The right rug doesn't merely fill a space — it defines it. Choosing the correct size is one of the most important design decisions you'll make for a room, and one that too often gets overlooked. Below, our design team walks you through the guidelines we use with clients across the country.

Living rooms

In the living room, aim for a rug large enough to sit under the front legs of all seating pieces at a minimum. For a more grounded, generous feel, choose a rug that fits all four legs of every piece — this is our preferred approach in most American homes.

“A rug that's too small floats. A rug that's the right size grounds the entire room and makes it feel considered.”

Dining rooms

Under a dining table, allow at least 24 inches of rug to extend past each edge. This ensures the back legs of chairs remain on the rug even when pulled out — a small detail that changes how the room feels every day.

Bedrooms

For a king or queen bed, we love the softness of a 9 × 12 or 10 × 14 rug centered under the bed, with 2–3 feet extending on either side. That first warm step in the morning is worth the investment.

Halls and entryways

Runners work beautifully in hallways longer than six feet, leaving 4–6 inches of floor visible on each side. Round rugs are unexpectedly wonderful in circular foyers or beneath round tables — they soften the geometry of a room instantly.

When in doubt, size up. A slightly larger rug will almost always feel more considered than one that sits awkwardly small in the middle of the room.

Hand-tufting is one of the most versatile, characterful, and painterly rug-making techniques in the world. Unlike hand-knotting — which is beautiful but rigidly geometric — hand-tufting allows artisans to work with brush-like freedom, sculpting depth, color and form with remarkable precision.

How a Farsh Mahal rug is made

Each rug begins with a full-scale drawing on cotton canvas stretched across a wooden frame. Skilled artisans use a hand-held tufting gun to punch wool yarn through the canvas, following the design line by line, color by color.

Once the tufting is complete, a layer of latex is applied to the back to hold the tufts in place. A cotton backing is then affixed by hand, and the pile is sheared, carved, and finished — sometimes in high-low sculpted textures, sometimes flat and even.

“Between 120 and 220 hours of hand craftsmanship go into each Farsh Mahal rug.”

Why it matters

Hand-tufting gives rugs a richness and depth that machine-made pieces can't replicate. It also allows for a much broader range of design — from painterly abstract landscapes to crisp modernist grids.

Rug layering is one of the interior design world's best-kept secrets — a way to add depth, warmth, and personality to a room without buying new furniture.

The basics

The rule of thumb: pair a larger, neutral base rug (usually a flat or low-pile natural fiber like jute or wool) with a smaller, more decorative rug placed on top and off-center.

“Layering rugs is like layering clothing — it's about texture, proportion, and letting each piece do its own job.”

Where it works best

Layering shines in living rooms and bedrooms where you want to define a specific zone — a reading corner, a conversation area, or the space at the foot of the bed. It's also brilliant over wall-to-wall carpet in older homes.

The most enduring interior color palettes share one quality: they feel inevitable. They're not trendy, they don't shout, and they age beautifully. Here are the palettes we're drawn to in 2026.

Warm neutrals with green

Cream, oat, and warm putty paired with a single deep-forest accent — like our own Farsh Green — feel both timeless and quietly modern.

Sun-worn earths

Terracotta, ochre, and softened rust, grounded by aged brass and dark walnut, evoke a Mediterranean serenity that reads beautifully in American homes.

In a photograph, pattern is what catches the eye. In a room, it's texture that keeps you there.

Depth without noise

A sculpted, hi-lo hand-tufted rug adds an extraordinary amount of visual and tactile depth to a room without introducing a single new color. It's why textural rugs are our most-recommended piece for calm, quiet spaces.