Rugs are always a great way to bring warmth and instant character to a room. Some people may not agree, but I put a rug in every space I can to help define the space and add a bit of coziness. When picking a rug, size is important. Let’s explore how to find the right rug size for a king bed.
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What Sized Rug to Use for a King Sized Bed?
Any rug placed under a king bed should be at least between 112-124 inches in width. A standard king bed is 76 inches wide by 80 inches long without accounting for headboard and footboard. Doing a bit of math, subtracting 76 from the largest and smallest widths gets us 36-48 inches wide.
Divide that in 2 (for either side of the bed) gives us 18-24 inches in which the rug should extend from either side of the bed. With these measurements we know that to be a minimum of 10 ft. Meaning the minimum size rug under a king bed should be an 8×10 rug.
But there are a few options on layout and size. We will talk about that next.
Is an 8×10 Rug The Best Rug Size For a King Bed?
An 8×10 rug means a rug 8ft long and 10ft wide. It’s a great choice for a smaller room or if your bed is in a smaller part of a large room. There are two ways you can lay an 8×10 rug under a king bed.
The first way is to place the rug where all of your furniture fits all the legs completely on the rug and nothing is hanging off. Like if the rug floated away like a magic carpet, it could take your bed, nightstands and any bench at the foot of the bed with it.
Pro-Tip: If you have no bench and smaller nightstands, try the rug placement shown above. To show off more of the rug, try the rug placement shown below. That is also the better choice if you plan to have a bench at the foot of the bed.
The second placement for the 8×10 rug is to scoot the rug down to the bottom half of the bed, taking the nightstands completely off the rug. There is plenty of room for a small or larger bench and larger nightstands.
What about a 9×12 rug? Should I Use One and When?
A 9×12 is a rug measuring 9ft long and 12ft wide. It has all the same benefits of an 8×10 rug, but bigger! There is more room for the furniture in your bedroom (nightstands, benches, etc). The key to using this size rug under your king size bed is to make sure your room can accommodate it.
Don’t forget to check your door as well. The door should be able to swing open without touching the rug, especially if the rug is over carpet because the door won’t have enough clearance to open properly.
The two placements for a 9×12 rug are the same as the 8×10. One placement puts all the furniture floating on the rug including the bed and two nightstands or whatever is beside your bed. An example of this is shown above.
The next other placement option (shown above) for the 9×12 size rug under a king bed is pulling it down a tad. Then you only have the two bottom feet of the bed, any bench at the foot of bed or larger furniture. This placement also has none of the nightstands on the rug.
Make triple sure your room is big enough for the larger rug because if it is just big enough or too cramped, it makes the bedroom look smaller as well.
The Art of Layering Rugs
Another question when looking for different rug sizes to go under a king bed was layering. Can I layer an 8×10 over a 9×12 specifically?
No, is the short answer. These two rug sizes are very similar in size and if layered, one would shine and the other would be lost. The rule when layering rugs is to go down 2 rug sizes at least. For example, what rug sizes can you layer on a 9×12? 5×7, 5×8, 6×9
If you want to have an 8×10 rug, the rug sizes you can layer on top are a 5×7 or 5×8.
FAQ
Is a 5×7 rug appropriately sized for under a king bed? This size rug is the smallest recommended for a queen bed, not king. You can put it under a queen bed, but it would look too small under a king bed by itself. You could layer it on top of a larger rug. Same can be said for a 5×8 rug.
What about a 6×9 rug? A 6×9 rug is perfectly suited for under a queen bed, but is a little too small to be placed under a king size bed. But it can be layered over a larger one. I don’t recommend this size rug for under king bed on its own.
What about a 7×10? A 7×10 rug is only a foot smaller in length than an 8×10 rug. A king bed is usually 80 feet long which would take up most of the length of a rug measuring 84 inches in length. A 7×10 rug can be used under a king size bed, but I would only use it at the foot of the bed.
Is a 10×14 rug too big for under a king bed? A 10×14 rug gives more room to place the bed and nightstands as well as a bench. The thing to remember about rug size is too small or too big only makes the space look smaller. The right rug size makes a room appear well-balanced.
Some Popular Rug Choices
Here are some popular rug choices at the moment, including the one I have in my bedroom.
- Samaniego Oriental Handmade Wool Rug Gray/Blue
- The Spruce Geometric Beige
- Tuscan Dotted Diamond Trellis Nursery Rug
- Walker Checkered Pink/Cream Rug
- Handmade Jute/Sisal Natural Rug
- Lucienne Geometric Gray Rug
- Terracotta Sky Loren Loloi Area Rug
- Olive Charcoal Layla Loloi Area Rug
- Chris Loves Julia Polly Slate/Ivory Area Rug
- Telina Rug from Boutique Rugs
Final Thoughts
When you are deciding on a rug for under your king size bed, there are a few things to keep in mind. Remember that a rug will always add personality and character to a room and also ground the space. So I really recommend getting a rug whether your bedroom floors are wood or carpet. Get the rug!
Next, the correct rug size for the the king bed is at least an 8×10 rug or larger. If you go larger, make sure your room can accommodate it. We used a 8×10 rug in our bedroom over carpet and I love how it automatically made it feel like an upgraded luxury space.
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