Help needed with rug size/placement

[HurdyGurdy19]

I have no spatial awareness and cannot visualise how things will look. Please offer any advice or insights.

We've just redecorated our lounge/diner and I'm about to order a new rug, ahead of the new sofas being delivered in two weeks.

The flooring is oak-look Karndean (been down quite a few years now). The room previously was a stone kind of colour with a deep red feature wall/chimney breast. I have no feature wall now.

I have attached photos of the lounge floor, and of our old rug. I think I prefer larger rugs, but not sure how much larger to go.

The one I like has a maximum size that would cover almost the whole floor area from the fireplace to in front of each sofa. I don't know if that would be too big and domineering.

I have seen people place rugs in the centre of a room, with a coffee table on top. But then I wonder what the point of the rug is in that situation. I was thinking of having console tables beside the sofas rather than a central coffee table, but then I wonder if that just looks like a waiting room, with just seats around the perimeter.

WWYD?

1. Biggest rug, covering almost the whole seating area? (Wirh or without a coffee table?)

1. Smaller rug, placed similar to how the old one was?

1. Smaller rug, placed in the centre of the seating area (with or without a coffee table or it?)

1. No rug at all.

1. Ditch the Karndean and go back to carpets.

And then curtains. I will have the same curtains at the lounge and dining room windows. Each have a radiator under them.

I only have wooden blinds up now - should I go for full.length curtains, or just below the windowsill? Or level with the windowsill?

It depends on the rug of course, but I think buy the biggest (and best quality) rug you can afford. This is especially true if young children will be using the room because a rug is nicer to sit, sprawl and play on than a hard floor.

Re curtains, windowsill length would work better because of the radiator position and will look okay.

The rug should ideally go under the front feet of the sofas and be the largest size your budget will stretch to.

Tiny rugs under coffee tables are pointless, imho.

We have a coffee table on the huge rug in our snug/tv room, but in our second reception room where there is no tv, we might put the (smaller) table to the side of one sofa, as more of a lamp/book table. All our rugs (we have no fitted carpets) are room size 'area' rugs.

I only like full length curtains and have these in the rooms where we have curtains rather than blinds. In the case of a radiator under a window, shorter curtains obviously work best, so if you must have curtains I'd opt for window sill length. Alternatively - and what I would do - you could have full length 'dress curtains' that you keep open, with blackout roman or roller blinds underneath.

Front Legs on the Rug

• Most common setup
• Rug size: 8'x10' (240x305 cm) or similar
• Only the front legs of sofas/chairs sit on the rug
• Visually ties the furniture together without needing a huge rug

Leave at least 12–18 inches (30–45 cm) of bare floor around the rug edges (if possible). The rug should be wider than the sofa.

Thank you all

I really couldn't have visualised "a look", so this has been really helpful.

Your floor looks lovely OP, definitely a big rug that covers most of the open space.
It makes the room warmer.

From looking at your old rug, something around 4 times the size.

I love the way your floor looks!
I've started using Chat GPT for decor suggestion, this is what it's suggested for your room. I was asking for a rug that would match the existing colour scheme

This size would be good OP, but just shy of touching the hearth, so you can see the floor.

Oh my goodness! Thank you. I would never have thought of ChatGPT. That's genius, and really shows how the room would look. I would never have been able to visualise that myself.