The rug is NOT square. It is NOT 9'8" x 9"8". It is actually 9'10" x 10'2". I could not orient it the way I wanted because of the size and I had planned to give it extra space. I had to rotate the rug 90˚. I now have a couple of places where it rides up against the kitchen island and it may be a tripping hazard if I can't get it to flatten out. If it WAS 9'8" x 9"8" it would fit perfectly with space to spare. Extremely disappointed. The direction of the stripes no longer fits the design of the living room.