February is Bedroom Month on Apartment Therapy! We’re sharing stories all month about bedrooms — from how to decorate them, to the fascinating history of them, and so much more. Head over here to see them all!
Your bedroom should be the comfiest room in the house if it’s where you go to rest and recharge. Blankets, bedding, and your mattress will get you 90 percent of the way there, but the last 10 percent of cozy is earned with a just-right rug.
You want a rug that’s both soft to walk on and serene to look at. You want a rug that keeps the noise down and the style high. Above all though, you also want a rug that’s perfectly placed in your personal space. Turns out plenty of configurations can work, depending on the size of the room and the look you’re trying to achieve. If you’ve ever been at a loss as to how to style a rug in a bedroom with wood or tiled floors (or you just want to give your wall-to-wall a little facelift), hopefully, you’ll find a solution among these eight smart area carpet layout ideas.
Placing a large rug horizontally under your bed is a design move that’s sure to bring extra warmth to a spacious room. By pushing the rug all the way up against the wall, you’ll not only ground the bed frame, but you’ll also makes your side tables and accessories look like they’re hanging together, too.
If you have a queen- or king-sized bed, you’ll need a rug that’s at least 8-feet by 10-feet to achieve this look. Remember to factor in the width of your nightstands and whether the rug has a border or not before deciding what size to order. When in doubt, bigger is always better for this particular layout.
Pull the rug under your bed away from the wall so the night stands sit directly on the floor, and you can save a little cash by choosing a medium size rug (think 5-foot by 8-foot, give or take) while still enjoying the visual glory of a grounded bed frame.
Before you skimp a tiny bit with this trick though, consider the size and shape of your bedroom. If it’s rectangular, choosing a larger size might be worth it because you can cover more of the frequently-traveled floor space in front of the bed, keeping your feet warm as you walk around the room while protecting your existing flooring from wear and tear.
Want to step out of bed onto something soft and cozy without covering up too much of your flooring? Flank your bed with runners or small area rugs to strike a balance. To pull off this look, slide each runner up to the side of the bed so it doesn’t look too floaty in space. Keep in mind that without furniture to physically hold the rug down, it will shift around on the floor easily. So do yourself a favor, and choose a grippy-style rug pad to hold it in place. You also might consider stashing carpet tape in your nightstand drawer, so you’re sure your rugs are always safe and secure.
On a budget? One small rug at the foot of your bed is really all you need, and you will need it there if you have a bench or seating you wish to keep from sliding around when you pull on the covers in the middle of the night. To make the most of a smaller style, go for a bold pattern that catches the eye or try a round or unique shape to balance a boxy bed frame.
If your room is on the long and narrow side, you can upgrade to a full-size area rug for the space in front of the bed frame. Visually, this helps define a larger space by creating two zones. Audibly, this setup dampens more sound so you can sleep without being woken by your partner changing or your dog pacing around the foot of the bed.
When your bed is tucked into a corner, placing a medium-sized rug adjacent to it can make the room feel wider and more sophisticated, at least in comparison to the lonely “rug island in the middle of the room” alternative. For apartment dwellers in particular, this layout is also a great way to cover up old or cold flooring, since it can help disguise a large surface area.
From interesting shapes to complementary patterns to contrasting textures, layering rugs in a bedroom makes so much decorative sense, particularly if you’re more of a maximalist. To nail the look, start with a larger rug layout (like the anchor or half on, half off layout configurations) then add a smaller rug layout idea (like the at the foot or the symmetrical split) on top of it. When in doubt, throw down a small sheepskin as your top layer. Everybody likes walking on what feels like clouds. Everybody.
Last but not least, what do you get when you put one-half of the symmetrical split and the right in front layout ideas together? A t-shaped (or l-shaped, depending on how long your rugs are) configuration that can be quite striking, especially if you choose something bold in pattern and color, just like the red carpets shown here. As is the case with some of the other ideas discussed above, this can be a great strategy if you’re looking for maximum noise absorption in a noisy apartment, for example, or if your original flooring is in serious disrepair, and you want to cover a lot of surface area.
