What size sheepskin rug do you need?

Sheepskins are listed by length in inches, and that number is close to useless until you have seen one draped over something. A 35 inch skin sounds small and is exactly right for a dining chair. A 71 inch skin sounds enormous and disappears under a coffee table.

Here is what each size in our range actually does.

How sheepskins are sized

A single skin is one animal, so the shape is organic and the measurement is the longest dimension. Because it is a natural hide, expect an inch or two of variation either way on any given skin.

Larger sizes are made by joining skins. A double is two skins sewn along the spine, and the larger rugs are three, four or more. Our seams are matched so the join is not visible from above, but it is worth knowing what you are buying: a 71 inch rug is two skins, not one very large sheep.

Icelandic hides are listed as ranges rather than single numbers, so 39 to 47 inches, because the breed varies more in size than a New Zealand flock does.

Single skins, 31 to 45 inches

What they suit: dining chairs, desk chairs, armchairs, the end of a bench, a small patch of floor beside a bed.

This is the size most people should start with, and the one most people underestimate. A single skin over a dining chair covers the seat and hangs down the back, which is the look you have probably seen on a Wegner Y chair.

The narrower cuts, 31x24 and 35x24 inches, are trimmed to sit neatly on a chair seat without spilling over the sides. The full skins at 35, 37 and 39 inches keep their natural outline and drape more generously. If you want the skin to hang down the back of the chair, take a full skin rather than a narrow cut.

At 45 inches you are into the largest single skins, which work over an armchair or a lounge chair where a smaller hide would look mean.

Doubles, 53 to 71 inches

What they suit: across the foot of a bed, over a two seater sofa, in front of a fireplace, beside a bed as a proper landing spot.

Two skins joined along the spine gives you a long, narrow shape rather than a wide one. A 53 inch double is the smallest size that reads as a rug rather than a throw. At 71 inches you can run it across a standard double bed with a little to spare on each side.

The 71x24 inch version is the same length but deliberately narrow, which suits a hallway or the space along one side of a bed.

Multi skin rugs, 41x59 inches and up

What they suit: actual floor covering, under a coffee table, in a nursery, as the main rug in a seating area.

This is where a sheepskin stops being an accent and becomes the rug in the room.

• 41x59 inches works in front of a two or three seater sofa, with the front legs on or off the rug.
• 71x43 inches covers a decent seating area and fits comfortably under a standard coffee table.
• 71x64 inches is close to a conventional 6x5 foot rug and will hold a coffee table with room to walk around it.
• 71x84 inches is the largest we make, roughly 6 by 7 feet, and is a genuine living room rug.

These are made to order, so allow production time rather than expecting next day dispatch.

Matching size to the job

Two things people get wrong

Buying one size too small for a floor. A rug that floats in the middle of a room with all the furniture off it makes the room look smaller. If it is going on the floor as a rug, size up rather than down.

Buying one size too large for a chair. A skin that puddles onto the floor around a dining chair looks like it fell there. For chairs, the skin should cover the seat and stop.

Wool length changes the impression

Two skins of identical size can look quite different. Long wool adds visual bulk and reads larger. Short wool and curly wool sit closer to the surface and read tidier, which is worth knowing if the skin is going somewhere it will be sat on daily.

The full range is in our sheepskin rugs collection. If you are between two sizes, tell us the chair or the room and we will tell you which one to take.