5 Tips to Picking a Kitchen Rug
Today, I spent a few hours at my sister’s house helping her pick out some rugs for her new home. She had asked if I could stop by “real quick” and tell her what size rug she should use in her den, but once she got me in her house, she had me picking out rugs online for her kitchen and two of her bathrooms! #sneakysister
I would love to charge her for all of the times she has used me for my “decorating skillz” (haha,) but she helps me too much with my kiddos for me to get any money from her. I guess we will have to call it even. ;o)
Anyway, since I have rugs on the brain right now, I thought I would share with you the trend of using decorative rugs in the kitchen!
Traditionally, kitchen rugs have been used more for function, but the kitchen is a great place to show off pops of color and pattern to play a decorative role! Sometimes we shy away from using rugs in our kitchen because of the worry of spills and stains, but rugs can add a lot of warmth and character to your kitchen.
Not only can rugs bring comfort to your feet in the kitchen, they can also make your kitchen floor less slippery.
Here are some tips to think of when picking out a rug for your kitchen:
- Durability is key when picking out a rug for your kitchen. Pick flat weave rugs that are both cleanable and durable like wool or acrylic yarns suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
- Pick out a rug that is colorful or has a busy design to help hide those inevitable stains that happen in the kitchen setting.
- If your rug does not have a non-slip backing, be sure to place it on top of a non-slip rug pad to keep your rug in place.
- When placing a rug in front of the kitchen sink, consider using a thicker rug pad underneath to add some extra comfort to your feet and legs when standing in place to wash the dishes.
- (I love this great tip from Pottery Barn:). When mixing colors, just remember the 60-30-10 rule: keep 60 percent of your décor in the dominant color f the room (this is usually the color of your walls or cabinets). The next 30 percent is the primary accent color and the remaining 10 percent is an extra accent color, which you can easily incorporate into the room with decorative accessories. Following this rule, choose a rug that picks up your secondary color to coordinate nicely with the kitchen’s existing color palette.
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Do you have rugs in your kitchen?
How many? Where are they placed?
I’d love to hear all about it!
I have 4 rugs in my kitchen. One by the sink, by the sliding door to the deck, runner into the family room and one at the bottom of the stairs. And I just added another 2 weeks ago for our puppy’s dishes! They are washable for the summer and I change them out in the fall with heavier wool/blend ones. This summer my palette is lighter because I bought new turquoise curtains for our slider door. I have wood floors in my kitchen and the rugs do a great job at these entry points of catching dirt and water.
Sounds like you love rugs like me! Haha! :)
Open ended galley kitchen (both ends go to other rooms) – 1 long skinny rug centered in front of sink. I actually feel like it is too skinny so I’m always looking for something else but my kitchen is grey bottom cabinets and cream upper cabinets with grey walls and cream trim BUT the floor is terra cotta so my rug is grey and cream pattern that helps tie the floor with the rest.
That sounds beautiful, Sharon! :)
I don’t have kitchen rugs but do like the look of them. Cyndi is so fortunate to have you. If I did I’d have you over and say PLEASE decorate my house. My dream would be able to do this. I just don’t know how and it doesn’t come easy for me to do it when I don’t even know my taste. Just can’t put things together well. I’m sure Cyndi loves your help. Nice she helps with your kids.
Hi Kathy! Yes, Cyndi loves using my decorating advice. :). My mom was a great decorator, and we both used to rely on her for advice, but since she passed away, Cyndi now come to me. I hope I make mom proud! :)
I have one runner type rug in my townhouse kitchen over hardwood floors. It is not the durable fabrics you mentioned, but was very inexpensive from Target so I bought two of them. It is blue and gray vintage style so it doesn’t show dirt which is a real plus. I also have a larger rug in the kitchen of our mountain home. It is a castoff from my sister and much nicer than I would have bought. The downside to it is that it does show spots, and I am not good at keeping it clean. Actually, it is my hubby’s fault – he is a messy cook! But a good one, so I’m going to keep him!
I like to use rugs in the kitchen for comfort but also to protect the hardwood floors. With the amount of traffic the kitchen gets, the finish on the floors there will start to show wear quicker than the rest of the house without a rug.
Thanks for sharing the 60/30/10 rule – it’s a good one that I will be keeping in mind.
Yes, he sounds like a keeper! :) I agree that I like to protect my floors with rugs. Great idea to buy two rugs you like, if they are inexpensive, it makes it easy to switch them out if one gets too much wear and tear.
Thanks for stopping by, Kim!
Thanks for the tip about 60/30/10 for picking a rug.
That is something I want to remember when I pick a kitchen rug.
I guess this would also be good for a bathroom runner.
Yes! I think it could apply to any space. :)
hahahahaha, I read her blog too and she mentioned she would share the rugs on instastories :) I wish I had a sister! You both are precious.
Thank you, Kara! We love giving each other a hard time. :)
I love kitchen rugs! Sadly, I’ve had to store mine since our indoor cat said, “Hey! Why go all the way to the litter box! The rug is 3 ft. closer!” Grrrrr. And yes the litter box is kept clean daily and she’s healthy.
Oh no! Silly cat. :)
I have two in my kitchen, one 4′ x 6′ in front of our cooktop – my husband spends a lot of time in that spot :). The other is at the French door going out to the patio, and since my husband also goes out that way to grill, well, he needs a rug when he’s coming in. I actually just replaced the one at the door for a little larger one. It doesn’t get messy because I put a large outdoor rug on the patio which really helps with any tracking in the house. I prefer larger rugs over several smaller ones.
If you lived near me I would be paying for your expertise :)
I was worried about the stains, thanks for the suggestion of busy patterns.