How to Choose the Perfect Dining Room Rug

• 26 February 2021
• 5 Min Read
• By Jaipur Rugs

The right dining room rugs will help protect the floor and create a comfortable, soothing texture underfoot. Let us take you through everything you will need...

One might think that choosing décor for the dining room would be no different than doing so for the rest of your home. But, making this decision goes beyond just attracting visual attention. The right dining room rugs will help protect the floor and create a comfortable, soothing texture underfoot. A rug under the dining table will also help you anchor the room and add a center of attention. Besides, the right dining room carpet, depending on the size and the material, will also help muffle sound, keep it looking and feeling warm. Your guests will not be exposed to cold, bare flooring and this is also a great trick to hide any not-so-pleasant corners of the floor. When you take all this into consideration, you realize that homeowners shopping for dining room rugs can feel overwhelmed while shopping for the right dining room carpet depending on the needs and personality of the space. 

While it is true that color and design are the primary determiners behind this decision, you can do much more with the right rug under your dining table. Let us take you through everything you will need to make this seemingly hard decision based on both form and function. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it:

The Size of the rug and the room

The reason why the measuring part of buying dining room rugs is so important that unlike other rooms in your home, the dining room has a statement piece of furniture in its center—the dining table. Therefore, before you go ahead and add your favourite rug to the cart, ensure that you have the correct measurements of the space. Here are a few more thumb rules to follow in the same:

All legs of the furniture on the rug

The dining room rug size is one of the major aspects to consider when buying dining room rugs. The absolute ideal setting is when the rug is under the dining table, meaning that it should be large enough for you to place the dining table and the chairs on it. No, not just at the edge of the chair’s back legs when pulled in, but enough space even beyond the chair legs when it is pulled out. 

Measuring the room

Make sure you have the correct measurements of the room. Also, it is best to leave equal amounts of space on each side to have a well-grounded, balanced visual effect. This is to say that your dining room carpet should be at least 24-28 inches larger than the size of the dining table. If you have a large dining room with a lot of space between the furniture and the walls, opt to go bigger. Remember that the right dining room rug size can make all the difference.

Rug Shape

The simplest design advice any interior designer will give you is to take care of the proportions of your space. That is why, along with the dining room rug size, its shape also dictates its overall aesthetic. Most dining tables are rectangular, and hence, most dining room rugs are rectangles too. However, if you have a round or oval table, opt for a rug that imitates its shape. There can be no greater visual anomaly than an oval dining table and a rectangle rug. 

The Rug Material

Considering how dining room rugs bear the weight of heavy furniture pieces as well as the people sitting on it, chairs pulled in and pushed out at least thrice a day, and of course, subjected to occasional spills and stains and fallen food bits, it is no surprise than the material has to be sturdy and resilient. This is important for ensuring that despite the fairly rough use, it will keep gracing your space for a long time and not cost you a fortune in a new one. Our suggestion is to opt for wool rugs as they are the most durable natural fiber rugs out there. There are very few other fibers that stand up to the promises of the longevity of a wool rug. They are also far easier to clean than synthetic material rugs. It is heavier on the pocket but consider it as a one-time investment as it will last you a lifetime. 

Decorate the Space Around the Rug

A rug is the perfect jumping off point to re-do your space. It sits at the centre of the room and forms a visual focal point for the rest of the space. The dining room carpet you choose can be the first piece of the puzzle for the rest of the dining room. Look at the colour palette, the pattern, the hue, the texture, volume and heft and manipulate other pieces in the room accordingly. For example, if you have opted for an abstract print, textured woolen rug, your room will look lovely in warm colours, more defined shapes but scarce furniture to create a wonderful sense of balance. 

Look for brighter and Deeper Colours

More and more modern houses nowadays lack a separate dining room. A rug is the perfect way to delineate this space. To do so, you need something that successfully divides attention from the rest of your room and a light-hued rug will hardly do that. Hence, place a right, resplendent, high saturation rug under the dining table for an illusion of a separate, distinct space. Not to mention pale-hued rugs are not good friends with a space that is prone to spills and stains. 

Get a Vibe Check

Last but not the least, think about what kind of vibe and energy you want your dining room to emanate. Is it used solely for family or do you entertain a lot of guests? Does it also double up as your working space? Do you want it to look and chic and fuss free or filled with warmth and a distinct welcoming vibe? Accordingly, you will be able to judge the colour, pattern, design, and texture of the dining room carpet that will be perfect for your space. A dining room is an intimate space in every home, so to ensure that it reflects your and your den’s personality is super important. 
Dining room rugs are not a design accessory; they form the focal point of the space and if done right, can need little else to beautify the space. Choose the apt dining room rug size to start with and build it from there with shape, proportion, material,  colour, texture, and the design.