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Name:Lidey Heuck, fiancé, Joe, and Welsh terrier, Winkleman Location: Brooklyn, New York City Size: 1,000 square feet Type of Home: Apartment Years lived in: Less than one year, renting
Brooklyn resident Lidey Heuck is a recipe developer, food writer, blogger, and the former assistant of Ina Garten — so it only makes sense that she designed the apartment she shares with her fiancé, Joe, and their Welsh terrier, Winkleman, to reflect her love of cooking and entertaining.
A recipe contributor for New York Times Cooking and the author of food and lifestyle blog LideyLikes.com, Heuck opted to forgo a traditional couch and coffee table setup in her main living area. She instead utilized this space to house an expansive dining table, built-in shelves filled with cookware, and a rolling breakfast bar, which can be transported directly into the kitchen area when hosting Zoom cooking classes. In lieu of a traditional living room, they turned a narrow second bedroom in the apartment into their “TV pit.”
Heuck, who describes her style as “transitional and Brooklyn modern” dreams of one day moving upstate — but for now, she has mastered the art of designing a rental home that accommodates her career needs and her love for a good dinner party.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Inspiration: I’m inspired by old houses, and particularly by homes that have been updated to suit modern life but still honor the history and design features of the period in which they were built. My dream is to renovate a big 1800s farmhouse in the Hudson Valley, and until that happens, I try to sort of mesh that romantic vision with the realities of living in a Brooklyn apartment.
Favorite Element: The first thing that really struck me about this apartment was all the natural light, especially in the main room. It makes the whole space feel really open and bright. While I bought blinds for windows in the other rooms, I left these bare to maximize the light throughout the day — which is especially important for food photography and recipe videos.
One of my favorite things I bought for the apartment is the pendant light over our dining table. Not only does it look great, but it’s also 100-percent organic, biodegradable, and sustainable — because it’s literally made out of mushrooms. Danielle Trofe makes these incredible light fixtures by combining mycelium (the root system of a mushroom) with agricultural by-products, so her fixtures are technically grown, not manufactured.
Biggest Challenge: It was difficult to find a rental apartment that had everything we wanted: nice kitchen finishes, plenty of storage, natural light, and room to entertain, as well as enough space to be both a comfortable home and work environment for two people. But, we were apartment hunting last winter, in the height of Covid, and fortunately, we were able to snag a great deal on a place that ticked nearly all of our boxes.
The catch was that though the kitchen had almost everything I wanted, the actual footprint of the space is really small. So we decided to turn what would typically be the main/living room into an open kitchen and dining room. On the kitchen side, I envisioned open shelves (more on those in a bit!) and a counter-height table that could function as a kitchen table, desk, and more counter space. On the dining room side, I wanted a long table that our friends could crowd around as soon as it was safe to have a dinner party again. I’m sure this layout wouldn’t make sense for everyone, but it was fun to try to re-imagine a typical rental apartment in a way that really worked for us.
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Since we turned our living room into a kitchen and dining room, we needed a place to hang out on the couch and watch TV! We decided to turn the apartment’s narrow second bedroom into our living room, or what we like to call the “TV pit.” It’s a bit of an odd size, and we needed to get creative to avoid sitting about three feet away from the TV. We ended up removing the hardware and doors from the closet and putting the TV in there, and I found big cotton rope baskets on Etsy to put on the top shelf to store linens and other odds and ends.
To make the room extra cozy, I looked for a super deep couch and an upholstered ottoman that would be a comfy foot rest or extra seating when friends came over. The gallery wall, wooden blinds, and stacks of books under the window also helped give this room a den-like feel, and I have to say, it quickly became our favorite spot in the apartment.
Biggest Indulgence: The built-in shelves in the kitchen, which were custom-made by Soil and Oak. They were a splurge, especially for a rental, but I knew they were going to be the focal point of the room and necessary to store my serving pieces and large cookware. While large built-in shelves might not seem security deposit-friendly, they’re only nailed into the wall in four places, so it’s not that different from hanging art. And, when we move, we can take them with us and reconfigure them to work in our new space.
