Do you have a rug that you love that doesn’t fit your space? Maybe it is too big or often times…..too small?
Smaller rugs are less expensive, and it's so tempting to go for the smaller size to get a better bang for your buck. But really, if a rug doesn't fit under the front legs of your main seating pieces in a living room, then it really doesn't fit.
The rug is too small.
Likewise, in a dining room, if you scoot your chair back a bit to sit down and the chair grabs the edge of the rug....you got it. Too small.
Maybe you inherited a rug, you have a rug from a previous residence, or maybe you just bought the wrong size? How do you adapt that rug to work now or what might be some other options for it? I've got some suggestions below so you don't have to live with a rug that's just too small.
4 Ways To Deal With A Rug That won't fit or is too small
1. Layer the rug on top of a textural seagrass, sisal, or jute option.
This works well with cowhide and smaller, thinner rugs that are obviously one-off found rugs. It almost frames them and makes them feel more special.
2. Re-purpose that rug.
Upholster that rug on an ottoman, chair, settee, even pillows. I saw this one at a vendor I regularly visit in Round Top Antiques Fair.
Rug upholstered settee
Rug upholstered ottoman
3. Have the rug cut down and bound to fit a smaller area where it could be used.
When we did our Holiday Showhouse room, we had ballparked the rug size based on plans we received, thinking we would go back and measure later. We did, but then, we neglected to go back and check that before we actually ordered the rug.
Two days before the opening, we moved in, the rug was delivered, and it was TOO BIG for the room! Panic! Luckily, my installers were able to take it back to the warehouse, cut it down and rebind it in time for the grand opening day. (Phew!)
This rug is made from rolled goods, and it looked fine cutting it down to a smaller size. (That doesn't happen often around here, folks, but we are human!)
Designer: Carla Aston, Holiday Showhouse Feminine Home Office w/ custom rug cut to fit by Stark
Then, when I did this showhouse room for a teenaged girl several years ago, I could not find the size of flokati I needed anywhere. I wanted a round rug and an 8' diameter. I could only find a 10' diameter that I could get in time for this showhouse, so I had it cut down as well.
(If you know anything about real flokati rugs, you know they can't really be vacuumed. You need to shake them out. So a huge flokati is not really a good thing and hard to maintain. I also wanted it only as a sort of soft, feminine accent in the room, since I had a nice sisal wall to wall floorcovering below.)
Designer: Carla Aston, Round Flokati Rug on Sisal Carpet
4. Use rolled goods and cut the goods to fit the space.
Let's say you're still shopping for a rug, and you have some crazy corners or odd architectural features that will get in the way of your appropriately sized rug. Maybe you feel like you have to go down a size to get it into the room because of an angled wall cutting into the room or a fireplace jutting out into the space.
I've had that occurrence on several projects and the best way to deal with that is to go with rolled goods that are cut and bound to fit your space.
I've done that here on this project, where we notched out for the fireplace.
Designer: Carla Aston, Fireplace / built-in cabinetry wall, custom rug cut to fit around hearth
We notched under the desk here, in this project, so that the homeowner wouldn't be scooting their chair over the edge of the rug constantly.
Designer: Carla Aston, Home Office w/ custom rug cut to fit desk area
And then we angled the rug here, to allow for the angled fireplace wall.
Don't get a size that doesn't really fit. Use these options above to use what you have or invest in something that does fit the room.
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This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.