1. Measure before you start

Before you start looking at rugs you need to measure the dimensions of your room to work out the approximate space you have for a rug and any constraints you have (door openings, etc.).

2. Bigger is usually better

A small rug can make a room look small and its elements disconnected. When in doubt, go for a bigger size to help tie everything together.

3. The 18-Inch rule

Most interior designers will tell you to leave around 18 inches of bare floor around a rug to get the right proportions. For small spaces you can tweak this, however.

4. Don’t be afraid to experiment

You’re allowed to bend the rules a bit when choosing a rug – they’re only guidelines after all. shed. These are either trimmed or untrimmed (or sometimes a combination of the two) to produce the required designs in a rug.