The best living room layout for a round rug

Curved and circular rugs are a brilliant choice to incorporate as a statement or grounding piece in your living room. However, finding a round rug layout that looks and feels right for your living room can prove challenging.

Whether you’re struggling with rug placement or furniture positioning, we’ve covered everything you’ll need to achieve the perfect living room layout for your round rug.

Our top 5 round rug layouts

Round rug living room layout options

Layout 1 – This option is ideal for adding a round rug to small living rooms with a 2-3 seater sofa. When picking your rug you’ll want to stick to a size larger than the width of your sofa. This will ensure the front two legs can be placed on top of the rug, achieving a balanced and grounded setup.

Layout 2 – Pair a small round rug with an armchair or snug chair to achieve a cozy relaxation space. Opt for a rug size with enough room to allow your chair to be placed in the center. It may be tempting to go for a smaller choice however this can result in your rug looking out of place and awkward, so we’ve found that larger is better.

Layout 3 – For larger living rooms with multiple sofas, stick to the golden role of keeping the front legs of furniture placed on the rug. This living room layout works great in spaces with symmetrical decor, making it ideal for rooms with alcoves and chimney breasts.

Layout 4 – If you’re planning on using this layout, you’ll want to place your sofas the desired distance apart before measuring the space between them. This will identify the minimum rug size required to ensure both sofa legs sit on top of the rug.

Layout 5 – Similar to Layout 4, we recommend taking the time to measure the distance between the furthest corners of your corner couch to ensure your rug is placed under its front legs. Look for large oval or round-style coffee tables to complement this layout and pull the design together.

Choosing the right rug size for your living room

The bed linen method

For previewing the rug size, begin by measuring the floor space to your size of choice. Using spare bed linen, place this over the measured area to preview the rug size against existing decor.

Opting for the wrong-sized rug is a decor disaster, so to combat this, you’ll want to visualize the rug’s size beforehand.

Our handy round rug size guide

up to 4” – Typically 4’ is the smallest size you’ll find when searching for small round rugs. This size is best suited to small living room nooks paired with an armchair as shown in Layout 2.

6″-8” – This rug size is ideal for smaller living spaces with a small 2 or 3-seat couch as shown in layout 1. Additionally, this can be incorporated into layouts 3 and 4 if enough space is provided for the front furniture legs to sit on top of your rug.

10-12’“- Larger round rugs are usually paired best with large living rooms such as layouts 4 and 5. When measuring your rug space, keep in mind the space between the edges of your rug and the surrounding walls. Always ensure you leave 18” between the rug and surrounding walls

Top tips for round rug placement

Measure your floor space and couch size

Measuring your floor space and couch size prevents any issues with overcrowding or selecting the incorrect rug size for your room. Once you’ve decided on a size, use the bed linen method to preview how it would look in your space.

If in doubt opt for a larger size

You may have found your dream rug only to realize its sizing options are slightly too small or too large. If this is the case, check if the larger option can fit comfortably with 18″ between its edge and the surrounding walls. If it passes this test, then go for the larger size as rugs that are too small often look out of place and larger rugs are much more forgiving.

For more living room ideas and tips, check out our related posts.

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