The first thing your feet touch

A bedroom rug has one job that no other rug in the house shares: it is the first thing you step on in the morning and the last thing you feel at night. On a cold wood or tile floor in winter, that difference is noticeable every single day, before you have even opened your eyes properly. It also does the quieter work of every good rug, softening footsteps, absorbing a little sound and making a room feel finished, in the one room where calm matters most. This page covers the sizes that suit each bed, where to place a rug, designs that are easy to wake up to and how to keep a bedroom rug fresh.

Our bedroom rugs are printed into velvet, so they can carry anything from a soft botanical or a starry sky to a favorite character, and they go in the washing machine. For bedrooms we usually recommend the Premium level: 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, warm and soft under bare feet.

What size rug for your bed?

The right size depends on the bed and on how you want to place the rug. For reference, US mattresses measure about 38×75 in (twin), 54×75 in (full), 60×80 in (queen), 76×80 in (king) and 72×84 in (California king). Here are the layouts that work with our sizes:

Bed	Beside the bed	At the foot or under the lower half
Twin	One 2×3 ft on the open side	4×6 ft, turned across the bed
Full	One or two 2×3 ft	5×7 ft, turned across the bed
Queen	Two 2.6×3.9 ft, one each side	5×7 ft, turned so the 7 ft side runs across
King / California king	Two 2.6×3.9 ft or 3.3×5 ft	5×7 ft at the foot, partly under the bed

Turning a rug across the bed leaves a strip of soft floor on both sides, so whoever gets up first in the morning steps onto velvet rather than a cold floor.

A queen bed is five feet wide, so a 5×7 ft rug turned sideways, with its seven-foot side running across the bed, shows about a foot of rug on each side when it is tucked under the lower part of the mattress. That gives you a soft landing on both sides without needing a huge rug. A king is a little over six feet wide, so the same rug works best at the foot of the bed with a few inches tucked underneath, or paired with two bedside rugs.

Bedside rugs

Two small rugs, one on each side of the bed, are the simplest and most flexible bedroom setup. They are easy to wash, easy to move, and they work with any bed size and any floor. A 2×3 ft (60 × 90 cm) rug suits a nightstand-to-wall gap in a small room; a 2.6×3.9 ft (80 × 120 cm) rug is generous beside a queen or king and runs most of the way down the bed. Matching pairs look calm and tidy; two different designs in the same palette feel more relaxed. Line each rug up with the nightstand above it, so it starts just under the bed frame and runs out into the room.

At the foot of the bed

A single rug at the foot of the bed frames it and gives the room a clear center. It is also where a bench or a blanket chest sits, and where you stand to get dressed. A 4×6 ft or 5×7 ft rug placed partly under the bed, so that a third of it disappears beneath the mattress, looks intentional; one that stops short of the bed frame looks lost.

Under the whole bed?

Designers often put an 8×10 ft rug under a queen or king so the rug extends well past the bed on three sides. That size is beyond our standard range. The two-rug approach, a pair of bedside rugs, gives you the same soft landing for less, and it is easier to keep clean. If you love the look of one big rug, our custom rugs are printed to any size up to 5′11″ × 10′.

Choosing a calm bedroom design

Bedrooms suit designs that are easy to wake up to. Some directions that work well:

• Botanical, flower and William Morris rugs, for a soft, natural feel.
• Celestial and space rugs, moons and stars for a bedroom that feels like night.
• Wavy and abstract rugs in muted colors, for a modern room.
• Cute and kawaii rugs, for a playful room that still feels soft.
• Art rugs like a Van Gogh night sky or Monet water lilies.

If a bedroom is also your favorite place to be a fan, our anime and gaming rugs belong here too. Placing a character rug beside the bed rather than in the middle of the room keeps it personal without taking over.

Colors for a restful room

Muted, low-contrast designs, soft blues, greens, warm neutrals and dusty pinks, tend to feel calmer than high-contrast black and white or saturated reds. That doesn't mean bold is off limits: a strong design works beautifully in a bedroom when the bedding and walls stay quiet. Pick one color from the rug and repeat it once in the bedding or a lamp, and the room will feel pulled together.