What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? The produce prints I have hanging above my cookbook collection are particularly special to me. They are by my friend Maria Schoettler, and I love how much color and personality they add to the white walls in our kitchen. I became friends with Maria after buying her prints, and we bonded over the inspiration we both take from seasonal fruits and vegetables in our respective lines of work. We ended up collaborating on a little product line together, which just launched on my site.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I’m always collecting fun napkins, serving platters, and other tabletop goodies for our apartment, but when it comes to kitchen tools and appliances, I’m a minimalist. I cook for a living, and as much as I want my kitchen to be beautiful, it’s crucial for it to be functional above all else.
I resist the urge to buy any little gadgets or odd-sized pans I know I won’t really use, and I make sure the appliances and utensils I use every day are either on the counter or in easy to reach places. This helps me stay organized and be much more efficient in the kitchen, whether I’m working on a recipe or making dinner on a Tuesday.
I think this is especially important for anyone living in an apartment or any home with a small kitchen. You don’t need a hundred different contraptions and specialty pans to make good food. And bottom line, if your cabinets and drawers are stuffed to the gills, it’s going to be frustrating to find what you need, and you might even end up cooking less often over time because of it.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Having a mix of old and new when it comes to furniture and decor is really important to me — it gives our home a lot of warmth and texture. When everything in a house or apartment is from the same three stores, it tends to end up feeling a little soulless. I used to be wary of the idea of “antiques,” thinking that anything deserving of that name was either prohibitively expensive or something that belonged in my grandparents’ house. But there are so many sites and stores where you can find timeless antique or vintage pieces that won’t break the bank and will be a nice complement to more modern furniture and decor in your home. It just takes a little bit of time and patience to find what you’re looking for. Not to mention, buying something that’s already out in the world is a more sustainable way to shop for furniture!
LIVING ROOM (“TV PIT”)
This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
“I was lucky enough to find this Downtown Brooklyn apartment through my cousin who knows the owner of this unit and was looking for a tenant,” explains Maleeha, on how she found her bright 400-square-foot studio apartment. “I just moved this summer from Chicago after living there for 25 years. I’ve dreamt of living in New York City since I was a little girl, and I still can’t believe that dream has come true.”
Maleeha says she loves where her studio is located. “This neighborhood is so close to all my favorite neighborhoods in Brooklyn, such as Fort Greene, Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Dumbo, etc. – but it’s also just one stop away on the express Q to Manhattan. I feel like I’m able to conveniently enjoy both boroughs by living here.” But it’s not just the location that makes her love this small studio apartment. “I had to make this apartment special and comfortable because I spend most of my time working there (I work remotely from home) and I love to unwind and relax after work with a good book and some mint tea… although sometimes a good book is replaced with a ‘Sex and The City’ marathon.”
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Inspiration: Colorful NYC studios that I see featured on Apartment Therapy.
Favorite Element: The windows. I love being woken up by natural light.
Biggest Challenge: The layout is different from any other place I’ve lived in. There’s a giant pillar in the middle and the entire studio is on a slant rather than rectangular. I was able to find a layout that works for me, but I had to make some sacrifices such as not being able to have a couch large enough to lay on. It’s a small little love seat but I think anything bigger would have made the space too crowded.
Proudest DIY: I usually have a DIY in every apartment but this time I have none! I didn’t love the finish of my coffee table, so I painted over it with clear gloss paint to make the finish a bit nicer, but I’m still not fully satisfied with it. I might just buy a new color of paint altogether and DIY it with a design.
Biggest Indulgence: My couch/loveseat which was only $370… I was on a tight budget with this place.
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Since the loveseat is so small, I often scoot my bed in closer to the TV, adjust the pillows so that they’re all over the bed rather than at the head, and try to make my bed into a huge couch to enjoy a cozy movie night on. Not the most unique thing… but again I had to sacrifice having a “real” couch in this small space so I have to get scrappy with my options!
