Most people like their feet to hit something warm and cushy when they wake up. Sadly, it’s not uncommon for spouses to disagree on this matter.. For couples that can’t agree on hardwood or carpet, generally they put hardwood on the floor and cover it with a rug. This is the best of both worlds.
But bedroom rug placement is hard! How do you make the rug work with your style? There are a ton of different ways to make a rug in a small bedroom work. I mean, we don’t all have mansions with a huge amount of space in the bedroom.
Fortunately, there are only a few things that you need to consider first and then your rug under the bed will look completely natural.
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How to Choose the Perfect Bedroom Rug?
For starters, the most important thing is how your bedroom rug will feel. After that, you only need to consider the shape and size of the rug. Rug placement in a bedroom is difficult enough. Rugs in small bedrooms need to fit both the room and the bed for you to get good results at all.
Rug Materials
- Wool – resists stains, soft underfoot, durable, expensive
- Silk – bright colors, very soft, fades in sunlight, expensive
- Cotton – strong colors, easy to clean, moderate durability, discolors over time, inexpensive
- Jute – brown and taupe colors, prone to breaking fibers, rougher texture, inexpensive
Rug material is one of the most important features to decide. Everybody will feel different about different fabrics and textures. Especially in small bedrooms, where the bed is against the wall, you don’t have space for uncomfortable fabrics underfoot.
Make sure that the rug feels good to walk on barefoot. If possible, try the rug under the bed for a period of time before deciding that it’s perfect. Even better, try the rug in the store without shoes on if they’ll let you. But most shops have return policies that give you some leeway on choosing a rug.
Not only should a bedroom rug feel comfortable, but it also needs to hold up to foot traffic. Rug placement in a bedroom is typically in a high traffic area, either next to the bed or in the center of the room, and the rug needs to last for quite some time before getting threadbare.
Rug Shape
Rug shape plays a huge role in making rugs under beds look good. For people looking for a more natural look, consider a rug with round edges. So circles or ovals are popular in natural interior design styles.
Rug placement in bedrooms with these more natural shapes is typically in the center of the bedroom. You may also consider something with an irregular shape since it will give you an even more natural appearance.
On the other end of the spectrum, rectangular designs will bring an element of structure. Especially for those bedrooms with a modern or architectural design, you should consider rectangular rugs.
Rug Size
For those people with small bedrooms, the size of the rugs is a make or break moment. If you get too large of a rug, it will make the bedroom look even smaller. However, if your rug is too small, it just looks weird and cheap.
For the best rug placement in a bedroom, you want your rug to be 18-24 inches larger on all sides of the bed, even in a small bedroom. This means that your rug could potentially touch the walls if your bedroom is very small. But if your rug is smaller, a rug under a bed would simply disappear. It wouldn’t give you a spot to walk in the morning.
How Does Interior Design Style Affect Rugs In Small Bedrooms?
Your chosen interior design style will greatly affect what you decide on and the rug placement in your bedroom. Start by choosing an interior design style for your space. For example, if you have a colorful design style, you probably don’t want a muted rug crimping your style. But if you have a calm, beachy style, you don’t want a Southwestern pattern rug in your bedroom.
Decide on an Interior Design Style
Your first order of business is to choose an interior design style. Fortunately, there are many popular interior design styles to choose from. You don’t have to maintain one, single style throughout the home. You can make your bedroom distinct from the rest of the home.
This is incredibly important to understand because your bedroom is a space that you want a calm atmosphere for you to sleep in. Especially in a small bedroom where your bed is against the wall, you want a space that makes you feel at ease.
Choose a design style that creates this calm atmosphere for the evenings and makes you happy in the morning. A rug in a small bedroom can put the finishing touches on the atmosphere in your bedroom. Choose wisely.
How do You Match Rugs to Accents
When you are matching your bedroom rug to your interior design, you need to match the overall design but also fit your accent pieces. Your rug in a small bedroom is a combination of major design element and accent. So it needs to fit both.
An easy way to make your rug under the bed fit in is to match the colors in the rug to the colors in the accent pieces. For example, if you want to have blue sheets and blue vases, you should consider a rug with blue in it as well.
Rug Placement in a Bedroom with the Bed Against the Wall
Rug placement in a bedroom is not easy, especially when at least one side of the bed is against the wall. There are a few different ways that you can make a rug placement in a small bedroom look more natural. After you decide on a material, shape, and design style, you need to decide where to place the rug in the bedroom.
Rug Under the Bed
A classic rug placement in a small bedroom is under the bed. This is especially popular for those where the bed is against the wall. If you have a small bedroom, this placement may require a smaller rug overall.
Again, make sure that the rug has enough space on the side of the bed in order to give your feet somewhere soft to land. If you can afford a larger rug, and you are unsure where to put it, a rug under the bed is a perfect rug placement in a small bedroom.
Can I Put a Rug on the Side of the Bed?
For people with lower budgets, consider a smaller bedroom rug. This is perfect for couples where only one person wants a rug too. The perfect rug placement in a bedroom in this case is rights next to one side of the bed. Especially if you get a really lush small rug, it can provide an ultimate luxury.
If you only want a small rug in the bedroom, place it on the side of the bed where you stand up each morning. Eventually, you’ll find the perfect spot so your feet land on it every time. Not only that, but you can afford a higher quality rug if you buy a small one.
Especially in a small bedroom where the bed is against the wall, rug placement next to the bed is incredibly popular. Since you’re typically only going to get off the bed on one side, you only need a rug on one side.
