What Size Rug Goes Under a Bed?

A few posts ago I showed you the new wood laminate flooring we put in our bedroom. It looks amazing, but it almost didn’t happen.

My husband didn’t want a wood floor in our bedroom because he didn’t want an “area rug” that would go over the wood floor under and around the bed. He wanted a soft warm surface for his bare feet to land when he stepped out of bed in the morning and wanted to keep the wall-to-wall carpet. I couldn’t quite understand this reasoning since I knew he liked the look of wood floors.

Blue and white bedroom with blue and shite striped area rug over dark hardwood floor.

Would you like to save this post?

Enter your email below and I’ll send it to you!

I tried to explain to him that an area rug would be soft and warm, too. I just couldn’t wrap my head around his reasoning until I heard him add…“not the area rugs you like”. Which made me laugh… he was right. :-)

He was thinking the only kind of area rug I would want for under the bed would be a natural seagrass rug that has a hard textured surface. I have one in the living room and in our previous house, in the dining room and my studioffice. He is not a fan of these rugs.

I would have liked a seagrass area rug in the bedroom since I like the easy breezy casual feel it adds to a room and would go well with my White Pom-Pom Bed Skirt. But there are many other rugs that I like and I began a quest to find a large area rug that would make us both happy.

Blue and white striped area rug

What Size Rug Goes Under a King Bed?

In my rug search I found hundreds of beautiful area rugs, but most were either too formal, too contemporary. I also had to consider the size of the rug. It couldn’t be too small or it would look wimpy under the king size bed. Too large, would look overwhelming. Like Goldilocks, I had to get the size of the rug, just right.

The illustration below helped me to choose what size area rug would work best for the size of my room and bed. These rug sizes are just suggestions as every room and the way the furniture is arranged in a room is unique.

Diagram of different sized beds and area rug sizes for each.

I measured around my bed and the available space around it and found an 8′ x 10′ or as large as a 9′ x 14′ would work.

Blue and white decorated master bedroom.

I found the “make us both happy rug” online. It is an 8′ x 11′ Dash & Albert Rugby Stripe Denim Rug 

Dash and Albert Rugby Stripe area rug rolled up

It was delivered a few days after I ordered it.  It is an indoor/outdoor rug that is easy to clean and fits my casual, colorful decorating style.

1/4" foam padding under area rug in bedroom

For extra cushioning and to keep it from moving, we saved a large section of the previous wall-to-wall carpet padding and cut it to size to fit under the new area rug.

It works perfectly and saved us some $$$ from having to buy a new pad.

NEW AREA RUG TIP:

  •  I want to share a tip about off-gassing your rugs before putting them in your home.  It is important to open up a new rug outside in fresh air. Area rugs are loaded with chemicals, but they “off-gas” the most when first opened up. So I always make sure to unroll them outside and let them hang out for an hour or two to get rid of that chemical smell!
Dash and Albert Blue and White Area Rug
Blue and white decorated bedroom with blue and white striped area rug under the bed.

You May Also Like:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


32 Comments

  1. Roy Overlock says:

    An area rug under the bed is good in your bedroom. It adds a design to your room.

  2. Love the rug:) My question is how do you get the rug under a king size bed? I had to place two 5×7 rugs by my king size bed. Just wondering.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Debby – To place a rug under a King size bed is not easy. You have to remove the bed from the area first. Lay the rug down making sure it is centered and then place the bed frame and mattress back on. This is the only way I know of and how I did it.

  3. Do you think the rug size for twin would look good with bunk beds?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Denise – Yes, one of the 3 rug sizes for a twin bed would work for a bunk bed. To determine which one: How far does the ladder extend away from the bunk bed? You want to make sure the end of the ladder is on the rug with plenty of space behind it. If not, the kids may trip over the rug edge if it is too close to the ladder every time they climb up or down.

      You could also do the exact opposite. Go with a smaller rug where the end of the ladder hits the floor not the rug. The end of the rug would be under the ladder and not extend past. Try to figure out which way will be better for your room and bed. Either way is fine to do.

  4. This is so pretty and you are so smart!
    I am redoing my boy teens shared room and my girl tween.
    So happy you shared such great tips and techniques.
    We are cleaning out, next a trip to the store for Kilz and then I
    am painted my daughters everything swiss coffee, chalkified, and the boys
    everything inky navy chalky!
    Love, love, love your blog!

  5. Christina says:

    thank you for this post!!!!!!!!!! x a million!!!! We just bought this laminate flooring for our whole first floor and I’m definitely going to try and save the padding for our area rugs that we will DEFINITELY be needing since we are getting rid of carpet in two rooms! THANK YOU!