Kids' and teen bedrooms

For children, the bedroom rug is also a play surface, so size it to the floor space where they play, not just the bedside. A 4×6 ft rug in the open part of the room plus a small one by the bed is a good combination. On hard floors, Standard's non-slip faux leather back keeps the rug in place when they run across it. For teens, the rug is often the one thing in the room that is entirely their choice, a favorite game, show or artist, so let them pick. See kids and nursery rugs for more.

Small bedrooms

In a small bedroom where the bed fills most of the floor, one well-placed rug beats several. A single 2.6×3.9 ft rug on the side of the bed you get out of, running alongside the mattress, uses the floor you actually walk on. If there is a clear patch of floor at the foot of the bed, a 4×6 ft rug there makes the room feel deliberately designed rather than squeezed. Lighter designs reflect more light in a dim room; a pattern that runs the length of the rug can make a narrow room feel longer.

Dorm rooms

College dorms come with hard, cold floors and very little you are allowed to change. A rug is the one big piece of decoration every dorm permits, and it changes how the room feels on day one. A 4×6 ft rug fits most dorm floors between two beds; a 2.6×3.9 ft one works beside a lofted bed. Thin, washable velvet survives a year of roommates and spilled drinks and rolls into a box at the end of the semester.

Nurseries

A nursery rug is where a parent stands for night feeds, where a baby has tummy time and where a toddler takes first steps. Premium's plush velvet is the softer choice; on smooth floors, add a thin rug pad, or choose Standard for its non-slip back. Gentle designs that will still suit a child's room in a few years make the rug last longer. More ideas are in kids and nursery rugs.

Pets in the bedroom

If your dog or cat sleeps in the bedroom, the bedside rug often becomes their bed too. Velvet is a cut pile without loops, so claws don't snag in it, and pet hair sits on top of the short fibers where a vacuum lifts it easily. A mid-tone or patterned rug hides hair between cleans far better than plain dark or plain white, and the whole rug goes in the washing machine.

Renting? Start with the rug

In a rented bedroom, the rug is the quickest way to cover a worn floor and make the room feel like yours. It needs no nails or paint and comes with you when you move. Choose the rug first, then pick bedding in one of its colors; it is far easier than the other way around, and cheaper too.

Guest rooms

Guest rooms often have the hardest floors and the least furniture, so a rug makes a big difference to how welcoming they feel. A pair of bedside rugs or a single rug at the foot of the bed is enough. Choose something neutral or gently patterned that suits most tastes, and Standard if the floor is slippery and guests won't know to watch their step.

A bedroom with a desk

When the bedroom doubles as an office or gaming space, you may want two rugs: a soft Premium rug by the bed and a Standard rug under the desk chair, where its 5 mm velvet and non-slip back let the wheels roll freely. Keep them in the same palette so the room still reads as one space. See desk chair rugs.

Matching the rug to your bedding

Bedding changes more often than rugs, so choose the rug with a little flexibility in mind. A rug with two or three colors gives you options: navy bedding one season, rust the next, both picking up a tone already in the rug. White or cream bedding goes with almost any rug. If your bedding is patterned, keep the rug simpler, or choose one with a much larger or much smaller pattern so the two don't compete. And remember the rug is seen with the bed made and unmade; a design that looks good next to a rumpled duvet is a design you will love on a lazy Sunday.

Bedroom rugs on carpet

If your bedroom is carpeted, a printed rug on top still adds color, softness and a defined spot by the bed. Low-pile carpet is best, as the rug sits flatter. If it creeps, a rug-on-carpet pad holds it in place.

Keeping a bedroom rug fresh

Bedrooms collect dust, pet hair and the odd cup of tea knocked off a nightstand. Vacuum the rug on a low setting each week, shake out small bedside rugs outdoors when you change the sheets, and wash the whole rug on a gentle, cold cycle every so often. Let it air dry flat before putting it back. Because it is machine washable, keeping a bedroom rug fresh is as routine as washing the bedding.

Premium or Standard?

For most bedrooms, Premium: 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, the softer and warmer of the two. On very smooth wood or tile, add a thin rug pad. Choose Standard for a kid's room with hard floors, a guest room, or anywhere a chair rolls: 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back that stays put on its own.