Rug sizing, in one designer's words
The wrong rug is louder than no rug. Here's the number to remember.
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The single most-broken rule in living-room design: rugs stopped a foot short of the sofa's front legs. It's the reason arrangements feel like they're floating even when the furniture is right.
The number: 6–8 inches
A rug should extend 6–8 inches past the sofa's arms on every open side. That's the range that makes the seating area feel intentional without swallowing the room. Less than 6 inches and it reads as a mistake; more than 8 and it starts fighting other elements.
The cheat: measure the sofa first
Standard three-seat sofa is 84 inches. Add 12–16 inches (6–8 per side) and you're at 96–100 inches — an 8×10 rug is almost always the right answer for a standard living room. For a loveseat (60") an 6×9 works.
What to do when the room is too small
If an 8×10 doesn't fit, rotate the rug lengthwise so it clears the sofa front on the long side, and let the back sit under the sofa's front feet only. This buys you a year while you save up for the right room.
Buy the size the sofa asks for, not the size the budget wants. A too-small rug you love will look wrong in every photo you take of the room.