You Asked, I Answered: Bedroom Rugs

I recently did a bedroom design for a friend of mine who just purchased her first home and now that they’ve moved in, we were chatting about bedroom rug options – check out the design I did for her here!

She was looking for some additional options to share with her husband [men are funny about what they care about decor-wise, aren’t they?! No offense to any males reading this!], so I thought I would share some options I found!

PS. Check out my first “You Asked, I Answered” post on throw pillow combinations here.

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Bedroom Area Rug Size and Placement

First things first when talking about area rugs – what size should you get?

Generally, if your room is large enough, these are the sizes I would recommend:

Queen Bed: 8×10 or 9×12
King Bed: 9×12

I love this mock up from Kelly Marie Interiors for placement under the bed. I personally do not like to put a bedroom rug under nightstands. I prefer to have more rug at the end of the bed since that’s where you walk!

Also, if you are placing your rug on hardwood floors, I definitely recommend putting a rug pad underneath. I personally prefer a non-slip grip rug pad like this one. This protects your floors but doesn’t add any unnecessary bulk or tripping hazard. If you are putting your rug over carpet, which is common in bedrooms, you don’t need a rug pad. If this is the case, I would look for a lower pile rug, again to create less of a tripping hazard! Since you’re putting the rug under the bed, it shouldn’t shift around much.

Traditional Rugs

My 3 picks for traditional rugs have some color in them but are muted. This is great to create a soft palette for a bedroom. They have pattern but it isn’t too loud, which allows them to be a great base for the furniture on top.

I love the colors in this beige floral rug styled by Kasey Dixon of SBK Living. It compliments her neutral bedroom style so well while still giving some visual interest.

I used another muted traditional rug in my recent coastal chic master bedroom design. I love the subtle blues in this rug.

Neutral Rugs

I have been leaning towards neutral rugs lately – most of the rugs in my house now are some version of jute! I love the clean but cozy look they give!

I love the texture in this rug from Rebekah Dempsey at A Blissful Nest. Neutral colors all work great together, so she was able to combine beige/tan, white, and gray in this room seamlessly!

Another one of my favorite bedrooms belongs to Kelley Nan. Her ivory area rug is the perfect neutral base. She is able to add interest into the space through her throw pillows and other textures.

Modern Rugs

The clean lines in modern area rugs make them perfect for a bedroom! I would definitely stick with neutral colors if you go with a modern rug.

Katie Dunn at Classically Dunn pulled this look off with this striped rug. I love how the lines in the rug mimic the lines on her vertical shiplap. Side note: I think we have the same bedframe in our master bedroom [shop my master bedroom here].

Another Option

Finally, I wanted to provide a somewhat different option. There is already carpet in many bedrooms, so techically you don’t need an area rug. While I think an area rug is a great addition to break up that monotonous carpet and add interest, you could achieve this look with smaller accent rugs. I definitely wouldn’t do a bunch of small patterned rugs, but two faux fur rugs on either side of the bed or even in a corner can look really cool!

Alyin at Stylin by Alyin shared this look in her home tour and it is SO cozy! I love how it breaks up the carpet, so you hardly even notice it! They really lighten up the whole space too.