Collection: 160x230 cm Rugs
Including 170x240 and the sizes around it
160 x 230 cm is the size that fits the most rooms. Large enough to anchor a bed or a sofa, compact enough that it never takes over, and the one format that looks at home in a bedroom, a city living room and a small dining area alike.
Alongside it you will find 170 x 240 cm on this page, and a handful of sizes in between. They are the same rug in practice, and together they make this the broadest choice we offer.
We have been choosing rugs since 1907. Free EU delivery on every order, and in our showroom near Antwerp you can see them at full size before you decide.
160 x 230 and 170 x 240 Are the Same Size
Worth clearing up first, because half the rugs on this page carry one measurement and half the other.
Ten centimetres wider and ten longer is the difference, and on a floor you will not see it. Which one a rug comes in depends on the mill: Belgian and Dutch machine-woven ranges tend to finish at 170 x 240, hand-made ranges from India at 160 x 230, and a few brands make both.
So search for the one and choose from both. If you have measured a space that takes a 160 x 230, a 170 x 240 will fit it too, and the other way around. The only time the ten centimetres matter is against a wall or a doorway, and then you already know which side you are on.
The Bedroom
This is where the size is at its best, and where most of them end up.
Laid at the foot of a double bed with the short side against the frame, the rug runs 230 cm into the room and covers exactly the floor you cross in the morning. Under a bed of 140 to 160 cm wide the proportions are right. For a bed of 180 or 200 cm the size above sits better.
In a narrower bedroom, lay it along one side of the bed instead. It becomes a warm landing strip rather than a frame, and it leaves the rest of the floor open, which makes a small room feel larger.
A bedroom takes almost no traffic, so choose for feel here. Deep wool pile is at its most rewarding underfoot first thing in the morning, and this is the one room where the softest thing you fall for is also the practical choice. Our bedroom rugs go further into it.
The Living Room
In a living room this size works in two quite different ways, and both are good.
With a two-seater or a compact seating group, lay it so the 230 cm side runs parallel to the sofa and put the front legs on it. That binds the furniture together and gives you a proper rug rather than a mat, without filling a small room.
In front of a larger sofa it plays a different role. It sits between the sofa and the coffee table as a defined surface, warm underfoot, without pretending to hold the whole arrangement. In a city flat or an apartment living room, that is often exactly right.
What it will not do is carry a three-seater with two armchairs. For that arrangement the size above is the honest answer, and you will be happier with it.
A Table for Four
For a dining area, this size suits a compact table of about 120 x 80 cm with four chairs.
That leaves roughly 55 cm of rug beyond the table on every side, which is what a chair needs to push back and sit down again with all four legs still on it. Anything bigger than that table, or any arrangement for six, wants the size up.
Choose a flatweave or a low pile under a dining table. Chairs glide over it instead of catching, and it keeps its surface under daily use.
What This Size Does to a Room
At 160 x 230 the rug is large enough to change how a room reads, and that cuts both ways.
A pale rug in a compact room pushes the walls outwards. Ivory, sand, soft grey and oatmeal all reflect light back and make a small floor feel wider, which is why they are the safe choice in a first flat or a box bedroom.
A darker or patterned rug does the opposite and draws the room in. In a bedroom that is a virtue, not a fault: deep green, indigo, terracotta or a full pattern makes a room feel held rather than open. Decide which of the two you actually want before you choose a colour, because the size is big enough that it will happen either way.
Pile height works the same. Low pile keeps a room light and is the choice over underfloor heating or under heavy furniture. High pile brings warmth and quiet, and belongs where comfort comes first.
What a Rug This Size Is Made Of
Every construction we sell exists in this size, which is not true further up the range.
Most of it is wool, and a large part of that is made by hand. Hand-tufted wool gives depth, weight and colour that holds for years. Handwoven and flatwoven pieces sit lower and feel crisper, and they are the ones for a dining area or a busy room.
Beside those there are Belgian flatweaves in recycled fibre that work in a kitchen or on a covered terrace, washable qualities for a family room, and soft modern piles for a bedroom. If you have a shape of room in mind, there is a construction in this size that suits it.
When to Size Up or Have One Made
Two situations where another size is the better rug.
Go up to 200 x 300 if your sofa is a three-seater with armchairs, if the bed is 180 cm or wider, or if the dining table seats six. In those rooms a 160 x 230 will always look slightly short, and no styling fixes it.
And if the room falls between sizes, have it made. A large part of the collection is available made to measure in any width up to 400 cm and any length, which is the answer for an awkward bedroom or a long narrow living room.
Order online with free EU delivery, or come and see us in our rug shop and showroom in Willebroek, in the Antwerp region, easily reached from Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen and Sint-Niklaas. Bring the measurements of the room and of your bed or sofa, and we will tell you whether this is your size.