What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? My tiny vacuum, my mop, and my Mr. Clean. I am super particular about floors and keeping them squeaky clean. Wood floors especially since they bring in a lot of dust. My apartment is a shoes-off apartment so the floor has to be clean enough for bare feet at all times.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: This is so simple, but I don’t think people do it as much as they should — use your ENTIRE closet space. For example — in my clothing closet I utilize the top shelf by storing bulky sweaters and scarves up there. In the middle are my clothes hanging, and since there’s still so much floor space underneath the clothing rack, I bought four sets of plastic drawers to store under there. The tiny little corner where there is no plastic drawer, I’ve stacked miscellaneous items there. Always use every inch of your closet space in order to keep your main space less cluttered.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Always have an element of nostalgia in your home. For example, I never grew out of the fairy lights phase. I’ve kept fairy lights or string lights in my bedrooms since I was 12 years old. Although they don’t always make the most sense in an adult apartment, I’ve continued to incorporate them in all my apartments because they make me feel comfortable and cozy and happy. I have my current fairy lights hung on the pillar in my apartment which was taking up unnecessary space at first, but now it’s a place to hang my lights! Something about being able to snuggle up in my apartment and watch old movies from my childhood with those fairy lights on makes my space feel so comforting and it’s what makes the place home for me.
This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.
Adrienne loves architecture, design, cats, science fiction and watching Star Trek. In the past 10 years she’s called home: a van, a former downtown store in small town Texas and a studio apartment rumored to have once been owned by Willie Nelson.
Struggling with how to lay out your living room to maximize form and function? Me too. Whether you live in a small studio or a larger home, furniture arrangement can be tricky, and sometimes thinking outside the box is the way to go! These eight smart living rooms — all from Apartment Therapy house tours this year — have taught me a thing or two about laying out what may be my most used room. Try these tricks for a better flow and use of this space in your home.
Turn side tables into a console
If you can’t face parting with beloved end tables but are worried they’ll appear too bulky next to your sofa, place them side by side in a corner like this Boston renter did in her small living room. The extra surface area will provide valuable real estate for trinkets, plants, and the like, and they’ll also make for an excellent serving station when entertaining fully comes back one day.
Credit: Stacey O’Brien
Get creative above the radiator
This Brooklyn renter didn’t let a large radiator cramp her style! Rather, she filled the space above it with shelves of books, which provide both storage and intrigue. Plus, they also make the room feel cozier without eating up any floor space at all. You don’t have to stop at just one shelf either. Carry your wooden slabs up the wall for extra spots to stash your stuff.
Use a piece that provides storage and separation
The console above is a hero piece from this homeowner’s Sag Harbor space, given that it helps separate the living room from the foyer in one large open area. However, I’m also quite impressed with all of its storage potential. It would make for an excellent space to stash files and important paperwork, craft supplies, linens, and more. When opting for a room divider, always choose something that does double duty like this salvaged wood find.
Keep it open with ottomans
A large living room doesn’t need to be packed with furniture. Opt for an airy layout that keeps things feeling breezy. In this Tampa home, an oversized sectional provides plenty of seating, while poufs across from it can be easily moved for TV watching or stashed away as needed. Ottomans like this also make excellent footrests or side tables and take up minimal visual space.
Display a clothing rack as a divider
Fashionistas, this one’s for you! While you can certainly opt to display a traditional room divider like this Brooklyn renter did in her studio apartment, a clothing rack helps section things off even further while adding plenty of personality and function to the equation. Minimalists may wish to display neutral apparel, while maximalists will enjoy filling the rack with colorful garments that double as a form of art.
Originally from California, but turned New Yorker since 2000, I’ve been shooting my entire life and am still inspired and excited about it. Lately I have been putting my energies into my Fine Art, which can be seen on my website and on Saatchi Art. Being infatuated with interior design doesn’t hurt either, which mixes well with my love of photographing interiors.
