How living room rug calculator Works
The three layouts, ranked
All-legs: every furniture piece sits fully on the rug — the luxury layout that needs a 9×12 or larger in most living rooms and reads unmistakably designed. Front-legs: sofa and chairs place front feet on the rug — the practical standard for 8×10 rugs. Floating: rug holds only the coffee table — visually the rug shrinks to a doily; designers use it only when the room itself is tiny.
Sizing from the sofa
The sofa sets the dimension: all-legs needs 2 feet beyond each arm; front-legs needs ~9 inches. Depth follows the conversation zone — 8–10 feet covers sofa-to-TV-distance in most rooms. Measure the actual arrangement (including the armchairs at angles), not the room, because the rug serves the furniture group.
The border and walkway checks
Leave 12–18 inches of bare floor between rug and walls — the frame that makes the rug read intentional. Keep walkways (door swings, traffic lanes) at least 30 inches; a rug that trips the natural path gets flipped, rolled, or resented. The room's architecture decides the border; the furniture decides the rug.