How this calculator works
A rug anchors a room when the floor visible around it forms an even border. Taking the same border off both the length and the width keeps the proportions of the room and gives the rug the same gap on every side. For a dining table or a seating group the logic flips: the rug has to be larger than the furniture so chairs or front legs stay on it when people move. A dining chair pulled out needs about 60 cm of rug behind its back legs, and a sofa or armchair should have its front legs on the rug. The area and cost follow directly from the rug dimensions.
Formula
room mode: rug length = room length - 2 x border; rug width = room width - 2 x border. furniture mode: rug length = furniture length + 2 x overhang; rug width = furniture width + 2 x overhang. area = length x width; cost = area x price per square metre.
Worked example
A 5 m by 4 m room with a 45 cm border takes a rug 4.1 m by 3.1 m, an area of 12.71 square metres, which at $30 per square metre costs $381.30. A 2 m by 1 m dining table with a 60 cm overhang takes a rug 3.2 m by 2.2 m.
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Frequently asked questions
Should the rug go under the whole seating group?
Either the whole group sits on the rug, or at least the front legs of every seat do. A rug that stops short of the seats makes the room look disconnected, and a tiny rug in the middle of the floor is usually worse than none.
How much bare floor should show around a rug?
About 45 to 60 cm on each side is a comfortable border in most rooms. In a very small room a thinner border keeps more rug visible, and in a large room a wider border helps define the seating area.
What size rug fits a queen bed?
A common choice is 2.4 m by 3 m, placed so it extends about 60 cm beyond the sides and the foot of the bed. A runner on each side is an alternative for a small bedroom.
Do standard rug sizes matter more than exact dimensions?
Most rugs come in standard sizes, so use this as a target and pick the nearest standard size above it. A rug slightly too large usually looks better than one slightly too small.