Use Rugs to Visually Expand Tiny Bedrooms
Decorating a small bedroom comes with its fair share of challenges. Limited floor space can make a room feel cramped and closed-in, no matter how creatively you arrange the furniture. However, the right rug can work magic when it comes to opening up tiny bedrooms both visually and physically. Strategically using one or more area rugs creates the illusion of a more spacious room, while also defining spaces to make smart functional use of every inch.
Follow these top tips for selecting and placing rugs to instantly expand diminutive bedrooms in both look and feel.
Select the Right Rug Size
When working with a small bedroom, resist the urge to fill up the floor with multiple small rugs. Too many rugs underfoot make navigating the tight quarters all the more tricky. Instead, invest in one oversized rug to anchor and fill the space stylishly.
- Look for a rug that stretches wall-to-wall, fully extending under the bed plus a few feet beyond on all open sides.
- Supplement with a couple coordinating accent rugs only if bare floors absolutely must be covered.
- Limit accent rugs to the highest traffic zones like bedside and entryways to prevent a cluttered look.
Strategically Place the Rug
More so than overall size guidelines, proper placement makes or breaks a small bedroom rug's spatial impact.
| Anchor It | Use the area rug to anchor the bed within the existing layout. Position it fully under the bed with equal margins extending outward. This creates a clear focal point and makes smart use of the natural furniture footprint. |
| Layer Creatively | Once anchored, layer a coordinating accent rug atop a section of the main rug to define a sitting area or reading nook while maintaining an open look underfoot. |
| Skip Footprints | Avoid placing area rugs only at the foot of the bed, which tends to truncate the space awkwardly. |
Carefully Choose Rug Color
Color choice plays a pivotal role in exaggerating or diminishing limited dimensions:
- Lighten Up: Stick to light, neutral rug colors like cream, beige, or pale gray to reflect the most light possible. The higher the light reflection, the more airy and expansive a small space will seem.
- See Monochromatic: Monochromatic color schemes with subtle gradations of one hue also boast an seamless, enlarging effect on snug bedrooms.
- Steer Clear of Darks: On the other hand, dark rug colors tend to absorb light and dampen spacious illusions, making small rooms feel all the more cave-like.
Use Rugs with Dimensional Patterns
Sometimes color alone falls short of adequately expanding petite bedrooms. In these cases, leverage dimensional patterns creatively:
- Lines and geometric shapes with strong vertical, horizontal or diagonal directional emphasis make rooms appear longer, wider and generally more capacious.
- Large-scale graphic prints similarly trick the eye by seeming much grander than the actual floor plate.
- Save overly busy patterns for larger spaces where there's room to spare. Stick to simple motifs that integrate discretely into a small bedroom's existing palette.
Select a Low-Profile Rug
In addition to the width and length yardage, pay close attention to a rug's vertical proportions relative to the room's constrained scale:
- Choose low-pile styles without too much loft to prevent eating up valuable visual space within an already compressed footprint.
- Skip plush shags in favor of streamlined, flattened weaves that hug the floor beneath.
There's certainly a time and place for those decadent flokati sheepskin rugs, but rarely in pint-sized bedrooms where every inch counts.
Pick a Minimalist Rug Design
As with color and pile height, less is often more when selecting an area rug design for limited square footage:
- Clean, streamlined styles integrate seamlessly without complicating an already crowded space.
- Solid color rugs or subtle tone-on-tone variations promote visual clarity and an airy aesthetic.
- Pass on super elaborate patterns or boldly contrasting colors lest the rug compete for attention within the intimate quarters.
Consider Multipurpose Rug Materials
Given the breadth of uses a bedroom rug must cover, tailoring material selection accordingly ensures adequate daily performance.
| Durability | Prioritize durable, high-traffic fibers that withstand concentrated footsteps without showing excess wear and tear. |
| Comfort | Cushiony wool, nylon or memory foam rugs pamper bare feet and warm chilly flooring underfoot.. |
| Care | Seek out stain-resistant, kid and pet-friendly options conducive to inevitable spills and accidents common in lived-in bedrooms. |
Creatively Mix and Match Rugs
Finish pulling together a cohesive bedroom rug scheme with a multidimensional mix of sizes and shapes:
- Anchor the bed with a generous rectangular neutral
- Layer a round throw rug with bright colors or bold pattern atop the neutral anchor rug to define a sitting nook.
- Flank bedsides with elongated runner rugs to zone off pathways and build visual interest through varied heights and textures.
Select a Rug That Complements Decor
As the final touch, choose an area rug size, color and pattern that intentionally complements the existing aesthetic vision for optimal cohesion. Whether the vibe skews traditional, modern, coastal or boho, a strategically selected rug pulls the whole room together beautifully by echoing other core elements.
At the end of the day, rugs present one of the easiest and most effective opportunities to counteract common small bedroom pitfalls. Simply laying the right rug scheme instantly alleviates a cramped appearance and closed-in atmosphere.
Heed the guiding principles outlined above regarding proper sizing, placement, coloration and styling when shopping for your petite bedroom's perfect spatial savior rugs. With a thoughtful rug strategy centered on enlarging illusions, even the tiniest of bedrooms can soon breathe deeper and stretch out in comfort.