How to Add a Living Room Runner Rug

The addition of a runner rug to your living room holds the potential to elevate your home decor in ways both stylish and practical. With thoughtful choices and attention to detail, you can enjoy the beauty and practicality that a runner rug brings to your home, creating a living room that is as stunning as it is comfortable.

Let’s explore the possibilities of living room runner rugs and how to choose one of your own. 

Why Add a Runner Rug to Your Living Room

Enhanced aesthetic 

Adding a runner rug is an easy and effective way to transform the overall look and feel of your living room. These rugs create a sense of cohesiveness within your space, seamlessly tying together various elements of your decor. Whether your living room features hardwood, carpet, or other flooring material, a well-chosen runner rug can introduce a new level of visual interest and charm to your environment.

Define spaces

One of the most practical uses of a runner rug is to define distinct areas within your living room. Whether you’re aiming to create a cozy reading nook by the window or you want to emphasize your coffee table and seating area, a runner rug can be strategically placed to delineate the purpose of a space. This makes your living room more organized and functional. A well placed runner rug provides a clear visual boundary, allowing you to create specialized zones within the room, each with its own unique atmosphere.

Comfort and warmth

Beyond aesthetics, runner rugs can add an extra level of coziness and warmth to your living room. As runner rugs are long and narrow, they can provide a soft surface for transitional or out-of-the-way areas that wouldn’t otherwise be made comfortable, turning any part of your living room into a snug and inviting space. This becomes especially important in colder months, when even a few moments on a hardwood or tile floor can give you and your guests a chill. 

Style Considerations

Color and pattern

When selecting a runner rug, consider the color and pattern that best align with your living room's decor. 

For a coordinated look, you can choose a rug that blends right into your existing color palette, creating a harmonious visual flow throughout the room. Alternatively, you can opt for a runner rug that introduces a bold contrast, igniting some delightful visual chaos and adding a touch of personality to your space. 

Patterns, whether geometric, floral, or abstract, can also become captivating design focal points, allowing you to express your unique style within your living room. Keeping the rug color consistent with the other elements of your living room while bringing in a subtle—or busy—pattern can be a way to add some excitement without making too much of a statement. 

Size and Placement

The size and placement of your living room runner rug are crucial considerations for achieving the desired effect. Deciding on the size and placement of a runner rug does not necessarily follow the same guidelines for measuring other living room rugs. For example, it’s ok to place a runner rug in front of furniture rather than having the legs of the furniture resting on it. 

But there are still a few rules to follow. The runner rug should be long enough to extend beyond the furniture in the designated area. You should also position the runner rug in such a way that it visually connects the various furniture pieces, creating a sense of unity and balance within the space. For instance, placing it under the coffee table and allowing the front legs of sofas and chairs to rest on the rug can effectively anchor your seating area, making it feel more inviting and cohesive.

Functional Considerations

Picking the right material

One of the first considerations when deciding on a runner rug is what material your rug will be. 

In high-traffic areas of your living room, it's essential to select runner rugs crafted from durable materials. Wool and synthetic fibers like polypropylene, in particular, are resilient and easy to maintain, making them ideal for spaces where foot traffic is frequent. These materials can withstand the wear and tear of daily life while still looking as fabulous as the day you laid them down. 

For low-traffic areas or for runner rugs that are intended to be more decorative, consider a rug made from a natural fiber like sisal, jute, or seagrass. These sustainable rugs have an organic look and feel that can add some much needed texture to your living room. 

Rug pads

Safety should always be a top priority when it comes to any rug you lay down in your living room. To prevent any potential rug hazards, invest in a high-quality rug pad. A rug pad will prevent the rug from shifting or sliding on smooth surfaces like hardwood or tile floors. When selecting a rug pad, be sure to choose one that suits the specific runner rug and floor type you have in your living room. 

Edge taping

To further enhance safety, consider taping the edges of your runner rug using double-sided rug tape. This is a highly effective method of securing the edges of the rug, which can otherwise pose a tripping hazard. Edge taping keeps the edges of your runner rug smooth and flat, which not only helps with safety but can also prevent the edges of your rug from curling. 

Run—Don’t Walk!—to Get a Living Room Runner Rug 

The addition of a runner rug in your living room can be a transformative experience, enhancing both the aesthetics and functionality of your space. If you’re ready to add a runner rug to your living room, you can start by browsing our full selection of custom rugs—each of which can be cut to your specified dimensions, including as a runner!