Try both options and decide what looks best in your space.
Do you have to put a couch on a rug.
One way to work with your sectional is to measure the room space the sofa occupies.
This serene rose and pink room uses a soft grey area rug to anchor the space.
This proves to be more effective here than if only the front portion of the chairs fit onto the rug because of the size of the room and the contrasting tone of the rug against the flooring.
Filling the room with a centered rug.
In an oddly shaped room.
If you have chairs in the space as well then the front legs of the chair should be touching or hovering on the rug.
If you have an open floor plan setting all of your floating furniture on the rug helps anchor the space.
If you have an open floor plan like mine use a rug to define the space.
In a big open plan space the rug should sit under the front legs of both the sofas or if you have a large rug then both sofas can sit completely atop the rug.
In the ideal world you ll want your rug centered on 2 things ie couch and fireplace however at the very minimum it should be centered on 1 of them.
Place an 8 by 10 foot rug in front of a sofa allowing a few inches of open floor space in front.
All the legs of your furniture should be on top of the rug if possible.
A 9 by 12 foot or larger rug can go underneath the front legs of a sofa.
You can have whole pieces of furniture placed on top of a rug or you can just place a part of your sofa on it.
Choose a large rug like a 9 x 12 or bigger that most of your furniture can touch or fit on comfortably.
For larger rooms loloi suggests getting a bigger rug like a 9 by 13 and using it to frame your space.
Other than that it s mostly a matter of preference.
Then find a rug that will fit with a perfect symmetry of space around it.
The length of your area rug should be centered on your longest piece of furniture.
In this living room by lauren nelson design only the front legs of the sofa sit on the rug while the placement of the chairs leaves their bases entirely on the rug.