WHAT SIZE RUG FOR A LIVING ROOM? A SIZING GUIDE
Living room: start at 200 × 300 cm and make sure the front legs of every seat sit on it. Dining: the rug must extend at least 60 cm past the table on all sides. Bedroom: one large rug under the bed, not two runners.
THE RULE BEHIND THE NUMBERS
A rug's job is to gather the seating into one object. When it floats in the middle with everything outside it, the eye sees scattered furniture and the room shrinks. In a dining room the 60 cm margin exists so a chair stays on the rug when pulled out — anything less catches the legs every time someone stands up.
IF THE BUDGET WON'T STRETCH
Buy no rug. A bare floor looks deliberate; an undersized rug looks like a mistake you paid for. Measure the whole seating group, add 30 cm, and buy to that number when you can — layering a cheap flatweave under a smaller good rug is the only shortcut worth taking.