Rug shape

Rugs are designed to accentuate your space and make your furniture and decor feel cohesive. To do this it's important that you find a shape that flows with your existing room layout to make it feel harmonious rather than chaotic and competitive.

The shape of your rug will indicate the direction of movement around the space, influence the mood and help define the purpose of an area in your room, whether that be for lounging, dining or as a pathway.

If this sounds complicated, don't worry.

Below is a simple run down of what each rug shape signals and harmonises with to help you choose the shape that complements your space.

Rug size

The most important rule to remember…

Bigger is always better

After measuring up your space, always go for the largest rug that fits, allowing a bit of space on each side for some breathing room. A rug that’s too small will look lost in the space. Whereas a large rug will feel intentional and connect everything together, visually expanding the space.

Living room

In your living room you want your rug to connect the seating so it feels like a cohesive zone rather than lots of individual bits. By uniting the furniture in your lounging area it will impose a sense of order that will make the space feel more relaxed - exactly what you need so that you can sit back and unwind.

Key rules when sizing up a rug for your living room:

• All of your furniture should have atleast its front legs on the rug, including your sofas. The one exception is coffee tables which should always have all of their legs on the rug.
• Never have just your coffee table on top of the rug - this creates a little island in the middle of your room that makes the whole space feel disconnected.
• Leave at least 30-45 cm of floor space between a rug and the walls to give it some breathing room.
  

Dining room

Practicality is an important thing to consider when choosing a rug for your dining room as there is lots of movement happening in the space - including chairs being pulled in and out. 

Key rules when sizing up a rug for underneath your dining table:

• Allow enough space so that your dining chairs stay on the rug even when pulled out from the table - this stops chair legs catching the edge of your rug or being half on and half off.
• Layouts in dining rooms should generally follow the rule of thirds to create natural visual balance that doesn't feel stuffy or staged - your rug with your dining table on top should sit in the middle third.

Bedroom

A rug in your bedroom should be a warm place for your feet to step onto when you get out of bed, instead of hitting the cold floor.

There are two different ways that you can approach rugs in your bedroom:

Rectangular area rug underneath the foot of your bed

An area rug should sit under the lower ⅔ of your bed, extending out both sides as well as the foot of your bed. This will maintain a sense of balance and visually expand the width of the room.

We would recommend:

• Our medium sized rugs - for single & small double beds
• Our large sized rugs - for double beds 
• Our extra large sized rugs - for king size & super king beds
  
  

Runners alongside either side of your bed

Runners are a great option if you have hard floors as it gives you more area underfoot to enjoy the rug's cosy comfort and it also helps protect the floor from damage.

When placing runners in your bedroom, they should:

• Be parallel to the sides of the bed
• Be roughly 5-10cm away from either side of the bed
• Align with your bedside tables or start just below them
• Extend beyond the length of the bed

This will ensure your bedroom feels visually balanced as the runners will be close enough to feel united with the bed and your feet will land on them as soon as you get up.

Kitchen

Your kitchen is often the hub of your home with constant traffic throughout the day. You want a rug to enhance the comfort and aesthetic of your room, rather than being a hindrance.

Depending on the configuration of your space, you can either have:

Area rug

• Either centre it in the middle of the space or offset towards main prep zone
• Keep it parallel to the cabinets
• Leave 10-20cm gaps from cabinets
• Don't place underneath stools
• Works for single wall, C-shaped and L-shaped kitchens
  

Runner

• Keep it parallel to the cabinets
• Position it alongside the main prep area
• Leave a 2-5cm gap from kickboards
• Leave a 5-15cm gap at each end
• For C-shaped or L-shaped kitchens, you can either have identical runners along each side of your workspace or one runner alongside the side that's your main prep zone
• Works for galley, single wall, L-shaped or C-shaped kitchens
  

Hallways

In hallways you should always use a runner as it will indicate flow and exaggerate the length of the space.

These are the golden rules when it comes to runner placement in hallways:

• Always centrally align the runner for a balanced feel
• Keep it parallel to the walls
• Leave a 15-20cm gap from the walls to give it space to breathe
  
• Ensure that doors can open without catching the runner
  

Office

In an office the focus is your desk, that's why how you size your rug depends on where your desk is in the room.

If your desk faces into the room:

• Your desk should fit fully on the rug
• Your office chair should fit on the rug even when pulled out

If your desk is against the wall:

• At least the front legs of your desk should sit on the rug
• Your office chair should fit on the rug even when pulled out

Garden (outdoor rugs)

The size and placement of your outdoor rugs should be based on the furniture grouping rather than the outdoor area as a whole. Each zone in your garden will follow the same rules as the corresponding room in your home - the dining area follows the dining room rules, the lounging area follows the living room rules, etc.

Rug style

Traditional, abstract, geometric or plain - at daals we offer a wide array of rug styles. But how do you know whether a rug will harmonise with the rest of your interior?

What is your room's existing personality?

It might seem obvious but before deciding on the style of your rug you should think about the personality your room has.

When accessorising your space with a rug there are two ways you can go:

• Seamlessly blend it into your space by choosing a style that complements the existing personality
• Make it a statement piece by choosing a style that contrasts the existing personality

What colour is your furniture?

An important consideration when it comes to rug colour is your furniture.

You don't want your space to all be the same colour as it will make it feel flat and staged. That's why accessories should aim to balance with your furniture.

• If your furniture is dark then a light rug will lift the space.
• If your furniture is light then a dark rug will ground the space.
• If your furniture has loud colours then a neutral rug will help to calm the space.
• If your furniture is neutral and simple, a rug with pattern and colour will add character and depth to your space.

A good way to choose a colour palette for your rug is to pick out a couple of tones from accessories already in your room. Whether it be the colour of your cushions or even framed artwork on the walls, this will make the space feel cohesive.