Moving From Rental to Owned Home: Rugs That Move With You
The rugs that move best from a rented flat to an owned home are standard sizes, 5x8 and 6x9 ft, in a neutral, textured fibre such as handloom New Zealand wool or jute. They fit the living room of a rented 2BHK today and a bedroom, study or dining corner of a larger home later.
In short
- A 6x9 ft rug is the most portable size between homes in India: it anchors a compact rented living room and later fits under a queen bed or in a study.
- Neutral, textured rugs such as the Rugberry Grain Wool Rug in Tan or the Kora Jute Rug move rooms more easily than strong patterns, which are tied to one scheme.
- Handloom wool, hand tufted wool and hand woven jute all roll for a move; a rug should be rolled pile out, never folded, and wrapped in breathable cloth.
- Buy the largest rug for the owned home after you move in, once the furniture plan is known; carry the smaller rugs with you.
Which rug sizes survive a move between homes?
The sizes that survive a move are 5x8 and 6x9 ft, because almost every Indian home has a room they fit. Large sizes, 9x12 ft and above, are tied to one room and rarely suit the next.
A rented 2BHK living room of about 150 sq ft takes a 6x9 ft rug. In a 3BHK you later own, that same rug sits under a queen bed, in a study or across a dining corner for four. An 8x10 ft rug, sized for the rented living room's sofa, is harder to place if the new living room is larger and the bedrooms smaller.
| Size | In a rented home | In the owned home that follows | Portability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5x8 ft | Small living room, bedroom | Study, child's room, beside a bed, entrance hall | High |
| 6x9 ft | 2BHK living room, under a queen bed | Queen bedroom, study, guest room, dining for four | High |
| 8x10 ft | Living room with three seater and chairs | Master bedroom under a king bed, or the new living room if similar | Medium |
| 9x12 ft | Large rented living room | Only a room of similar size | Low |
| Round, 6 to 8 ft | Reading corner, round dining table | Same uses, very easy to place | High |
Our size guides for 5x8 and 6x9 rugs show both sizes in different rooms.
Which fibres and colours travel best?
Textured neutrals in New Zealand wool or jute travel best, because they suit timber, marble and vitrified tile alike and sit with whatever sofa comes next. A strong pattern or a saturated colour belongs to one scheme and often stays behind.
Handloom New Zealand wool
The Grain Wool Rug in Tan is handloom New Zealand wool at 12 to 14 mm, low and closely textured. Tan sits with grey, beige and walnut, so it moves from a rented living room to an owned bedroom without a clash.
Hand woven jute
The Kora Jute Rug is hand woven natural jute at 10 mm, firm and textured, and it looks better as it ages. The Pampas Jute Rug adds a quiet black and natural pattern to the same fibre. Jute is light to roll and carry, which suits a move.
For a renter with a pet, choose jute or a low handloom wool over a deep pile, because claws catch less and hair lifts more easily, and the rug will arrive at the next home in better shape. Our guide to neutral rugs covers which tones travel.
How do you buy for a rented flat with the next home in mind?
Buy for the rented flat in the sizes and tones you would use in an owned home's secondary rooms, and resist sizing a large rug to a rented living room. That way every rug you buy now has a job later.
- Size to the furniture you will keep. If your sofa is coming with you, size the rug to it, not to the rented room.
- Prefer 6x9 over 8x10 in a 2BHK. The smaller size works with the sofa's front legs on it, and it fits more rooms later.
- Choose texture over pattern. Texture moves between schemes; pattern ties a rug to one.
- Keep the regular price in view. At regular price, ex GST, a 6x9 ft Grain is ₹51,000 and a 6x9 ft Kora is ₹38,000; seasonal sale prices may be lower.
Buy the rug for the furniture you will keep, not the room you are leaving.
Our guide to rugs for a rented home covers floors you cannot change, and our note on how many rugs a home needs helps plan the new house.
How should a rug be packed and moved?
Vacuum the rug, roll it tightly with the pile facing out, wrap it in breathable cloth or paper and lay it flat in the truck. Never fold a pile rug for a move, and never seal it in plastic for days in Indian heat.
