I Bought the Rug Before I Measured. Twice.
The first time, the rug was too small and my king bed sat on it like a raft on a stamp. The second time, months later and in a different room, I did it again. That was the point where I stopped trusting my eye and started writing everything down: the size, the comparison, the reason. Roomie Rocket is that notebook, made public.
My name is Elaine G. McQueen, I write every post on this site, and I built it for the moment right before you buy or build something, when a single number or a single comparison decides whether you are happy or returning it next week.
The three questions I answer
Almost every post here starts as one of three questions, and the categories are just those questions moved from room to room.
“What is the right size?”
I ask this before I buy anything now, because I have learned what happens when I guess. So the site is full of measurements: standard sofa seat height, the right area rug size under a king bed, standard kitchen cabinet height, standard patio door sizes, how to raise a dining table or a bed frame to the height you actually need. If a post has a number in the title, it is here to save you the return trip I did not save myself.
“Which one should I pick?”
The other half of a good decision is choosing between two things that look similar in the store. I write these as plain comparisons: quartz versus solid surface countertops, a TV stand versus a TV console, a nightstand versus an end table, round versus rectangular dining tables, and deck versus porch versus patio. I lay out the real differences so you can choose on purpose.
“How do I actually do it?”
Once the thing is home, there is the doing. These are my step-by-step posts: cleaning greasy kitchen cabinets, extending a concrete patio, styling a coffee table or a dining table, repainting bedroom furniture, optimizing a closet, redesigning a living room, and removing bees from a backyard without making it worse.
Where each question lives
Those three questions play out across five rooms. Living Room is the largest, and leans into dining tables, seating and TV furniture. Bedroom covers beds, rugs, nightstands, closets and furniture painting. Bathroom is mostly vanities, mirrors and cabinets, so it is the most idea-led of the five. Kitchen is my smallest and newest category, focused for now on countertops and cabinet basics. Outdoor is the second largest, heavy on sheds, storage, patios and the occasional backyard problem like bees or a tired concrete slab.
What I am, and what I am not
I am not an interior designer, a contractor, an electrician or a builder. I am someone who has furnished and fixed my own rooms, made the expensive mistakes, and now measures twice and compares before spending a dollar. Standard sizes are a starting point, not a guarantee: yours can differ by brand, age of home and region, so I tell you to measure your own space every time. When a job involves wiring, plumbing, gas or anything structural, I say so and point you to a licensed professional.
If a measurement or a fact in one of my posts is wrong, please write to me. I will check it and fix the post.
A few things off the tape measure
I own three tape measures and a laser one, and I still occasionally guess, which is how this whole site started. I keep a note on my phone of every piece of furniture I have returned, sorted by the reason, and “too big” is winning by a wide margin.
Before you measure, build or plug in
Everything on this site is general information from my own experience. It is not professional advice, and I am not a builder, electrician, plumber or structural engineer. Please treat these points as the minimum.
- Measure your own space: standard sizes vary by brand, model, age of home and country. Measure your room, your doorway and your delivery path before ordering anything large, and check the return policy.
- Walls, mounting and heavy furniture: before drilling for shelves, mirrors, cabinets or a mounted TV, check for studs, wiring and pipes, and use anchors rated for the weight. Anchor tall furniture and freestanding shelves to the wall, especially around children.
- Electrical, plumbing and gas: new lighting, outlets, faucets, gas lines and appliance connections should be handled by a licensed professional and meet local code. Turn off the breaker or water before you start, and use damp or wet-rated fixtures in bathrooms.
- Patios, decks and digging: concrete work, decks and structures can be covered by permits, setbacks, frost depth and homeowner association rules. Check them first, hire a professional for anything structural, and call 811 before you dig.
- Cleaning and refinishing: test cleaners and paint strippers on a hidden spot, ventilate, wear gloves and a respirator when sanding, and never mix cleaning products. In a home built before 1978, assume paint may contain lead until a test says otherwise, and do not sand or scrape it.
- Bees and wildlife: many bees are protected and important pollinators. For anything beyond a tiny nuisance, especially a large hive or if anyone nearby is allergic, call a local beekeeper or licensed pest professional rather than handling it yourself.
- Ladders and lifting: get a second person for heavy furniture, clear the route first, and use a stable ladder for anything overhead.
Affiliate disclosure. Roomie Rocket is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what I write or what I tell you to skip.
About Elaine G. McQueen:
- Full name: Elaine G. McQueen
- Role: Founder and writer, Roomie Rocket
- Email: [email protected]
- Pinterest: pinterest.com/roomierocket
- Contact page: roomierocket.com/contact
- Based in: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Background: Years of furnishing and fixing her own rooms, and learning to measure and compare before buying. No formal design or trade credentials.
- Focus: Standard sizes, furniture comparisons and step-by-step how-tos for the living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and outdoor spaces
- Writing since: 2025
The king bed sits on a properly sized rug now. It only took two wrong ones to get there.
