5 Rug Placement Rules For Your Bedroom, According To A Designer

Of all the design choices we make for our bedrooms (upholstery, wood stain, paint colors, window treatments), the quickest way to warm up a space is to thoughtfully choose a rug. But the selection and the placement can feel so overwhelming: what size is appropriate for my room? How many legs of my furniture should be on versus off the rug? What color or pattern is best?

Our expert Ally-Catherine Trenary, founder and designer of June St. George, weighs in with her best tips to make your bedroom the oasis of your dreams. "Rugs help visually ground your furniture by giving it definition and cohesion," she says. "Building your dream space can often start from the ground up–literally!"

Let's get into a few best practices:

Choose It Well

When buying a rug for your bedroom, one of the easiest mistakes to make is assuming (especially if you have small children or pets in your home) that buying a low-quality piece will save you a headache when, inevitably, your rug gets stained. Turns out, the opposite is true. Ally-Catherine says, "Most plastic fibers that make up low-quality rugs are actually more difficult to truly clean and they wear down much faster." Opt for wool–which doesn't have to be expensive–and is the #1 choice of rug designers around the globe. R

Remember not to skip the rug pad, the Holy Grail of ensuring that your rug stays put. Choose a rug pad that's a bit smaller than the rug itself to ensure a smoother edge.

Measure, Measure, Measure

The difference between a space that looks slapped together versus one that feels curated? In the latter, someone took the time to measure before they started purchasing and placing. There are hard and fast visual rules for what looks most appealing based on not overwhelming the eye with too much visual noise.

"For a queen bed, an 8x10 rug works well; for a king, shoot for 9x12," says Ally-Catherine. If you're adventurous, she says, explore adding a more narrow (think 3x5) runner to each side of the bed. The traditional rule for bedrooms is to leave 18-36" of rug on either side of (and at the foot of) the bed to ensure your first steps in the morning are met with softness.

Orient Your Furniture Appropriately

"The most popular option in a bedroom is to place a rug perpendicular to the bed," Ally-Catherine explains. You can place it about 1/3 of the way down from your headboard, or you can carry the rug all the way up to the edges of (or underneath!) your nightstands. However, a rug isn't meant to look like wall-to-wall carpeting, so Ally-Catherine cautions against filling your entire floor: "In large spaces, shoot for about 18 inches of exposed floor; in smaller spaces, 6 inches."

Follow The "Magnet" Rule

Rugs certainly don't have to be in the dead center of your room–instead, let the furniture define where the rug lives. "Think of your rug like a magnet," says Ally-Catherine. "The furniture underneath needs to have at least two legs sticking to it, otherwise it'll float away!" This works particularly well in bedrooms, where the popular 2/3's rule design rule (mentioned above) dictates that the corners at the foot of the bed are on the rug, but the top two corners of the bed sit directly on the floor.

Need to accommodate an outlet or vent? Opt for an outlet cover that creates a flat surface and funnels the electrical cord out from under the rug. And as long as you follow the "bare borders" rule, vents should be safe from rug blockages.

If You've Made A Mistake, Pivot!

If reading this list makes you realize you've broken a few design rules, Ally-Catherine says you can still make it work (no matter what you're working with). For example, if you've bought your rug too small, don't fret! "Try layering it with a neutral rug–something natural, like cotton or jute. Lots of our clients invest in their first heirloom piece by starting small, then layering it on top of a larger, less expensive rug to create a beautiful bespoke look. It's like jewelry for your room!"

Whether you're starting fresh or re-thinking a sauce, we've got you covered! Get more inspiration from Ally-Catherine's business, June St. George, and you're off to the races.