The kitchen is one of the hardest working rooms in a home. It’s where we spend a lot of our time making messes and cleaning them up. Choosing the right rug for this room is not only important visually, but it’s especially important functionally to avoid wasting money on something that will need to be thrown out after a few months. Below, we’re sharing a few things to look for when it comes to a kitchen rug or runner as well as sharing some sources we love.
The three things you should consider for your kitchen rug are: the size, the material, and the color/style. If you have a layout for it, a runner is always a great option in the kitchen—often between the island and the range or in front of the sink. Obviously, exact sizes depend on your space but we’ll share a few of the runners we have used and love (or ones we know we’d love) below.
When you’re looking for a kitchen rug, you’ll want to find something with a flat-weave. Anything with too high of a pile will trap food and dirt and any spills will be much harder to clean. In addition, we suggest finding something with the most natural content (sometimes a small amount of synthetic material is inevitable). We might sound like a broken record but we’ll say it again: natural materials tend to last longer, are usually easier to clean, and are better for the environment and your health compared to synthetic materials. Wool and jute are super durable natural materials that are great for the kitchen. Cotton is also great because it is often machine washable depending on the size but will be less durable than the two mentioned above. If stains are a high concern—look for indoor/outdoor rugs (a few of the ones linked below come in both options), which are synthetic but can be basically hosed off if needed.
In terms of color, it may seem obvious but avoid anything too light in color. If your home calls for something lighter on the floor, we either like something with a lot of pattern (like a vintage rug) or something with a background that has more movement in it to disguise dirt—because let’s be honest, no matter how clean you are, the kitchen rug will get hammered over time, This is why we love to use vintage rugs or runners in the kitchen (or anywhere for that matter). Flat-weave vintage rugs are eco-friendly, highly durable, easy to clean, hide stains well, and not to mention very beautiful. They are a win-win in our eyes however, a vintage rug doesn’t always work in every style of home.
We’ve linked 6 different vintage rugs at the end of this post—but hurry and get one if you love it because they’re all one-of-a-kind!
A few other things to note—don’t forget the rug pad! Again, it might seem obvious but a slick floor and a soft rug is a recipe for disaster. We always recommend using a thick felt rug pad to anchor your rugs and runners (if you can’t find the exact size rug pad for your rug, you’ll simply cut off any excess felt). In my own home, I’ve had issues with a corner of my runner always rolling up (even with a rug pad) and have had some success with rug tape.