It looked big in the shop. Now it floats in the middle of the room, under the coffee table, and not one chair touches it.
Before you give up on it, there are three ways out. One of them is probably right for your room.
How to tell your rug is too small
- No seat touches it. The couch and the chairs all sit on bare floor around it.
- It sits under the coffee table alone.
- It catches two legs of the sofa and misses the rest.
If any of those sound familiar, the rug is too small for the room, not just for your taste.
Fix 1: layer it over a bigger rug
Buy a flat natural rug, jute or sisal, in the size your room actually needs, and lay your small rug on top of it, slightly off center.
The big rug does the job of anchoring the furniture. The small one keeps the color and pattern you chose. Natural-fiber rugs are usually among the cheaper big rugs, which is why this fix is so popular.
Fix 2: float it
Pull every piece of furniture off the rug entirely, so it sits under the coffee table alone, with at least 12 inches of rug showing at each end of the table.
A rug that touches nothing looks intended. A rug that catches two sofa legs and misses the rest looks like a mistake.
This one only works in a small room or a tight conversation group. In a big room, a floating rug still looks like a bath mat.
Fix 3: return it
If you're still inside the return window, this is the cleanest answer.
- Check the return window and whether large rugs cost extra to send back.
- Don't cut off the tags, and keep the receipt or order email.
- Vacuum it and roll it tightly, face in.
- Photograph it before it goes, in case it arrives back damaged.
Or give it a new room
A 5 x 8 that's lost in a living room is often exactly right in a bedroom, beside a bed, or under a desk. Move it before you sell it.
Rug too small for the bed, or the dining table?
- Bed: turn it sideways and slide it up so it starts just below the nightstands. If you still step out onto bare floor, it belongs in another room.
- Dining table: there's no easy fix. The chairs need the rug 24 inches past the table on every side, or they catch the edge. A dining rug that's too small is usually better moved elsewhere.
Mistakes to skip
- Half the furniture on it, half off.
- Adding a second small rug beside it. Two small rugs look like two small rugs.
- Reordering without measuring the room. Measure first, then buy once.
FAQ
What goes under a layered rug? A flat, low jute or sisal rug in the size your room needs. It should be big enough for the front legs of the seating.
Can you layer rugs on carpet? Yes. A rug on carpet can creep, so a rug pad made for carpet helps it stay put.
Is a 5 x 8 ever right for a living room? In a small living room, yes, if the front legs of the seating still reach it.
Get the size right next time
Right-Size Room, No. 03 in the Decorwick Measured Home Series, has the three questions that tell you which fix fits your rug, the size to reorder for your room in US and UK sizes, and 40 layouts drawn to scale. See Right-Size Room
