How to Place a Hallway Runner Rug

Placing a hallway runner rug involves measuring your hallway dimensions and customising a Bremworth rug style to be several inches shorter in width and length. This leaves space between the edges of the hallway rug and the walls, creating the perfect frame.

Our guidance below will help you confidently choose and position your hallway rug to define and soften transitional spaces in your home – foyers, mudrooms, hallways, and entryways.

Lisa Ng explains the art and science of hallway rug placement here:

How To Place A Hallway Rug

Placed correctly, a wool hallway runner can set the tone for your entryway, creating a natural pathway and connecting interior styles between spaces.

The best way to place your runner rug is to centre it in your hallway with equal flooring showing on either side:

Furniture, like a console table or a bench, should flank the sides of the hallway runner, not sit on top of it.

Where should a hallway runner start?

The best place to start is either at the entrance of your hallway or at least from the edge of the door frame, so when someone enters the hallway, they are stepping onto the runner.

Leave at least a few inches of floor space between the rug and any walls. You'll want to easily open and close doors without disrupting the rug's position.

What Size Should a Hallway Runner Be?

Standard hallway runners are usually around 80-100cm wide and 182cm to 426cm long and should ideally match the shape of your hallway.

Pictured here is our Lisburn hallway rug in the shade ‘Venise’ with black edging.

But there are no firm rules on how long and wide a hallway runner should be, because it ultimately depends on the size of your space. If your modern home was designed just for you, standard rug sizing might not be relevant to work from.

With Bremworth’s custom wool rug store, you can tailor the dimensions and shape of any rug style to perfectly fit the length of your hallway or define a transitional space – with an instant quote for your measurements.

Choose the size, style, colour, shape, and edging that's best suited to the area.

Customise a designer wool rug for your hallway.

Hallway Rug Colour Inspiration


Light-coloured rugs have the power to make a space look bigger, as you can see in this example of our Samurai rug in the shade 'Pyua'

As Bremworth Product Consultant Lily Ng explains:

"Darker colours can make a room appear smaller, whereas when you use lighter-toned colours, it creates a sense of spaciousness and the appearance of a bigger room. So, go for more lighter tones such as grey, cream, beige and white".

Why Wool is the Best Surface for Your Hallway

NZ wool is a high-performance fibre that can support high foot traffic while providing comfort underfoot. This makes it ideal for hallways and entryways, our home’s natural pathways that we use many times throughout the day.

Bremworth offers a range of rug types, from cut pile to loop pile, so you can tailor the balance between softness and resilience in your wool flooring.

  • Wool is a natural thermal insulator, keeping your hallway warm in winter and cool in summer. Wool rugs and carpets help households save up to 8-13% on heating and cooling costs.
  • Wool is easy to clean and naturally stain and soil-resistant, perfect for those well-tread areas where children and pets return from outdoor adventures. See our Complete Guide On How To Clean A Wool Rug to find out more.

Should my entryway rug match my living room rug?

Unless you're aiming for a monochromatic look, there should be a contrast between your hallway and living room rug by way of texture, material and colour. The two rugs should complement each other, but they don’t need to be identical.

For example, if you have a dark-coloured rug in the living room, you can choose something lighter and brighter for the hallway. And vice versa – if your living room is carpeted with a light-coloured wool rug, try opting for a darker tone in the entryway.

Featured: Your Ultimate Living Room Rug Placement Guide

Design Your Hallway Runner or Be Inspired In Our Showroom

If you still have questions, why not book a complimentary rug consultation with one of our designers?

They’ll help you pick the right-sized rug for your hallway, provide guidance on styling, and bring your inspiration to life.

Visit our showrooms in Auckland, Wellington, and Wanaka for personalised consultations. Here, you can experience our rugs firsthand and create a mood board for your space.

Ready to start looking at rugs? Explore our hallway rugs and runners here.