What size is required by the room?

Many rug buyers think that the carpet should fill the room or most of it. This is not necessarily the way to go, unless the primary concern is acoustic sound absorption. If the floors are attractive, a certain amount flooring should remain exposed around the edge of the room. One or more carpets can also be used to establish different spaces or areas within a larger room, say a living area and a dining area within a continuous space. Furniture placement also matters. Furniture can be put over a larger carpet if it has an allover repeat design, or if it has no borders. Alternatively, furniture can be grouped around a smaller rug, or overlapping slightly onto it. In that case a smaller rug would work well in a larger room. These are all decisions that should be made before beginning to think about the style of carpet that might be desirable or appropriate.