What Size Rug Is Best for a Queen Bed?
Adding an area rug to your bedroom can give it a finished look. If you have hardwood, laminate, or tile floors, then a rug can add warmth and a sense of coziness to the room.
Buying a rug for your bedroom isn’t like buying a rug for the other rooms in your house. Fail to get the wrong size, and your rug could completely disappear underneath the bed.
Buy a rug that’s too big, and it’ll take over the bedroom, making it feel small and cramped. So, what size of a rug is right for a queen bed? This guide will help you buy the perfect rug for your bedroom.
Know Your Bedroom Size
Choosing the right rug size is about more than just the size of your bed. It’s also about making sure the rug looks good in your bedroom. You need to know your room size too. This is similar to finding out the size of your living room when buying area rugs.
To find out the size of your bedroom, measure the length and width of the room. Then multiply these two measurements together. Now you know the shape of your room and its square footage.
What Is a Standard Bedroom Size?
The average American apartment bedroom is quite small at about 132 square feet, which is large enough to accommodate a queen-sized bed. This would be an 11 x 12-foot room.
The International Residential Building Code states that a bedroom should be a minimum of 70 square feet. This would be a 7 x 10-foot room.
Bedrooms in single-family homes average 219 square feet. That’s about 14 x 15 square feet, which is considered a standard size. If your bedroom is close to or over 300 square feet, you have a large bedroom.
Know Your Bed Dimensions
You know you have a queen-size bed, but this isn’t the full story. There is a standard size for queen mattresses that is 60 x 80 inches. However, there are also nonstandard bed sizes, such as an Olympic queen, that measures wider than average at 66 x 80 inches. Or there is the California Queen, which is longer than the average.
Obviously, the right size you choose could change when you have a queen mattress that is bigger than the average.
Additionally, you need to measure your entire bed. Your queen mattress sits on the bed frame, so by measuring the outside dimensions of the frame, you’ll have a better idea of how large the rug needs to be to extend beyond the bed.
Common Rug Placements
Once you know the size of your bed and the size of the room, you need to decide on rug placement. This will help you compare different rugs. Your bedroom rug could go under all of the furniture, none of the furniture, or only some of it.
Anchored by the Nightstands and Bed
If you have a large bedroom, you have enough room for the bed and two bedside tables. Take advantage of all this space and buy a large area rug that can go under all four legs of both nightstands and the bed.
The rug will start at the wall behind the bed and nightstands but not extend out beyond the foot of the bed and to the left and right of the nightstands. This works well if you don’t have furniture or decor at the foot of your bed that would need anchoring.
It also works well for smaller spaces that may not have the space available at the foot of the bed for an area rug to extend far beyond the foot of the bed.
In Front of the Nightstands
If you buy a smaller rug that’s not big enough to go completely under the nightstands, then try placing it in front of the tables. This placement works well with an area rug size that’s slightly smaller.
Just be sure that the rug extends under the foot of the bed. Otherwise, it will look like it’s awkwardly floating in the middle of the bed. If you have a large room, you can buy a larger rug that extends several feet beyond the foot of the bed.
Middle of the Bed
A third common rug placement is to have the rug start at the middle point of the bed. This is ideal when you have additional furniture at the foot of the bed. That way, the rug extends beyond the bed far enough so that the furniture is also on the rug.
This placement is also ideal when you have a larger room with a long rectangle shape where the head of the bed is against the short wall. With this placement, you can use a vintage rug.
Having only half of the rug hidden under the bed means you will still see the majority of the gorgeous rug’s design.
Standard Rug Sizes
Area rugs come in standard sizes. Understanding how each size will look and when it is best to use each size will help you choose the right size for your bedroom and bed size.
4 x 6 Feet
A rug that is 4 x 6 feet is too small to place under the bed. These are small rugs and not large enough to visually balance the size of a queen bed. However, you can still use rugs this small if you use multiple rugs. Place one on either side of the bed where you would put your feet when getting in and out of bed.
5 x 8 Feet
If you plan to only use one rug, the narrowest it should be is five feet. This is a perfect rug for smaller bedrooms. Place it under the bed and in front of the nightstands. It isn’t wide enough to place it under the nightstands.
6 x 9 Feet
This slightly bigger rug fits better into an average-sized bedroom. It gives a bit more rug space on either side of the bed, making it the right size for most people. Despite it being a large rug, it’s still not big enough to extend all of the way under the nightstands. However, you could shift it to be just in front of the front legs of the nightstands. Additionally, if you have a nonstandard Olympic queen bed, the extra length will work well with your larger bed.
8 x 10 Feet
If your bedroom is slightly larger than the average, consider purchasing a bigger rug that measures 8 x10 feet, like this turquoise Luxe Ombre rug from nuLOOM. While you won’t get the entire bed and nightstands on the rug, you do have two placement options with this larger rug.
First, try laying the rug under the nightstands and head of the bed. This keeps the rug up at the head of the bed and works best if there isn’t a lot of space at the foot of the bed. The other option is to shift the rug down.
Start the rug a quarter of the way or halfway down the length of the bed. This leaves several feet of rug extending out from the foot of the bed. If you have a California queen, this is a good option because it accounts for the additional bed length. This is also a good placement option if you have a chest or bench at the foot of the bed.
9 x 12 Feet
A 9 x 12 foot or larger rug like this 9 x 12 Navy Indoor Geometric Southwestern Area Rug provides the greatest coverage. It will completely cover the entire carpet or bare floor in some bedrooms. It’s actually too large for small bedrooms.
If you have plenty of floor space, then this size of rug will be large enough to go under the nightstands and queen bed with plenty of space on either side and extending out from the end of the bed.
Round Rugs
Everyone automatically thinks of a square or rectangular rug when buying an area rug for their queen bed. However, they aren’t your only options. You could also place a round or oval rug.
This approach will create a custom rug look. You don’t want to place a round rug centered directly under the bed. Then it will barely peak out of the sides. Instead, the edge of the rug should start at the middle of the bed and extend out of the bottom of the bed.
This approach works well for a narrow bedroom because the round shape will complement the limited space. The round shape of a rug like this Imaria Southwestern Red Area Rug can give your bedroom a creative or eclectic look.
Runner
Runner area rugs are long and skinny, making them perfect for use in a hallway or placed in front of a long kitchen countertop. You can also use them in the bedroom. They are perfect for small spaces or if you have a limited budget.
If the long side of your bed is against the wall, you can place the runner along the side of your bed. If you have space on both sides of your bed, then you could place one runner on either side of the bed.
A third option is to place one at the foot of the bed. Never place a runner under the bed as they are not wide enough to ground the bed.
Animal Skins
An animal fur can make a plush and luxurious addition to your queen bed. Whether you decide to buy real or faux, furs come in a unique shape that is hard to measure. A single sheep’s skin rug or faux sheep’s skin rug like this BAYKA Small Faux Fur Rug works well as a small rug placed next to the bed.
Position it in front of the bedside table so that it’s the last thing your toes touch when getting in bed at night and first thing in the morning when getting out of bed.