- Clean first. Vacuum both sides. Dust packed into a rolled rug for a week is harder to lift than before the move.
- Roll pile out. Rolling with the pile facing out keeps the backing from creasing and the pile from crushing.
- Wrap to breathe. Use a cotton sheet or kraft paper. Plastic traps moisture, and in monsoon a sealed rug can smell musty within days.
- Lay it flat. Do not stand a rolled rug on its end under boxes, or it will bend.
- Unroll on arrival. Unroll it as soon as you arrive and let the edges settle for a day or two before placing furniture.
Jute in particular must stay dry on moving day. If it rains, keep the jute rug inside until the truck is loaded.
Label each rolled rug with its size and the room it is going to. On arrival, the movers can then carry it straight to the right room, rather than leaving it in a passage under boxes. Our note on daily rug care covers the first weeks in a new home.
How does a rug find its new room after the move?
Lay each rug in its likely new room before the furniture is placed, and see which room it settles into. Most rugs from a rented living room become bedroom, study or dining rugs in an owned home.
From living room to bedroom
A 6x9 ft living room rug laid across the lower two thirds of a queen bed, starting just below the bedside tables, leaves about 18 inches of rug on each side. That is the classic second life of a first rug. Our rug under bed layouts show the options.
From bedroom to study or children's room
A 5x8 ft bedside rug becomes a study rug under a desk chair, or a play rug in a child's room, where a firm handloom wool or jute is easy to clean.
When nothing fits
If a rug fits no room in the new home, a made to measure rug in the same fibre can carry the look into the larger room. The old rug can then move to a guest room or a family member's home.
Which rug should you buy once you own the home?
Once you own the home, buy the largest rug last, for the main living room, after the furniture plan is fixed. That rug can be sized exactly, and made to measure if the room needs it.
Rugberry's Studio Collection is held in stock in six standard sizes, and anything else can be made to measure in any size, shape or colour. Handloom rugs made to order take around 35 days. For the order to buy rugs in a new home, read our guide to choosing the first rugs for a new home.
For an owned living room with a stone floor and a family that sits on it, choose handloom New Zealand wool over jute, because wool is softer for floor sitting and kinder in winter, while jute stays the better choice for a passage or study.
What does a Rugberry rug cost to carry from home to home?
Carrying a Rugberry rug from home to home costs only care: regular vacuuming, rotation and a professional clean every year or two in busy rooms. A well kept handmade rug in New Zealand wool or jute is a piece you keep, not a piece you replace with each move.
Rotate a rug by 180 degrees every three to four months so sun and footfall are shared across it, especially in a west facing rented flat. Vacuum with suction only on jute and low handloom weaves.
When the rug reaches its second home, Rugberry can make a matching rug to measure for the larger room in the same fibre and colour, so the first rug and the new one belong together. Read our guide on how long a rug lasts for what to expect over the years.
Frequently asked questions
What size rug is best if I will move house soon?
A 6x9 ft rug is the most portable choice in India, because it suits a rented 2BHK living room now and a queen bedroom, study or small dining area later. A 5x8 ft rug is equally easy to place but smaller.
How do I move a handmade rug without damage?
Roll it, never fold it. Vacuum first, roll with the pile facing out, wrap it in a cotton sheet and keep it flat and dry in the truck. At the new home, unroll it within a day or two and let any curl at the ends relax under the furniture.
Can a living room rug be used under a bed?
Yes. A 6x9 ft living room rug fits under a queen bed laid crosswise, and an 8x10 ft fits under a king bed. Start the rug just below the bedside tables so it shows on both sides of the bed.
Is jute a good rug for a rented flat?
Jute is light, firm and easy to roll for a move, which suits a rented flat, and it looks better as it ages. Keep it away from wet floors and balcony doors in monsoon, and blot spills at once.
Should I buy a big rug before I own a home?
It is usually better to wait. A 9x12 ft rug sized to a rented living room fits few rooms in the next home, while 5x8 and 6x9 ft rugs move easily between rooms and homes.
A good rug is the one piece of a rented home that comes with you. Start with the 6x9 ft rugs or the jute rugs. Material first.
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