Almost any rug that feels just a bit too small can be stretched into service with a layer beneath that s at least a bit larger.
Rug too small for living room.
This works especially well if a sofa is up against a wall.
In a smaller space you can also opt to have only the front legs of the furniture sitting on the rug.
If you use a cowhide.
Use one large area rug to make a room look bigger instead of placing several small rugs.
The ideal size for this option is a 9 by 12 foot rug or larger.
For smaller living rooms you have two options.
For mid sized rooms go with a larger rug like an 8 by 10 and place your large anchor.
If your living room is smallish and your sofa is up against a wall then you can float a 6 9 rug in front of it.
This way it doesn t look like the room is crowding the rug.
Place the large rug within 12 inches of the walls on all sides or place it in the middle where it stops several inches away from all the furniture.
Several rugs make a small room look crowded.
A rug that is too small forces your furniture to be closer together leaving the room feeling unbalanced and creating the feeling of wasted empty space kirk recommended using painter s tape and exact measurements to create mock outlines on your floor so you can envision how the rug might look in your space.
Design by kristen hutchins via hgtv.
It might be worth buying the higher end rug in a 5 8 and layering it over a much less expensive 8 10 neutral fiber rug.
With this layout the rug should extend at least six inches past each piece of furniture.