Article: What Size Rug Do You Need? A Room-by-Room Guide, Drawn to Scale
What Size Rug Do You Need? A Room-by-Room Guide, Drawn to Scale
A carpet can have the right colours and the right design and still look wrong, because it is one size too small for the furniture around it. Size is also the one thing a photograph on a screen cannot show you.
This guide gives the measurements that work room by room, in centimetres, with drawings made to scale. It also explains the two tools we have added to azimzadeh.ae so you can judge size before you buy: a to-scale drawing on carpet pages and a Shop by size section.
In short: measure the furniture group, not the walls. In a living room, 200 × 300 cm puts the front legs of the sofa on the rug and 300 × 400 cm carries the whole seating group. Under a dining table, add 60 to 70 cm on every side. Under a king bed, 200 × 300 cm is the minimum that leaves a soft landing on both sides. In a hallway, leave 10 to 15 cm of floor showing along each edge.
Start with the furniture, not the walls
A rug frames a group of furniture. So the first measurement is the footprint of that group: the sofa and chairs, the dining table with its chairs pulled out, or the bed with its bedside tables. The room itself only sets the upper limit.
- Leave roughly 20 to 45 cm of bare floor between the rug and the walls, so it reads as a rug and not as fitted carpet.
- Keep the rug clear of door swings, especially with a thick pile.
- Mark the outline on the floor with masking tape before you decide. It takes five minutes and settles most doubts.
Living room: three layouts
- Under the coffee table: 150 × 200 or 150 × 225 cm. The rug sits in the middle and all the furniture stands around it. Right for a compact room, or when the floor itself deserves to be seen.
- Front legs on: 200 × 300 cm. The front legs of the sofa and chairs rest on the rug. This is the most forgiving layout and it ties the seating together.
- Everything on: 300 × 400 cm and larger. The whole group stands on the rug with some border left around it. It needs space, and it is the layout that shows a large carpet at its best.
One point specific to Persian carpets: a design with a central medallion looks best when the medallion is not hidden. If the coffee table would cover it, go one size up or choose an all-over design.
Browse handmade: 150 × 200 cm, 200 × 300 cm, 300 × 400 cm. Machine-made: 150 × 225 cm, 200 × 300 cm, 300 × 400 cm.
Dining room: the table plus the pulled-out chairs
The test is simple: when someone pushes a chair back to stand up, all four legs should still be on the rug. That means 60 to 70 cm of rug beyond the table edge on every side.
- Table for four, about 120 × 80 cm: 200 × 300 cm.
- Table for six, about 180 × 90 cm: 250 × 350 cm.
- Table for eight, about 240 × 100 cm: 300 × 400 cm.
- Round table: a round or square rug whose width is the table diameter plus 120 to 140 cm.
Bedroom: what your feet land on
In a bedroom the rug is for bare feet, so what matters is how much of it shows beside the bed. Lay it across the bed, starting just in front of the bedside tables.
- 200 × 300 cm under a king bed leaves about 60 cm on each side.
- 250 × 350 cm leaves about 85 cm on each side and more at the foot.
- Two small rugs, around 100 × 150 cm, one on each side, do the same job with less carpet.
Hallways and entrances
A runner should leave 10 to 15 cm of floor visible along each side and stop short of the doors at both ends. Measure the narrowest point of the corridor, not the widest. For an entrance, a piece of about 100 × 150 cm is usually enough. Check that the door clears the pile.
Browse: handmade runners, machine-made runners, handmade 100 × 150 cm.
The standard sizes side by side
| Size | Area | Fits | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 × 150 cm | 1.5 m² | Entrance, bedside | Handmade · Machine-made |
| 150 × 200 cm (machine-made: 150 × 225) | 3 to 3.4 m² | Under a coffee table | Handmade · Machine-made |
| 200 × 300 cm | 6 m² | Front legs of the sofa on; dining table for four; king bed | Handmade · Machine-made |
| 250 × 350 cm | 8.75 m² | Most living rooms; dining table for six | Handmade · Machine-made |
| 300 × 400 cm | 12 m² | Whole seating group; dining table for eight | Handmade · Machine-made |
| 400 × 600 cm | 24 m² | Open-plan rooms, majlis | Handmade · Machine-made |
Handmade carpets also come in 350 × 500 cm and in sizes larger than 24 m². They are one of a kind, so their sizes rarely land on a round number. Each size collection groups pieces close to that size, and the product page gives the measured width and length. For the traditional Persian names behind these sizes, such as zar o nim, qaliche and the "12 metre" carpet, see Persian rug sizes: traditional names and dimensions.
See any carpet to scale before you decide
Carpet pages on our site now have a section called See it to scale. It draws that exact carpet, at its real width and length, next to a 3-seat sofa 220 cm wide. Switch to Bedroom and it is drawn with a king bed instead. The floor is a grid of one-metre squares, so you can count the metres.
- On machine-made carpets that come in several sizes, pick a size and the drawing changes with it.
- Carpet wall art is drawn on a wall above the sofa, with a line at eye level, about 150 cm from the floor.
- On the home page, Shop by size shows each size with the same furniture, for handmade and for machine-made carpets, and takes you to the pieces in stock in that size.
The drawing shows proportion, not colour or texture. For those, in Dubai we can bring carpets to you: ask about our Free Home Trial and home visit.
Frequently asked questions
What size rug goes with a 3-seat sofa?
200 × 300 cm puts the front legs of the sofa and chairs on the rug. 300 × 400 cm carries the whole seating group. 150 × 200 or 150 × 225 cm sits under the coffee table only.
What size rug goes under a king-size bed?
200 × 300 cm is the minimum: laid across a 180 cm wide bed it leaves about 60 cm on each side. 250 × 350 cm leaves about 85 cm.
How much bigger than the dining table should the rug be?
60 to 70 cm on every side, so the chairs stay on the rug when they are pulled out. For a 180 × 90 cm table that means 250 × 350 cm.
How much floor should show around a rug?
Roughly 20 to 45 cm between the rug and the walls in a room, and 10 to 15 cm along each side of a hallway runner.
Can I see how a carpet will look in my room before buying?
Each carpet page on azimzadeh.ae draws the piece to scale next to a 3-seat sofa or a king bed. In Dubai you can also ask for a Free Home Trial, where carpets are laid out in your own space.
Start here
Send us the measurements of your room, or a photo of the space, and we will suggest carpets in the right size.
- WhatsApp: +971 56 322 0485
- Showroom: +971 4 250 2123 — Al Barsha 2, Dubai
- Email: info@azimzadeh.ae
Azimzadeh — Persian carpets since 1969. Dubai showroom: Azimzadeh Carpet Trading LLC, Al Barsha 2. The measurements in this guide are general guidelines. Handmade carpets vary by a few centimetres, so confirm the measured size of the piece before you commit to it.
Related reading: Persian rug sizes and their traditional names · machine-made carpets: sizes and shapes · decorating with handmade rugs
