Dollhouse Decorating - Rugs Rule The Room

There are all sorts of rules about how big a rug should be. It is true, Interior designers break them all the time. But before trying in your dollhouse miniature, it is best to know what some of those rules are.

Front legs On

This is the most common rule today. The rug should be large enough to slide under the front legs of sofas and chairs in a seating arrangement. Put a coffee table in the center, with a sofa on one long side of the rug, a love seat on the other and a chair at each end. Each member of this conversation group is facing someone, and is able to reach a coaster for their teacup. If you are working in 1/12 scale, it works out that you need an 8 X 12" rug.

This standard arrangement is great for the average large living room, A long Victorian drawing room wound have enough space for two of these conversation groupings. But what if your room is not large enough to also allow for the free flow of traffic That "what "if' opens the door for an amazing number of broken rules.

What if the focal point of the room is a fireplace and everyone wants to watch the warming glow while chatting and sipping something stronger than tea. Move the love seat to one narrow end of the rug, both chairs shift to the other, the coffee table moves closer to the fireplace and the sofa takes command of the long side of the rug, moving closer to the fireplace. This means the back legs are probably on the rug, breaking the "front legs on " rule, right? No, you are now covered by the Some

The same situation exists if you replace the fireplace with a picture window, or if it's a long narrow room where the sofa-sitters would be facing a blank wall if you had not brilliantly filled the space with a stunning piece of fabric art or a mural.

All Legs Rule

If maintaining realism is important, be careful not to crowd the coffee table in order to keep the back legs on the rug. Better to revert to the Front Legs Rule. Or buy a bigger rug,

This rule is also useful under a dining room table and chairs, especially in an open floor plan, where the rug can be a defining factor in just exactly where the dining room is.

No Legs On

Best for small groupings, with a 4 X 6" rug in 1/12 scale. It is also useful in a nursery, where a small play space for an infant is desirable, but the ease of cleaning the surrounding area is a must.

Few Inches Rule, Eighteen Mainly

There should be approximately 18 inches of bare floor between edge of the rug and the perimeter walls. The size of the room dictates the size of the rug, which being the largest object in the room, still holds our attention. 

Unless, you have a very narrow room or a hallway, with a writing desk on one wall, perhaps, or two chairs on the opposite sides of a low table. The floor is not attractive, but don't want a wall-to-wall carpet look either.

Cheat

Perhaps these rules should be called "guidelines," except for this last one: The Cheat Rule. It is cut in stone. What is true in a real room may not be so in a room box, which we usually view from one side. So, whatever scale you are working in, the proportions have to be pleasing to the eye. That's paramount, and if the measurements don't fit any of the above guidelines, it's okay to cheat, of course.