Adding an area rug to your home decor, and need help choosing the style, color, and size suitable for your home? An area rug is not a purchase to make lightly since it significantly impacts the room’s look and feel. No matter your color palette, you can’t go wrong with a neutral-colored area rug. Warm beige, bright white, classic ivory, or cool gray neutral tones are easy to incorporate into the living room and add a sense of balance and calm to your home.

This guide discusses adding neutral area rugs to your living room in more detail so that you can feel confident in your choice and enjoy how it looks in your home.

Neutral Area Rug Placement Tips

Whether upgrading your current living room décor or putting the finishing touches on a new home, a living room area rug can transform the space. But its benefits go beyond aesthetics. It adds visual and actual softness when placed over wood or tile flooring, making it safer and more comfortable for little ones. It also absorbs noises and reduces echoes in living rooms and open-concept layouts with hard flooring and high ceilings. And lastly, it can be a design element that pulls the room together by adding color and texture.

Knowing where to place your neutral area rug is key to determining the right size rug for your living room. The combination of room size and furniture placement will guide your choices, so it’s best to measure and establish your furniture layout before choosing a rug. As a general rule, all the legs of your furniture should rest on your rug unless you have a smaller room; then just the front legs should be on the rug. Leave some room around your rug to walk.

AXEL AXE-04 Area Rug by Loloi Rugs

The wood-paneled ceiling in this room is stunning and goes well with the wood furniture, but it could be overwhelming if echoed on the floor. The muted sepia tones of the AXEL AXE-04 Area Rug anchor the room’s design and let the ceiling take center stage. The abstract design brings depth and interest, making the room feel soft and comfortable.

Batisse Area Rug by Feizy

This room features plenty of colors, yet maintains its neutral vibe anchored by the Batisse Area Rug. Just like a classic white Oxford that you can dress up or dress down, this stunning area rug complements any style. It is an ideal backdrop for a space with a sophisticated use of color.

The Many Sizes and Shapes of Neutral Area Rugs

Although neutral area rugs come in many shapes, rectangular rugs are the most popular and practical. Depending on the shape of your living room, a square rug may also work. You may need a large rug that covers most of your floor or a smaller one that brings in additional color. Round rugs or small rugs that fit under the coffee table are great for adding color and texture. And if you have an open-concept floorplan, you may want a rug to help define different areas in the space. All these factors will make a difference in your choice of area rug.

Here are some common area rug sizes and their most common placements:

Small Living Room Rugs (4′ x 6′ or smaller): These rugs are often used under a coffee table as a quick and easy way to add color or texture to the room. They can be round, rectangular, or square. An under-the-table rug is always large enough to fit the table with a 12-inch overage on all sides. It usually does not touch the legs of the rest of the furniture.

Mid-Size Living Room Rugs (4′ x 6′ to 8′ x 10′): These can be used as accent rugs in larger living rooms or as area rugs in smaller ones. An accent rug is used to accentuate a piece of furniture, such as a table or chair, while an area rug will have the couch and other vital pieces of furniture sitting on it.

Large Living Room Area Rugs (9′ x 12′ and Up): These are the most commonly used rugs because they provide the most floor protection and anchor the room’s design. Leave a foot of space between the border of the rug and the wall so that the room’s flooring acts as a frame that highlights it.

Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Area Rug by Loloi Rugs

The beautifully muted colors of the Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Area Rug bring a feeling of calm and serenity to this living room. Its soft vintage sensibility highlights the design’s mix of contemporary and old-school elements.

Kingston KT-04 Area Rug by Loloi Rugs

A refreshing interpretation of traditional Persian styles, the Kingston KT-04 Area Rug creates a striking focal point in this living room. The intentionally faded design offers a neutral foundation for the eclectic elements in this living room.

Do Neutral Area Rugs Need to Be Centered?

When choosing the proper placement for your rug, think outside the box for a designer look and feel. Consider how the area rug plays with the furniture and the room’s décor. The most crucial element is that the placement looks intentional and that the rug is the right size for the room.

Since there are many ways to arrange furniture in a room, there are also many ways to place an area rug. The style and placement of the sofa, coffee table, end tables, loveseat, and accent chairs often depend on the room’s shape and personal preference.

However, there are some guidelines that create balance and cohesion between the area rug and the furniture in these instances.

Large Area Rugs: when using a large area rug, the furniture can be placed with all legs upon it.

Mid-Size Area Rugs: if your area rug is too small to accommodate your furniture with an extra perimeter around the room, try positioning it under the front legs of the furniture with the back half of each piece off the rug.

Small Area Rugs: for small area rugs in small spaces, group the furniture around the rug, with no legs on the furniture.

Accent Area Rugs: choosing one piece of furniture to angle off the area rug creates visual interest. Or the rug can be placed at an angle in contrast to symmetrically arranged furniture.

Chris Loves Julia x Loloi ALICE Area Rug by Loloi Rugs

Inspired by classic Moroccan rugs, Chris Loves Julia x Loloi ALICE ALI-01 Area Rug features warm earthy colors and a high-low texture that brings a comfortable vibe to this casual space. The neutral cream and charcoal colors set the tone for the rest of the living room, and the graphic print gives the room a modern flare.

Reagan Area Rug by Feizy

It’s easy to imagine getting cozy in style with the luscious Reagan Area Rug. The lavish rug adds a touch of luxury to any living room. Its neutral palette and weathered colors give the old-world charm a fresh and modern feel.

Nepal NL100 Area Rug by Dalyn Rug Company

The multi-tonal, textural “sweater” weave of the Nepal NL100 Area Rug adds depth and dimension to this living room. The textural rug contrasts nicely with the smooth lines of the fireplace, the geometric angles of the coffee table, and the warmth of the leather sofa and wood flooring. It keeps the space warm and inviting, and solidly in the neutral zone.

Where to Find the Best Neutral Style Area Rugs

Once you’ve chosen the size and shape of your area rug, you can decide whether you want to follow a neutral color trend, use complementary neutrals that enhance your color palette, or use a motif laid out in neutrals that pair well with your current design style. That means it’s time to go shopping. Check out the wide selection of neutral decorative area rugs and runners at Capitol Lighting.