Machine Made Rugs Come in Standard Sizes
Size matters, especially when choosing between area rugs for your space. You could visually shrink your room and cover flooring details if you go too big. On the other hand, rugs that are too small can seem to float and cause a distraction. To get you started, there are standard rug sizes for different rooms and layouts.
Rugs Come in Standard Sizes
When you’re wondering about how to choose a rug size, one thing is for sure. One size does NOT fit all! The good news is that rugs do come in standard sizes. And there IS a standard size for pretty much every area of the home.
Depending on the brand, rugs tend to come in three standard sizes. Small (160 x 230 cm), medium (200 x 300 cm) and large (250 x 350 cm or more). However, it’s sometimes tricky to know which size will work with which space
In New Zealand, our lifestyle tends to be more of an open-plan living experience.
For open-plan living areas
The purpose of a rug in an open-plan living area is to add comfort of course, but it should also delineate the living space from the other areas. For this reason, a small rug in front of the sofa just doesn’t work (and looks like you are hiding a stain or mark). You will need to seek something bigger.
For an average-sized open-plan space, try a 200 x 300 cm rug with the front feet of furniture placed on it. Sometimes people advise going bigger but you need to be mindful of not creating trip hazards. If the corners of the rug overlap with walkways, this can potentially cause a fall. It means ACC claims if you are injured in any way.
Why does no one sell large rugs in-store?
To get a rug 2 x 3 m or bigger is not as easy as you may think. If you go to a bulk furnishing store, the largest they usually carry in stock is 170 x 230 cm.
The reason for this is that any bigger rugs become bulky and awkward to move and require muscle power to move. This also takes into account the potential for a staff injury when lifting the rug.
If a 2m x 3m rug is standing up, it has the potential to fall on a customer looking at the rug. Or even, an unsupervised child playing in the rug section.
To display a 2m x 3m rug, you need space on the showroom floor. The showroom floor space is a premier retail space, so multiple rugs are put on top of the rug pile. However, there are times when we have the issue of the customer wishing to see the rug from the second to bottom. This requires a clear space to shift the rugs to again impeding valuable retail space and other complications.
Hence that is the reason why it is very hard to have a selection of 2 m x 3m rugs for you to see in person. And everything in the large rug size appears to have moved online.
Here are classic or common standard sizes of area rugs. The table below shows the usual standard sizes:
