It wasn’t until we worked with a professional stager that we even knew there were rugs under bed rules. That is, in order to make a bedroom look magazine worthy, there were certain ways and places to put a rug under a bed. She helped us learn how to position an area rug in a bedroom with hardwood floors.
For example, we learned that centering a rug underneath a bed was a no-no. Unlike a dining room table that might look posh with a rug under it, not so a bed. It’s usually because if you have a bigger bed, say a king size, there is no way to get a rug fully under it without achieving a certain design aesthetic.
Rules for putting a rug under a bed
So what are some of those rules for putting rugs under a bed? Below I’ve laid them out for you, including how to position an area rug in a bedroom with a queen size bed or a king size bed.
In addition, I’ll offer suggested sizes and dimensions for these rugs. You might be surprised at how much bang for the buck you can get with staging a bedroom with just one well placed rug.
Rug under king bed
So, what size rug should you put under a king bed? According to Ruggable, maker of washable rugs, first you want to center the king sized bed on the wall. Then, you want to center the rug underneath the bed. But in a way that creates a walking area around the sides and bottom of the bed. Basically, you don’t want to step off the rug and onto the cold floor when you get out of bed.
Ruggable says that the ideal size for a king size bed would be 9X12 or 8X10. One, you’ll want to turn the rug sideways. Then, you’ll want to center it under the bed, from left to right, but slightly towards the end of the bed.
This positioning will give you about two feet of around at the sides and end of a king size bed. Also, this puts the bed in front of any end tables or nightstands you might have next to the bed.
Rug under queen bed
When we were selling our house in New Jersey, we staged the primary bedroom using a queen sized bed. Ironically, in that house one of the guest bedrooms fit a king sized bed better than the primary bedroom.
So, we gave that primary bedroom, with its own three-quarter en suite bathroom, to our daughter. Then, my husband and I moved into that guest room, which was bigger than what was supposed to be our, the parents’, bedroom. But that’s ok. I’d rather sleep in a king-sized bed than claim that primary bedroom, just because I paid the mortgage.
Positioning under a queen size
Anyway, when we worked with a stager to get that house on the market, she had us put a rug underneath the queen sized bed. But unlike the positioning described above for the king sized bed, she had us do something slightly off center.
That is, the rug only stuck out from two sides of the bed instead of three. She had us do this for a simple reason.
As mentioned above, you always want to center a bed on the wall. So, we positioned that queen size bed on the longest wall. However, because of a window and other furniture, there wasn’t a lot of room on one side of the bed. So to have the rug peeking out from both sides would have actually looked awkward. You can see how we used that bed in the photo I’ve shared here.
Queen rug sizes
What size rug were we using under our queen size bed? It was a 6X9 foot rug.
In fact, Ruggable says that the best size rugs to use under a queen size bed are:
- Six foot by nine foot
- Eight foot by 10 foot
You may have a 5X7 foot rug that you’d like to try under a queen size bed. Unfortunately, that’s not going to work as well. I would save that 5X7 rug for use under twin beds in a child’s bedroom.
Rug under a full sized bed
So let’s say you’re working with a bedroom that has a full sized bed. That’s slightly smaller than a queen but can still fit two people, albeit more tightly.
Like a queen sized bed, a full bed will benefit from an 8X10 or 6X9 rug underneath it.
If you’re thinking about using a 5X7 rug, don’t. Ruggable says that, instead, you should be thinking about putting a rug next to a full bed. That is, get two 3X5 rugs, and place them on either side of the bed.
Rug under a twin bed
As I mentioned above the 5X7 rug is perfect under a twin bed. You can turn the rug 90 degrees so the seven foot-long side goes underneath and perpendicular to the length of the bed. Then, you’ll position it slightly towards the foot of the bed.
This will achieve two things. One, it will keep the rug out from being underneath side tables, where it could be wobbly. And, two, this should give you an even walking space of carpet around the sides and end of the bed.
Common rug sizes
I think I’ve already spelled it out but it’s worth repeating. There are a few common rug sizes that will work best when positioning a bed in a bedroom.
Sizes for a king bed
You’ll had the best luck using these sizes rugs with a king size:
- 9X12
- 8X10
Sizes for a queen bed
Choose rugs for under a queen bed in one of these two sizes:
- 8X10
- 6X9
Sizes for a full bed
You have a few more choices for rug sizes with a full bed. For under a bed, choose:
- 8X10
- 6X9
Or, if you want to have rugs around the bed, go with two 3X5 rugs. I supposed if the room is big enough, you could use a 5X7 rug on each side, too.
Sizes for twin beds
Depending on the size of a bedroom with a twin bed, you could use a rug under the bed in one of these sizes:
- 5X7
- 6X9
- 8X10
Or if you have a bedroom with two twin beds, you can position a 5X7 rug under the bottom of both beds, or put a 3X5 rug between them. Finally, you can try a runner at the end of the beds as well.
This blog post from Ruggable was really helpful for me when choosing rugs for our bedroom.
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