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Result

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How the calculator works

Bare floor around the rug. A rug should not touch the walls. The calculator leaves 18 inches of floor on every side in a room 11 feet wide or more, 12 inches in a smaller one and 8 inches in a very small one.
Wider than the sofa. The rug should pass the sofa by at least 6 inches on each side. A rug narrower than the sofa looks like a bath mat.
Standard sizes. 4 x 6, 5 x 8, 6 x 9, 8 x 10, 9 x 12, 10 x 14 and 12 x 15 feet.

The three layouts

Front legs on. The front legs of the sofa and of every chair stand on the rug. This ties the seating together and works in most rooms. It is the usual choice for a small living room. The calculator gives one size down from the largest rug that fits.
All legs on. All the furniture stands on the rug. It needs a larger rug and a room big enough to leave floor around it.
Coffee table only. Nothing but the table stands on the rug. This is the layout to avoid: the rug floats in the middle and the room looks smaller. It is acceptable only when a larger rug would not fit at all.

Between two sizes

Take the larger one, as long as some floor still shows on every side. In a small room people tend to buy a 5 x 8 where a 6 x 9 or an 8 x 10 would make the room look bigger.

Which way to turn it

Lay the long side of the rug along the long side of the room, and in line with the sofa.

Before you buy

Add a rug pad. It stops the rug sliding and makes a thin rug feel thicker.
Check that doors open over the rug. A thick pile can block a door that clears the bare floor.

Furniture sized for small rooms, with the layout rule for each piece, is in small living room furniture ideas. For a patio or balcony, use the outdoor rug size calculator.

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