But despite king-size beds being roughly the same size, different area rug sizes work best for different style preferences and room dimensions. Here, we share everything you need to know to find the perfect right rug size for your unique space and style.
The Best Rug Size for a King Size Bed in a Small Room
If you’re working with a king-size bed in a small bedroom, it’s helpful to consider functionality in addition to aesthetics.
Amber Lewis suggests that you, “outline the area where you want your rug, and consider the location of doors and how they will open.” In other words, make sure that if you add a rug to your space it won’t cause the doors to stick. This is an especially important consideration if you’re in the market for a large rug — especially of it’s a fluffy, high-pile rug.
The rug’s design can also affect the right size area rug for your space. If you’re opting for a bold color or pattern, you might want to stick to a smaller rug so the design doesn’t overwhelm your space. Meanwhile, soft, neutral colors make it easier to get away with larger rugs since these hues are on the quieter side.
Finally, take a moment to consider how much floor space you have. Covering all of your floor space with an area rug can make a small bedroom feel even smaller. Amber Lewis recommends keeping, “at least 18 inches of bare floor space exposed by the rug’s edges. I’m not the biggest rule follower, but this is a classic rule that works for almost all rooms.”
And while the right area rug size will heavily depend on the exact dimensions of your space, Amy Hoban recommends a 5’x8’ area rug for small bedrooms. But of course you can go bigger or smaller depending on your needs and preferences.
The Best Rug Size for a King Size Bed in a Large Room
Larger bedrooms have more floor space to fill, so they can easily rock some of the largest area rugs available.
According to Megan Hersch, “For a king-size bed, you will likely want a 9’x12’ or 10’x14’ area rug, depending on the size of your room. My absolute rule of thumb is that the rug width must be at least as wide as the distance from edge to edge of the bedside tables on either side of the bed.” Maria DeCotiis agrees, “if space allows a 9x12 would be the minimum,” explains the Vancouver-based interior designer.
“For a king-size bed, you will likely want a 9’x12’ or 10’x14’ area rug, depending on the size of your room."
Large bedrooms also lend themselves well to multiple rugs or rug layering. For instance, if you have a large master bedroom with space for a sitting area and coffee table, you could add a 9’x12’ rug under your king-size bed and a smaller area rug under your coffee table to help define the two separate living spaces.
You can also layer one small area rug on top of a larger area rug. This is an easy way to add more texture to your design while increasing the coziness factor of your bedroom. And this approach is a particularly great fit for hardwood floors in apartment complexes since it can make your steps much quieter for your neighbors down below.
How to Position a Rug Under a King Size Bed
There are nearly infinite rug placements you can use around a king-size bed, but some are better for enhancing a design than others. According to Amy Hoban, “A classic placement in a bedroom is under the bed, about three-quarters of the way down from the headboard so the rug comes out from the sides and the end of the bed.”
But if you want a little more usable rug space around your bed, Amber Lewis recommends that you, “lay the rug perpendicular to the bed and pull it halfway under the bed frame, stopping before your side tables. This maximizes the amount of usable rug space and gives you a soft surface to step onto when getting out of bed.”
If you’re not sure where to begin, consider practicing this advice from Megan Hersch: “I like to start the edge of the rug at the front of the nightstands so you can see some of the floor space behind them and so a smaller area rug will cover more ground when it rolls out past the foot of the bed.”
However, these are only guidelines; not rules. “Starting the rug at the wall that the bed is up against is also 100% ok and can create a cozier vibe in your space,” says Hersch. “As I always say, there isn’t a wrong or a right way, there is the best way for you.”
An Alternative: Use Runners on Either Side
Standard area rugs aren’t the only way to elevate a king-size bed. You can also use runners on one side or both sides of the bed to get a similar effect. According to Lucy Small, “You can forego extending past the bed and invest in a long runner that's slightly shorter in length than your king-size bed”
Runners are also a simple and stylish way to add definition to certain areas. For instance, if you have a bench or a trunk at the foot of your bed, you could place a runner beneath it to help define the space while enhancing it with texture and color.