What size rug for a 12x15 living room?
6 × 9 ft 183 × 274 cm · UK 200 × 290 cm
A 12 × 15 ft living room needs at least a 6 × 9 ft rug (200 × 290 cm in UK sizes) under a 7 ft sofa with its front legs on. An 8 × 10 ft rug also fits, and puts every leg of the sofa on it, with 30 cm (12 in) of floor left each side.
The room sets the biggest rug you can lay; the sofa sets the smallest that looks right. In a room this size both stock sizes pass, so choose by what you want on the rug. The smaller one holds the sofa's front legs and the coffee table. The larger one takes the whole sofa, which suits a sofa that floats away from the wall.
The sum puts the sofa on the shorter wall. Turn the room round in the calculator if yours sits on the long wall: the rug then has more room to each side and less in front.
Worked out for A 12 × 15 ft room (3.66 × 4.57 m) with a sofa 7 ft wide (213.4 cm) on the shorter wall, a coffee table in front, and the sofa's front legs on the rug. Change the numbers
The working
- Along the sofa: 213.4 + 2 × 15 = 243.4 cm at least, 253.4 cm ideally (15–20 cm past each end).
- Into the room: 160 cm, for the sofa’s front legs on it.
- At least 20 cm of bare floor between the rug and each wall of the 365.8 × 457.2 cm room.
- Smallest UK stock size that meets both: 200 × 290 cm.
The rules, and their sources
Bare floor between rug and wall
A rule designers use: leave 30–45 cm of bare floor between the rug and the walls; 20 cm is the least that still looks meant.
A rule designers use Sources: Livingetc (Wolfe, 22 Aug 2025), The two-thirds rule (checked 24 October 2026); Architectural Digest, How to choose the right size rug (checked 24 October 2026); Emily Henderson, Living room rug size (checked 15 October 2026).
Rug wider than the sofa
A rule designers use: the rug runs at least 15 cm, ideally 20 cm, past each end of the sofa (6–8 in).
A rule designers use Sources: Emily Henderson, Living room rug size (checked 15 October 2026); IKEA UK: the rug should be longer than the sofa (checked 31 October 2026).
US stock rug sizes
US shops sell rugs in feet: 5 × 8, 6 × 9, 8 × 10 and 9 × 12 ft (152 × 244 to 274 × 366 cm).
Shop sizes Source: Rugs.com, What size rug do I need? The complete rug size guide (checked 15 October 2026).
The same room, three layouts
The room and the sofa stay the same. Only what stands on the rug changes; under each size is the bare floor it leaves each side.
| On the rug | US rug | UK rug |
|---|---|---|
| The sofa's front legs this page | 6 × 9 ft46 cm (18 in) each side | 200 × 290 cm38 cm (15 in) each side |
| Every leg of the sofa | 8 × 10 ft30 cm (12 in) each side | 240 × 340 cm63 cm (25 in) each side |
| Front legs, and two armchairs facing the sofa | 8 × 10 ft30 cm (12 in) each side | 200 × 290 cm38 cm (15 in) each side |
Change the numbers
Your sizes will differ. The rug size calculator opens with these numbers filled in: change any of them and the answer, the working and the drawing follow.
Editorial notes
Worked out by the Snuug team on 12 November 2026 with the same code as the rug size calculator, so the two cannot disagree. Every rule cites its source, with the date we last checked it. A rule designers use is a convention, not a study.
Other sources the calculator draws on:
- Love-Rugs, Rug size guide UK (120 × 170, 160 × 230, 200 × 300, 240 × 340 cm), checked 31 October 2026
- Ruglove, What size rug for living room? (200 × 290 cm), checked 31 October 2026
- Castlery UK, Coffee table dimensions (5 Aug 2026), checked 24 October 2026