Runner Rugs: Measuring a Hallway or Kitchen

A runner is the easiest rug to get wrong by six inches. Too long and it buckles against the door at the end of the hall; too short and it stops in the middle of nowhere. The sizes are fixed and the hallway is not, so the job is to measure properly and pick the size that fits, not the size that is closest.

The sizes we sell

Runner is the single most common rug shape in our catalog. The widths are all close to 2'7", and the lengths step up:

Size	Where it fits
2'7" x 7'3"	Short hall, kitchen work run, beside a bed
2'6" x 8'	Short hall, galley kitchen
2'7" x 10'	Standard hallway
2'7" x 12'	Long hallway, landing

Prices at the entry end are modest. The Gravelbourg washable boho runner is $59 at 2'7" x 7'3", the Cabacungan washable is $69, and the Baltinglass flat-pile washable is $79 at 7'3", $89 at 10' and $89 at 12'. The Joppatowne is $59 on clearance — clearance is a sale item and is not returnable, so measure first.

Measuring a hallway

Step one: length. Measure the hall from the wall or door at one end to the wall or door at the other, along the floor.

Step two: subtract the ends. A runner should stop a few inches short of each end — 4 to 6 inches is the general rule. If a door opens into the hall at either end, measure to the door's swing when open, not to the wall, and stop short of that.

Step three: pick the nearest size down. If the hall gives you 10'8" of usable length, the 10' runner fits with 4 inches at each end. The 12' does not fit at all. Never round up on a runner; the extra length has nowhere to go.

Step four: width. Measure the hall's width, and subtract for the floor you want visible either side. 4 to 5 inches each side is the usual look, so a 2'7" runner wants a hall of roughly 3'3" to 3'5" wide. In a wider hall it still works — it just reads as a path rather than a floor.

If a radiator, a console table or a coat stand sits in the hall, the runner either runs cleanly under it or stops cleanly before it. Half-under looks like an accident.

Measuring a kitchen

A kitchen runner goes where you stand: along the sink and cooktop run, in front of the island, or down a galley between two counters.

Along a counter run: measure the run, subtract a few inches at each end, and pick the size down as above. The 7'3" fits most sink-and-dishwasher runs; the 10' fits a long counter.

Galley: the floor between the two counters is your width. Leave the 4 to 5 inches each side, and make sure a dishwasher or oven door can open fully over the runner without catching it. Thin flat-weave runners like the washable ones above are the answer here; thick pile catches doors.

Two things a kitchen runner needs: to be washable — it is going to see water, oil and whatever fell off the counter — and to have a non-slip pad under it, because a runner that skates in front of a hot oven is a hazard, not a rug. The pad is a separate purchase from any hardware store; size it a couple of inches smaller than the runner each way.

Beside a bed

Two runners, one each side of the bed, do the job of a large bedroom rug for a fraction of the price. The 7'3" length sits from the headboard to just past the foot of a queen; the pair costs $118 to $158 depending on the rug. Line up the head ends with the headboard so they match.

On stairs

Not with these. The runners above are loose flat-weave rugs, not stair carpet, and they are not made to be fixed to treads. A loose runner on stairs is dangerous. Use them on flat floors only.

Direction of pattern

Runners with a directional pattern — stripes, a border, a medallion repeat — have a "top" end. Decide which end of the hall you see first and put the top there. It is a small thing and it is the difference between placed and dropped.

Before you order

• Measure end to end, subtract 4–6 inches each end, pick the size down.
• Check the width leaves 4–5 inches of floor either side.
• Washable for kitchens and front halls; pad underneath, always.
• Clearance runners are final sale; the others have the 14-day return window from receipt, in original condition.
• Runners ship parcel from the maker; the estimate at checkout is an estimate — our shipping policy has the detail.

Not sure whether your hall wants the 7'3" or the 10'? Email sales@stationhomedesign.sbs with the measurement and we will tell you.