Bedroom Rug Size & Placement: Everything You Need to Know
If you have been wondering how to choose the right area rug for your bedroom or under your bed, you are in the right place. Bedroom rug placement and sizing can be so confusing, which makes shopping for one downright overwhelming. What size rug for a queen bed? What size rug for a king bed? So many questions. And I'm going to answer all of them for you! I'm also sharing some of my favorite affordable rugs at the end of this post.
Rug size and placement are topics that I talk about in Designer in a Binder because area rugs can be such an important part of getting an interior design for a room just right. There’s nothing that brings a room together quite like a beautiful area rug. Similarly, nothing looks quite as disjointed as a rug that’s too small or dwarfs the space. It’s all about balance. If you’re wondering where to buy a great rug, there are plenty of places to buy affordable rugs and I'm also sharing some affordable options at the end of this post.
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Why Does a Bedroom Need an Area Rug?
I have had to emphasize the importance of area rugs to my own husband so many times. When we installed new flooring in our old bedroom and again in our current home, Joe said, “Let's not put an area rug down. I don't want to cover up the nice floors.”
I wish you could have seen my face both times. Needless to say, I did my best to explain to him why area rugs in in all rooms are so important, including bedrooms.
A bedroom rug helps define and anchor your space. And an area rug in a bedroom can literally help define a sleeping area from another area if you have a large bedroom with a sitting area, makeup vanity, etc. In the colorful master suite in our old home, we had an area rug under our bed and an area rug in the sitting area–this helped define both spaces.
And then there's the fact that if you have hard flooring in your bedroom, an area rug can help make the space feel more cozy both visually and literally–hard floors can feel cold on your feet when you get out of bed in the morning!
Finally, do not underestimate the design impact a rug can make in any space. Area rugs are such an important way to add color, texture, pattern and interest to a bedroom. It's this reason that we have areas rugs in Avery's bedroom and Attley's bedroom even though they have wall-to-wall carpeting (yes, you can absolutely use area rugs on carpet).
Key Bedroom Rug Considerations
- The most common rug size for a king-sized bed is 9′ x 12′.
- The most common rug size for a queen-sized bed is 8′ x 10′.
- A bedroom area rug should extend at least 18 to 24-inches beyond the sides and the foot of any bed.
- The length of your bedroom rug should run perpendicular to your bed.
- Leave between 10″ and 24″ between your rug and bedroom walls.
How to choose the right size rug for a bedroom is very different from how to choose the right rug size for a living room. In a bedroom, your biggest considerations are the size of your bed and the size of your room. But you also need to consider any other furniture you have in the space. The most common rug size for a queen-sized bed is 8′ x 10′. The most common rug size for a king-sized bed is 9′ x 12′. I go into the best size rug for your bed size in far more detail below, so keep reading!
Generally, a bedroom area rug should extend at least 18 to 24-inches beyond the sides and the foot of any bed, regardless of the size of the bed. That said, you don’t want your rug to be so big that it nearly touches the walls of your bedroom. You want to leave some space between your bedroom walls and your area rug (between 10″ and 24″).
And this may seem counterintuitive, but the length of your bedroom rug should run perpendicular to your bed.
What Furniture Should Sit On Your Bedroom Rug?
Not everyone agrees on how a bedroom rug “should” be placed. I've even followed different “rules” because every bedroom size and shape is so different. So instead of thinking of “rules” “guidelines” think in terms of options.
3 Options for Furniture Placement on a Bedroom Rug
There are 3 common options for furniture placement on a bedroom rug:
- Only your bed sits on your rug.
- Your entire bed, nightstands and any furniture at the end of your bed (bench, arm chairs, etc.) sit on your rug.
- Only 2/3 to 3/4 of your bed and any furniture at the end of your bed (bench, arm chairs, etc.) sit on your rug.
Below is my sketch of the bedroom rug sizing and placement that is most typical in bedrooms. You can see that the rug is large enough to fit under 3/4 of the bed, but the nightstands do not sit on the rug. And the rug is large enough to extend at least 18 to 24-inches beyond the sides of the bed.
What Size Rug Does My Bedroom Need?
Obviously, the “right size” depends upon the size of your bed and your room. The most common bedroom room rug sizes are 8′ x 10′, 9′ x 12′ and 12′ x 18′. The most common rug size for queen-sized bed is 8′ x 10′. The most common rug size for king-sized bed is 9′ x 12′. With very few exceptions, a 5′ x 8′ rug or 5′ x 7′ rug is too small for a bedroom.
