Rugs - Size Matters

I got my May 2011 Style at Home issue in the mail yesterday. This issue is packed with a lot of inspiring pictures but what made it even more awesome was on Page 64, I can across this...."Choose the right rug for you."  You all know my search for a Living Room Carpet (which is kind of on hold because of the new, unexpected furnace)

Ever since we invested in that really expensive side table between the chairs, a more defined living space happened. So I wondered if I needed a rug to go as close to the bookshelves as I had originally thought. Maybe it could be shorter? (And thus maybe more easy to find, and less expensive)


New, more defined living area because of the addition of the table between chairs



So what great timing to find this little tidbit in Style at Home, as Christine Hanlon give us some really great tips and pretty much answers my question with her second tip on "size"

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Use your rug to frame the primary seating arrangement in the room, but remember these rules.
1. An Area Rug should always extend under all of the key furniture pieces.
2. It's best not to have a large section of Empty Rug beyond where the furniture ends; Ideally the rug should only extend one to two feet beyond the furniture - ensure this is consistent on all sides.
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So I think I have to still look for a rug that will go close to the bookshelves otherwise it may look like a postage stamp. For now, we will continue to live with our hardwood, which really --- I don't mind.