When choosing a bedroom rug, remember the bed should always be the focus of the bedroom. Any rug placed under the bed should extend around 18-24 inches beyond the bed’s edges.
As the bed is the central feature of the room, a rug should emphasise it. A large rug under the bed that continues beyond the edges or smaller rugs beside the bed will accent the bed perfectly. Simply placing a large rug in the room’s centre without considering the bed, can make a bedroom appear off-balance.
There are three ways to use rugs in the bedroom: with the entire bed on the rug, with the lower two-thirds of the bed on the rug, or with runner rugs at the sides of the bed.
Creating an 18 to 24-inch rug border around the bed means you’ll always have a warm surface to step onto when you get in or out of bed. If you have an Ottoman or bench at the end of the bed, the rug should ideally reach beyond that as well.
If your budget and space allow it, set the bed and accompanying night tables, benches, etc., entirely on a rug for a designer look. Remember to buy a rug big enough for all four legs of the bedside tables, so two don’t hang off the rug creating an uneven surface.
Alternatively, placing a rug under the bottom two thirds of the bed works well in smaller rooms and is cheaper than buying a rug to include the bed and nightstands. In this arrangement, bedside tables should be behind the rug on the floor to make sure they’re even.
Another popular option is to use runner rugs beside the bed. This layout is ideal for smaller rooms, especially if the bed is in a corner. Bedside rugs look best when slightly wider than the bedside table and when they do not extend beyond the bed’s foot.