The Best Rug Size for King Bed

Discover the perfect rug size for your king bed! We’ll cover three popular rug sizes and show photo examples so you can figure out what size rug is best in your bedroom!

When it comes to decorating a bedroom, one of the most important items to consider is the rug. Not only does it add a plush texture and cozy feel to the room, but it can also tie together all of the other design elements. 

Typically you put the area rug in your bedroom under the bedroom. If you have a King size bed, you’re going to have to give the size of your area rug a bit of thought. 

Choosing the perfect rug size for your king bed can be tricky, but it’s important to get it right so that your bedroom looks polished and put together. 

To ensure that your rug complements your king-sized bed and enhances the look and feel of your bedroom, here are some tips on selecting the best rug size for a king bed.

Do you have a Queen size bed? Check out how to choose the right size rug for a Queen bed here!

Tips for Choosing the Right Rug Size for a King Bed

The general rule of thumb for choosing a rug size for any bed is that all key pieces of furniture should fit on the area rug (at least somewhat).

For example, the bed, two nightstands on both sides of the bed, and an optional bench that might be placed at the foot of your bed are all considered key furniture pieces in a bedroom.

However, because king-sized beds are so large, it’s fairly common to stray from this rule. Obviously, the bed is the number one object placed on top of the area rug. 

Here are a few different options for bedroom rug placement.

• The whole bedframe is placed on the rug.
• The lower half of the bed and optional bench are on the rug, leaving the nightstands and the head of the bed on the floor.
• The lower third of the bed and bench on the rug. This option is great for larger bedrooms and rugs with unique designs that you want to be seen.

Obviously, the size of the rug will determine what furniture actually fits on the rug. The big takeaway here is to keep at least the foot of the bed on the rug. 

Also, you want to be sure to leave several inches between the edges of the rug and other pieces of furniture like chairs or dressers so you have plenty of room to move around and open the dresser drawers. A quick rule of thumb here is the leave at least 24″ between furniture. 

Now that you know where you want to place your rug, it’s time to choose the appropriate rug size. 

When it comes to a king-sized bed, there are several standard sizes available:

• 9×12 (Great for King Bed)
• 8×10 (Good for King Bed)
• 6×9 (OK for King Bed, under certain circumstances)

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9×12 Rug Size Under King Bed (Rating: Great)

A 9 foot x 12 foot rug is the ideal rug size for a king-size bed. The ample rug space surrounding the bed gives a spacious feel to the room. 

In some cases, the 9×12 version will actually be 8’6″ x 11’6″.

You’ll notice in the diagram above that both nightstands and the headboard are resting on the floor and not on the rug (and that is certainly an option in larger rooms).

However, if you’ve got bedside tables on both sides of your bed or an ottoman or bench at the end of it, a larger rug like this will allow all of those pieces of furniture to sit comfortably on top of the rug without feeling cramped.

A 9×12 rug size is versatile when it comes to decorating. It offers just enough space to showcase a pattern without overpowering your bedroom’s aesthetic.

There is plenty of room around the side of the bed where the rug will be sitting. This makes sure that the first step out of bed in the morning is on a nice cushy surface, rather than cold floors. 

Even if you have carpet in your bedroom (rather than hardwood floors or another type of hard flooring), adding an area rug under your bed makes the room feel more put together and cozy. 

She pulls the rug forward so the nightstands aren’t sitting on it, which makes plenty of space for the larger bench at the foot of the bed. This is a great layout for a larger bedroom!

Shop 9×12 rugs for under your King sized bed

8×10 Rug Size Under King Bed (Rating: Good)

Now while 9×12 may be the best rug size for a king bed in a large bedroom, there are plenty of instances where an 8-foot by 10-foot rug makes better sense. 

An 8×10 rug is another popular choice for a king-sized bed. It allows you to place the rug under the bed with plenty of room to spare at the sides and foot of the bed to walk around and place other furniture.

The nightstands and the head of the bed are typically resting on the floor with an 8×10 rug, but the edge of the rug extends just to the outer corner of each nightstand, creating a balanced feel to the room.

This option is perfect for a slightly smaller bedroom that can still accommodate a king-sized bed. If you put too large of a rug into a small bedroom, it can make it even smaller. 

Shop 8×10 rugs for under your King sized bed

6×9 Rug Size Under King Bed (Rating: Ok) 

So now we’ve covered the fact that a 9×12 rug is the perfect size for a large bedroom with a King size bed and a 8×10 works for a slightly smaller bedroom. But can you get away with an even smaller rug under your King size bed? 

Good news! While a 6×9 rug isn’t ideal, you can still make it work. It can be a good option if you’re on a major budget (because usually the larger the rug, the more expensive it is). 

In this bedroom, you see a 6×9 rug under a king bed, but they kept it at the foot of the bed, instead of under the entire bed frame. Scroll up to see this SAME bedroom with an 8×10 rug to compare how the different sizes of rugs! 

Placing the frame on top of the rug meant the nightstands would hang off of the rug’s edges, which is a big room-balancing faux paus, so they pulled the rug forward and positioned it under the bottom third of the bed. This still helped warm up the room while creating symmetry and balance.

I’m always a big fan of making do with what you have, so if you only have a 6×9 rug or fall in love with a particular design that you can only find in that smaller size, this is a great option to pull it all together and make it work. However, a 6×9 rug is the minimum rug size that I would recommend for a King size bed. 

Shop 6×9 rugs for under your King sized bed

Choosing the right size rug for your king bed is essential when tying together your bedroom décor and furniture. I hope you enjoyed this rug size guide for bedrooms with a King-sized bed and learned something new!

It’s worth taking some time to think about what works best for you and the size of your bedroom. You can start by measuring out potential options with painter’s tape on the floor under your bed. This will help you visualize the size of the rug before making any purchases.