How to Measure for a Rug in Ten Minutes

Almost every returned rug is the wrong size, and almost every wrong size comes from estimating by eye. Ten minutes with a tape prevents it.

Step 1: measure the room

Length and width, at floor level, in centimetres. Note anything the rug has to clear — a door swing, a radiator, a hearth, a floor vent.

Step 2: measure the furniture group

Not the room, the furniture. The distance across the seating arrangement, or the table plus 60–75 cm on each side, or the bed plus 50–60 cm on each side. That number, not the room size, is what determines the rug.

Step 3: mark it out

Tape the size onto the floor with masking tape, or lay out newspaper, or use a bedsheet folded to size. This is the step that matters, and the one everyone skips.

Step 4: live with it for a day

Walk the route you actually walk. Pull the dining chairs out. Open the door. Sit on the sofa and look at where the edge falls. A size that looks right on paper often reads as too small once the outline is on the floor, and it is much cheaper to discover that with masking tape.

Step 5: round up, not down

If you are between two sizes, take the larger one in a living or dining room and the smaller one in a hallway. Under-sizing is the more common regret by a wide margin.