Foot of the Bed
Some people find that a rug at the foot of the bed is more conducive to their needs. If you always sit on the foot of the bed to put your shoes on or take them off, you may like a rug at the foot of the bed to keep the bedroom clean.
Especially in a small bedroom, the foot of the bed serves many purposes. It could be a shoe spot, a dog bed, or a rug for somebody who gets off at the foot of the bed. While it isn’t the most common rug placement, rugs in small bedrooms can go just as easily at the foot of the bed as along the side of the bed.
Can You Put a Rug Up Against the Wall?
Especially in a small bedroom, you may be tempted to put a rug right up against the wall. While there are exceptions, running the rug too far across the room and meeting the wall makes the room look smaller.
A major exception is if you are centering the rug underneath the bed and the bed is centered in the room. In this case, it is much better to take the rug all the way to the wall on the headboard end of the bed.
Another exception is if you purchased a rug to protect the flooring underneath it. In this case, you would want the rug to extend all the way to the walls in order to protect that flooring as best as possible.
But in general, if you put a rug up against a wall, you are paying for a larger rug than you need. Rugs, especially as they get larger, can be expensive. And you don’t want to make your small room appear even smaller.
Where Can I Find a Perfect Small Bedroom Rug?
There are a few places where I love to look for rugs, especially rugs for small bedrooms or unique interior design styles. Don’t be afraid to contact a company to ask if you can purchase a sample of a rug you are looking at. Not all of the rug companies do this but it’s worth a try to ask.
Rugsource
Rugsource is an excellent option for rugs of all types and sizes. The rugs on this site are a high quality and you would probably find some less common materials and designs than other sites. Don’t be afraid to check out their clearance section because even their sale rugs are stunning and this way you can save a little money.
Wayfair
Wayfair is actually one of my very favorite places to find rugs for small bedrooms. They are a great site that almost anybody can afford and use easily and quickly. For people who have a bed against the wall, rug placement is incredibly difficult. But I guarantee you’ll find something on Wayfair that you’ll love. And they offer free shipping to your house!
IKEA
I love shopping at IKEA. They are a company with a really unique viewpoint on things. While their design selection doesn’t fit everybody, for those it does fit, there are a huge range of options at IKEA. Especially if you are into the newly fashionable Japandi (check out my article on Japandi interior design) or Scandinavian design style, check out IKEA for tons of rug options. And bonus points that their rugs are typically washable.
West Elm
West Elm really does have a huge selection of rugs that fit any interior design style and any budget. Please don’t misunderstand, you can definitely spend thousands getting a rug from West Elm. But you can also keep your budget under control easily if you want. And they have options for sustainable or fair trade rugs for those more eco-conscious and humanity conscious.
What Are the Best Small Bedroom Rugs for Pets?
We love our pets, right? They’re part of our family, right? If your pets are a part of your family, there’s a good chance that they sleep in your bed with you, or at least in your bedroom with you. And they like a comfortable place to sleep.
There are two factors that are crucial for somebody choosing a rug for a small bedroom that the pet will love too. That is comfort and washability. The last thing you want is to have the perfect pet rug only to have to replace it every few months when it gets dirty.
Comfort
For those pets who don’t sleep on the bed with their owners, a rug nearby is the next best thing. Every pet owner has seen a dog completely pass up a lush dog bed and lay on a hard floor right next to the bed instead. They clearly want to be with their owner more than they want comfort.
So make sure that the rug you get for next to your bed is super comfortable. A plush rug with a comfortable fabric and a squishy feel will be perfect. Basically, if you’d like to sleep on it, so would your pooch.
Washability
For washability, you really can’t beat Ruggable. They offer rugs that are stylish and incredibly washable. The rugs have two pieces, a non-slip pad underneath that offers cushion and keeps the rug in place, and a washable rug cover on top.
The rug cover is designed to resist stains and spills by nature. But for those stains that it does pick up, you are able to put it in a standard residential washing machine to clean it. This prevents the need for a professional rug cleaner or a complete replacement, which is ground breaking.
How Do I Maintain A Rug in a Small Bedroom?
A rug for a small bedroom, especially one so small the bed is against the wall, needs to be easy to maintain. In a room that small, the rug will be walked on constantly. How do you make sure it looks good for years to come?
First, choose a rug that can stand up to high traffic. You probably don’t think of your bedroom as a high traffic zone but you go in it every day, even if nobody else does. Next, there’s a few things you can do to keep your rug looking good from the beginning.
You can apply a thin layer of Scotchguard to make the rug more stain and water resistant from the beginning. Don’t apply it too thick or you’ll start to get a crispy, plastic feeling and look to the rug.
Make sure to take the rug outside and beat it every once in a while to get the dirt out. It may sound old fashioned, but this technique works quite well.
Choose a rug with a shorter pile (the length of the carpet fibers) so that it doesn’t show wear and tear as much. If the fibers do start to lay down, set an ice cube on the spot and let it melt into the carpet and dry naturally. This will help to temporarily perk up the fibers.
Final Thoughts
Placing a rug in a small bedroom is a tough thing for most people. A room where the bed is against the wall makes rug placement even more difficult. But it is possible if you follow a few simple guidelines.
Make sure that the scale of the rug fits both the bed and the room in general. That way you have somewhere soft to put your feet in the morning. Also, choose a material and style that fits your interior design style and your needs.
Placing rugs in small bedrooms is not really that hard in the end. If you get the wrong one, return it and try again. Nothing in this world is permanent so don’t be afraid.