Styling Bedroom Rugs: Guide to The Best Layouts

“When tackling a bedroom design project, I start by immersing myself in a client’s routine – mentally going through all the tasks they complete on an average day. After this, it becomes clear what elements and touches we need to add to the room in order to create a personalised sanctuary where they can relax and refresh.”

Senior Interior Designer, Benjamin Ibanez

Whilst a plush mattress, soft blankets and lighting, are obvious items to include, working with area rugs can be challenging. Issues of rug size, colour, and texture can make or break the room.

Read on as Benjamin shares his knowledge and experience with styling soft bedroom flooring.

Choosing the right size bedroom rug

Regardless of the size of your bedroom, grande or petite, experience has revealed that it is best to go larger than you think. Small rugs contribute little if anything to the overall look and feel of a room.

Double Twin Room

Picture a typical hotel room layout where twin beds are next to each other. It would be cluttered to have each bed on its own rug. Instead, you should choose a rug that is large enough to rest the foot end legs of both beds on it. Alternatively, opt for a rug that almost fills the entire room, this works well when styling for cold winter days. A less common layout is to run a rug that spans the middle section between the beds. This way both bedroom occupants will have a rug underfoot when climbing out of bed.

Queen Size Bed

A room with one bed is much easier to style. When it comes to standard queen beds, a 240 x 300cm rug will fit nicely and provide room for all the bed legs to have a place to sit. However if you want the rug to be more visible and make a greater visual statement, then we recommend selecting a bigger size, one that can also accommodate your nightstands and bed end bench. 

King Size Bed

For a regular size king bed, any rug that is 275 x 365cm and bigger will work well. Whilst a 240 x 300cm rug will technically fit, it will hardly serve any purpose. If you can afford it, go bigger, and use the large surface to zone out the sleeping area from the rest of the room.

Factors to consider when choosing your rug

• The material – Unless you are styling for an outdoorsy aesthetic, lean towards natural fibres like wool, sheepskin and silk that feel warm and smooth underfoot, as opposed to rougher textures like jute and sisal.

• Colour – Use your rug to help set the mood for your room. Dark, rich shades will create a more intimate space while lighter colours will brighten it up and make it feel more open. In winter, turn to yellow, orange, and red hues to add warmth, and then use cool colour in the summer to freshen up the space.

• Kids and pets – You little ones and furry members of the family will put more strain on your furnishings than the adults will. As such when choosing rugs for their rooms, we recommend opting for styles that wear well, have a low pile, and are easy to clean. Busy prints will show dirt less easily than light coloured solid designs.

• Rug pad – The weight of the bed over a rug is enough to keep it in place and prevent any unnecessary movement. So, if your budget is constrained, you can get away with not having a rug pad.

• Carpeted floors – You can certainly layer a bedroom rug over a carpeted floor. It’s a stylish look. Just remember to choose one that complements the existing carpet in terms of styles, colour and texture.

• Weight of your bed – Not all beds can be easily lifted to fit a rug underneath. Some beds, particularly solid wood designs, are heavy enough that you will require a few tools to allow you to place a rug underneath. Make plans for this if you suspect this may be an issue for your bedroom. 

Our top bedroom rug layouts

Bed Trim

Probably the most common layout, this is where a rectangular rug is placed with-ways under the bed so that it is jutting out on both sides as well as the base. The rug should not sit under your pedestals but in front of them, leaving about a 20 cm gap between the tables and the start of the rug.

Make sure that the width of your rug aligns with the outer edges of your bedside tables. To get this right,use this simple calculation: Width of bed + bedside table width + 20cm wiggle room = width of rug.

Everything On Top

I love large rugs so this layout is a personal favourite. Here, both pedestals and the bed are sitting on the rug leaving very little of the flooring visible. With the right rug, you can really enhance the interior of a room with this look. Consider this size rug if your room has hard flooring. It’s important to note that the rug shouldn’t hit the walls or else it will overwhelm the space. leave a small section visible for some visual contrast. 

The size calculation will be similar to the one above widthwise, however, you will need to also consider the full depth of the bed.

Round Rug Under Bed

A less common layout, this styling works well in small rooms where the dimensions don’t allow for standard size rugs.

It might also be the only feasible option in a bedroom where there are floor vents that cannot be covered by a rug. This simple but stylish design features a round rug that is placed on one side of the bed. With circular rugs, bigger is always better, choose one that allows at least two thirds of the bed length to sit on the rug whilst leaving slightly more than a semi-circle shape visible from under the bed.

Rug Under Lower End of Bed

Finally, we will conclude with the simplest of the layouts. The bedroom rug is placed at the end of the bed with only a small part of it tucked under the bed. Such styling works best if you have ample floor space at the end of the bed. Sometimes having the rug jutting out in this manner can look awkward so I recommend adding a bed-end bench. Add interesting decor items to your bench to elevate your decor scheme.

Meet Benjamin Ibanez, FCI Senior Interior Designer and Business Development Manager

Originally hailing from Italy, Ben holds the reins of all our big development projects around the globe including the US, UAE, India and Africa. 

A self-confessed workaholic, he is voted most likely to retire in the FCI office, curled up on a Gamma & Dandy sofa with a cocktail in hand.

Design that transforms spaces

At FCI, we believe in the power of interior design to transform spaces. By forging positive spaces that bring genuine happiness to the people who inhabit them, we hope to inspire a community of people to pay it forward.

In addition to our interior design services, we have a wide range of bedroom furniture and accessories that you can shop to elevate the look of your bedroom.

Get in touch with us and let’s chat about your design requirements. You can call or whatsapp us or pop into our London showroom – we’re open 7 days a week.