room more cohesive and does not seem smaller or disjointed. 

For a cozy vibe, you can place all the sofa’s legs or the sofa itself on top of the rug. Again you will want the rug to be wider than the sofa so that it sticks out either side of the sofa.

Ensure that the amount of rug showing on each side of the sofa is equal to create clean lines and a symmetrical feel to your living room.

This is a fantastic way to showcase your area rug if you have smaller furniture, especially if your sofa is placed against the wall. 

Your area rug should work with your sofa and any other furniture in your room. You want to create a nested look that won’t make any spaces feel cut off or awkward.

It's best to avoid floating an area rug with lots of space between furniture legs. Instead, you want a larger rug than your sofa, which ties your furniture together and gives your living room a comfortable and stylish feel. 

It's important to remember that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to your interior. All the tips we mentioned with your area rug might not suit the space that you have, and that’s okay.

Instead, you should try and incorporate as many as you can, remembering to work with the space you have above any other tips. It might be that your living room is better suited to a rug slightly smaller than your sofa or the same width.

If that’s the case, be sure to center the rug for a more intimate feel.