What Size Rug for King Bed?
A king-size bed is 76 inches wide x 80 inches long. A California king-size bed is 72 inches wide x 84 inches long. A rug placed under a king size bed should be at least 9′ x 12′. If your room is large enough and your budget allows for it, you could go even larger.
I've seen people use 8′ x 10′ rugs under king beds and the rug always looks dwarfed by the bed. The scale is just off.
You can see in our current bedroom we have used a 9′ x 12′ rug under our king size bed. The rug goes up to the bedside tables, but the bedside tables do not sit on the rug. The rug is also large enough to fit 3/4 of our bed + the bench at the end of our bed on it and still extends at least 18 to 24-inches beyond the bench.
In our the colorful master bedroom in our last home, we also used a 9′ x 12′ rug under our king size bed, but chose to have our entire bed and nightstands sit on the rug as well.
What Size Rug for a Queen Bed?
A queen-size bed is 60 inches wide x 80 inches long. So you can use an 8′ x 10′ rug under a queen bed, but again, I generally favor a larger rug if your room and budget can handle it.
We used an 8′ x 10′ rug under the queen size bed in our colorful guest room because it's a fairly small room and a larger rug would have been too big. But you can see there is still plenty of rug extending beyond each side and the end of the bed.
We have also used an 8′ x 10′ area rug under the queen size bed in our daughter Avery's bedroom. And yes, her area rug is on top of carpet :) Area rugs are too important for the design of a bedroom to skip it just because you have wall-to-wall carpeting in a space.
What Size Rug for a Full Bed?
A full-size beds is 54” wide and 75” long, so it is smaller than a queen bed. That said, I would treat a full bed as a queen size bed for the purpose of choosing the right rug size.
Remember how I've mentioned a couple of times to go for a larger rug if your budget and room size can handle it? That's what we have done in our daughter Attley's room even though her vintage Jenny Lind bed is only a full-size bed. Her room is HUGE, so it just looked better visually to use a larger rug under her bed. (Side note, this is the same rug that we used in the sitting area of our bedroom in our old home).
What Size Rug for Twin Bed(s)?
This depends a lot on the layout of the room and if there is more than one twin bed in the space. If there is a single twin bed, you could probably get away with a 5′ x 7′ or 6′ x 9′ rug. And if you have two twin beds placed parallel to each other, you could potentially use a 5′ x 7′ or 6′ x 9′ rug to sit in between the two beds, though I think one rug enough for both beds to sit on is generally a better choice.
So there you have it! I hope you now feel ready to choose your next bedroom rug without stressing over what size to get or how your furniture should sit on it!
Where Can I Buy an Affordable Rug for My Bedroom?
I've sourced some beautiful and affordable rugs for you! The prices are based on an 8 x 10 size and are grouped based on the price at the time I'm writing this post. If you click on one and it's over the price of the group it is in, rest assured it is likely to go on sale so keep your eye on it if you love it! You can also follow me on Like to Know It where I often share sales on rugs that I love! And if you need a rug pad, be sure the check out my rug pad guide.
Large Rugs Under $300
Click on any rug below for full product details.
Large Rugs Under $500
Click on any rug below for full product details.
Large Rugs Under $600
Click on any rug below for full product details.
More RUG Posts
Be sure to save this post so you can refer back to it whenever you need to :)
Other posts you may enjoy:
- How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger: 9 Simple Tricks
- Best Sofa Options for Every Color and Budget
- How to Choose Paint Colors for Your Home: 6 Simple Tips to Follow
- 8 Interior Design Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You are Making (and How to Fix Them)
- How to Make a Mood Board: A Step-by-Step Guide
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Hello and thanks for the great info. in this article. I have a dilemma where my king size bed takes up most of the room space. I have about 33 inches on one side (walk in closet and sliding glass door on wall) 38 inches on the other (vanity/stool and nightstand on that wall) and 54 inches from the foot of the bed to the wall. (Dresser on that wall) If I get the 9 x 12 as recommended, it leaves hardly any room from the area rug to the walls. But if I get the 8 x 10 it leaves the right amount of spacing from the walls and furniture. You mention that the king size bed would overpower a 8 x 10 so what would you suggest? My carpet is very unflattering, thin and low pile. Thank you so much for your time.
Jeannette
Hi Jeannette. In that situation, I would get the 9 x 12 :)