  6. Great description of rug to be used under bed and one can use as per his requirement.

  7. I love blue and white look of anything and finally finding a rug that achieves that look for your floor is amazing. Great goes with anything, so how can you go wrong with this beautiful rug!

  8. Diane, I have a similar rug (blue/white and pale yellow stripe) under the coffee table. It is over wall to wall carpet. I need to secure the corners (so we don’t fall). Would you use a double sided tape? Again, thanks for your recent suggestions.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Ellie – I would use rug tape. It is double sided and extra sticky. You can usually find it where carpet and rugs are sold. Here is one that should hold an area rug to carpet: https://amzn.to/2Dzc6MD

  9. I bought an outdoor rug for my livingroom .It was so much cheaper and washable. It looks a lot like yours.I have always loved blue and never went with fads.however,years ago,I did make the mistake of putting a print on my classic chippendale couches so now I must make major descisions!

  10. I like the option you chose to accommodate both your taste. Had always wondered if there was a rule for a rug under a bed so this chart is helpful.

  11. Jubilee Residences says:

    The carpet padding idea is amazing, Diane! Thank you very much for sharing various measurements to choose area rug based on the size of the room & bed. I find it useful because I was in search of cosy rug to put under my bed.

    RamyaSrinivas | Jubilee Residences

  12. Love the table with the bed sizes and rugs. I’ve been looking for an inexpensive 9×12 rug to put in our living room. It really just needs something to pull together a wonky floor plan. We put in new vinyl flooring last year. I was looking for something more like a cloth than a rug, but haven’t had much luck. I think it’s because I don’t know what that’s called. I’ve just looked under canvas floor cloths, etc. and haven’t seen what I’m looking for. Any ideas? Thanks.

  13. Sue Bauman says:

    The under-bed rug size guide is very helpful!

  14. That guide is extremely helpful. Thanks!

  15. Gilmer Gal says:

    Thanks so much for the guide. I am always at a loss as to what size rug to buy!
    Your bedroom is such a beautiful blue!

  16. Kari Rogers-Miller says:

    Diane I am so inspired by your wood floor each time I see it. Your rug is perfect and I agree that rug would be softer for the foot. LOL
    Kari @ me and my captain

  17. I adore the carpet and your blue & white color scheme. Must be a joy to wake up in the morning! I have an indoor/outdoor carpet and I find my cat doesn’t scratch it at all. I’ve had to toss previous regular carpets because of cat scratching, so I really appreciate this option.

  18. I’m with Ed regarding the seagrass type rugs. I have one in the dining area of my eat-in kitchen under the table and chairs and don’t like it. I’m an old lady who likes to go barefoot, especially when in the house, and don’t like the feel under my feet. They’re wonderful when it comes to the wear and tear of dining chair movement, but I’m hoping it wears out soon so I have an excuse to replace it.
    I do absolutely love your new bedroom rug. You gotta give this one to Ed. :)

  19. Carol Heartfelt Whimsies says:

    Absolutely beautiful—love the rug! Also, the rug size guide you posted is a wonderful tool! Thank you!!

  20. Diane, your bedroom is beautiful.

    Sheila

  21. Hi-I just purchased a 9×12 area rug for my family room which has hardwood floors and needed a rug pad. I went to a carpet dealer and bought a felt rug pad (recommended for hardwood flooring) for $77 with tax. I liked your idea for saving money by keeping the old rug pad from under your carpet but I didn’t have that option. The rug pad appears to be of good quality and was actually cheaper than anything I could find online (even Amazon). I posted in case anyone might be interested in the cost of a rug pad. BTW-the rug pad is approximately 5/16″ thick and does feel “cushy”.

  22. I love that rug! I’m afraid the padding under my carpet is so gross I may still need a new pad, but great idea.

  23. 1960s girl says:

    Hello,
    I would have offered my husband to buy him a pair of cosy slippers to walk on the wood flooring! LOL
    Joking aside, your rug is really beautiful!
    My husband does not want a rug in our bedroom because he says it would be hard to vacuum under the bed… Since he does the vacuuming, I let him win… this time!

  24. Sheryll & Critters. says:

    I was thinking it was my tablet.

    I’m so in love with that rug!! I’ve been lusting for it for a long time! But I have to come up with money for flooring (still), so it might be just a pipe dream.

  25. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says:

    Oh I love that rug so much. And that size guide is genius. (PS: I wasn’t able to open the link through your post email today. It didn’t work)

    1. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says:

      Second email worked ;)

      1. Diane Henkler says:

        Thanks Julia :-)

    2. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Julia – I just realized the link was wrong. I fixed it and resent the email. Thanks for telling me. I put the title of the post in the link in my email, not the URL. Silly me :-)