Area Rug Design Tips
Dining Room:
In planning your dining room layout, the area rug requires primary consideration. As with all rooms, the rug is the anchor of the room’s design. In the dining area, the rug serves two main functions: I) to protect your hardwood or tile floors from the legs of the chairs and II) to offer accent colors to coordinate with window treatments and other accessories, such as china and artwork.
Where to start?
I like to build a room the same way you would build a home – from the ground up. Therefore, I recommend starting with the size of the rug. The biggest mistake in designing a dining room is beginning with the table instead of the rug. For example, placing a table with eight chairs in a 12x14 dining room is feasible, but after you’ve placed a 9x12 area rug under the table, the 12-foot length of the rug runs almost from wall to wall. Points to remember in fitting a rug to the room and furniture to the rug are:
- The size of the area rug should be directly proportional to the overall size of the dining room. It is important to have a balanced proportion of hard surface flooring exposed all around the rug.
- The optimal average amount of hard surface you want exposed is usually around two to three feet from the edge of the rug to the wall. Personally, I prefer three to four feet showing because it gives the illusion of a larger room.
- The exposed hard flooring also acts as a border that accents the rug, just as matting accents a work of art.
The scale for the correct size rug and table follows:
8x10 rug accommodates six dining chairs; 9x12 accommodates eight chairs; 10x14 accommodates 10 chairs, etc.
The important thing to remember is that if you start with the rug size in relation to the size of the room, you will never purchase a dining table that is too large for your room.
Furnitureland South’s rug selection includes the widest variety in size, design, color and type of rug – from handmade to machine-woven – to fit any budget. As a Sales & Design Consultant, my goal is to assist you in selecting the best rugs and furniture to complete your design projects in such a way that you will not only feel comfortable referring me to family friends, but you will be eager to do so.
Clay Pace has more than 16 years of experience in fine-quality, handcrafted furniture and rugs. He hails from Eden, North Carolina, home of Karastan, manufacturer of Oriental rugs.
To contact Clay, call 866.436.8056 ext. 2660, or email claypace@furniturelandsouth.com.