An area rug gives a bedroom a more personal look and expresses your room’s design scheme. You can choose from dozens of styles, sizes, materials, weaves, brands, and about a half-dozen shapes to get the look you want.
If your bedroom has a hardwood or tiled floor, a rug does more than making the room look better. A cozy, soft area rug keeps your feet toasty when you get out of bed, especially on cold winter mornings. An artisan-made, hand-knotted rug will feel better against your skin than an inexpensive, machine-made rug, and last longer, too. High-end rugs may have as many as 200 knots per square inch (KPSI).
Color and Comfort
Pick a rug color to match your existing design scheme. The base color of the rug should accent your walls, bedspread, furniture, etc. You can also choose a brightly colored rug to be the highlight of your room’s décor, or select a neutral color if you have other vivid pieces, like a bedspread or painting, that acts as the design focus of the room.
A high-quality, high-pile rug will keep your bare feet warm in the morning and last a long time. While you don’t walk as much in your bedroom as other rooms in your house, you still need a durable rug to withstand your daily walking patterns.
You probably won’t need to worry about spills or muddy footprints on your bedroom rugs, but if your windows are untreated, UV light may fade the colors on your rugs. Close your blinds or curtains on sunny days or rotate rugs next to furniture to keep colors vivid.
Choosing a Rug for a Twin Size Bed
You’ll need to consider the size of your bedroom as well as the bed before buying a rug to fit under or near a twin or single bed. A large bedroom will need an extra-large rug. Experiment by placing the rug in a landscape, or horizontal position, and see if it provides more material to step on when getting out of bed.
Place the rug lengthwise between two twin beds in a children’s room or a small room. You can also place a rug next to each bed. The best rug sizes are 5×8 feet for a small room or 7×10 for a large room. A single rug next to the bed works best at 3×5 or 4×6 feet. Use a 4×6 foot or 3×5 foot rug if the twin bed rests against a wall.
Make a small bedroom look larger and longer with a striped rug. Choose stripes that match your room’s color scheme. Striped rugs are great for rooms with solid, neutral-colored walls and dorm rooms.
Area Rugs for Full-Size Beds
The size of the rug (or rugs) for a full-size bed depends on the size of the room and how you position the bed in the space.
Use a 6×9 foot rug if you want to place a rug under the bed. Rugs under nightstands should be 8×10 feet. A bed resting against one wall will look better with a small rug next to it instead of a large rug underneath it. If you want a rug to run up to your nightstand, but not underneath it, it should measure 6×9 feet. Place a smaller rug that’s 3×5 or 4×6 next to a double bed.
Use high-pile carpets on hardwood floors to soothe tired feet and add a vibrant look to the room. If you have an all-white bedroom, pastel rugs with abstract designs add a splash of color without being too obvious.
Rugs for a Queen or King Sized Bed
The rug sizes for a Queen or King Sized bed are similar. Use a 7×10 foot rug to run up to the nightstand. Since the rug border will be on display, choose a distinctive or colorful pattern. Rugs with distinctive borders are perfect for king or queen-sized beds. If you want the rug to go under the nightstand, it will need to measure up to 9×12 feet.
Use a pair of 4×6 or 3×5 rugs if you want rugs on either side of your bed. Add a few small, vintage rugs to give a boho feel to a bedroom with a hardwood floor. Geometric, Mid-Century Modern, paisley and shabby-chic style rugs will make your room seem like a hipster paradise.
Other Tips
Use a bedsheet or beach towel to test how a particular sized rug will look next to, between or in front of, your bed. If you want to place a rug under the bed, use tape to mark off where you want the edge of the rug to lie. Marking off this area also helps you decide what color or design to choose. The measurement will let you know how much of the pattern will be visible outside the bed.
Add color and character to a neutral space by placing runners on the front or sides of the bed. Use oval or fluffy pink rugs to add charm and zebra or animal prints to sass up any bedroom.
Buy a 12×9 rug to shield your floor from the legs of your bed. This rug should be spacious enough for 2 or 3 feet of material on each side of the bed.
