Are there any "rules" for selecting rug sizes? We're not sure whether to get a 5X8 or an 8X10.?

Question

Are rugs supposed to more or less engulf a room and be under the legs of your furniture (in our case that would be the 8X10), or are they used more as accents rugs in front of couches and chairs, not actually touching the furniture but filling the empty space....hence the 5X8?

Or are there no rules and anything goes in the world of rugs?

Also, any suggestions for selecting a pattern are welcome. Our chairs are neutral, but the couch has a strong leaf with some floral pattern to it, and in addition to struggling with size and colors to match it, we're also having problems with pattern on pattern. I suppose the safest thing to do would be just to forget rugs, since we seem to be challenged in this area - but the floor desperately needs something and the room needs a punch of color to balance it.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

All comes down to what furniture you have.  From that you figure out the rugs.

Answer 2

The whole point of using area rugs (other than the warm fuzzy feel under your feet) is to "define" an area.

If you're using a rug in a dining room, you want it to be large enough so that the table and all of the chairs fit comfortably on the rug, even when the chairs are pulled out.

If you're using a rug to define a conversation area/furniture grouping in a living room, you want it to be large enough so that all of the furniture pieces in that grouping fit onto the area rug.

There is a debate among designers/decorators regarding this issue.  Some believe that only the front legs of each furniture piece needs to touch the rug, while others believe that the entire piece of furniture should fit on the rug.  I say purchase one that the entire pieces of furniture can fit onto IF it fits into your budget.

Answer 3

The rugs should be under the legs of accent pieces like kitchen tables or accent-end table.  I'm not sure if the "rule" extends to the larger pieces.