Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 369 Comments

Trying Different Rugs In The Kitchen

Ah, the rugs in our kitchen. They were $34 from The Company Store ages ago (maybe 2008?). They originally lived in our first house’s kitchen and third bedroom, and they’re awesomely durable and neutral – but they don’t really do anything for the new kitchen (in person they’re a little too small and sort of clash with the avocado walls since they’re so honey-oak-colored). So “find a new kitchen rug (or rugs)” has been on our lingering kitchen to-do list for the last couple of months.

KitchenRugs Original Hall

We decided to tackle this rug situation – well, more like it decided to tackle us – on a recent stop at HomeGoods. Sherry found a pile of awesome 5 x 7′ flat weave options for just $49 each. We saw potential in a lot of them so we lugged them home for what Sherry cheerily dubbed our “kitchen rug fashion show.” As for me, I prepared myself for lots of rug moving – so a disclaimer upfront that the rugs in the pics to follow aren’t perfectly placed, nor are they wrinkle or tag-free (we just threw them down, gauged our reactions, and snapped pics for ya).

KitchenRugs John Shopping

In an attempt to spare myself a lot of work, I suggested we start with what I thought was guaranteed to work: a bold black and white stripe. In my head this was the perfect solution. It became quickly clear that I was wrong.

KitchenRugs BWStripe From Hall11

Even though the pattern was simple, the high contrast black versus white was very visually demanding. We thought that eliminating one of them (in the cooking area) might help, since we’d been leaning towards just having a rug on the fireplace half of the room anyways (to define that area is the cozy living spot in the room). But…

KitchenRugs BWStripe From Hall 11

… that change wasn’t enough to save the black & white rug as an option. In person it was even crazier/more chaotic to look at. But it did confirm that we wanted just one rug in the room (in the living part) since they would have to run different directions to make the most sense – and almost any rug would look odd running length-wise in the cooking area and width-wise in the casual fireplace zone. Eliminating the competing pattern (since they’d be oriented in different directions) also helped to reinforce that the fireplace side was a living / relaxing space.

KitchenRugs BWStripe From Dining

Our next try was with a similar option HomeGoods had – a more subdued gray on white stripe (I wasn’t ready to give up on stripes).

KitchenRugs GreyStripe From Hall

We did like the gray because it sort of carried the gray backsplash over from the other side of the room. But I think it put the nail in the coffin for large stripes. It was still too high contrast for the space and felt sort of cheap and just plain wrong in person.

KitchenRugs GreyStripe From Dining

With my theory about the stripes sufficiently proved wrong, Sherry suggested that we try her favorite rug. It was an ikat-ish diamond pattern that was made up of some of our favorite colors. She also thought the dark colors would keep it from being too jarring against the dark floor.

KitchenRugs Diamonds From Hall

It did seem to work very nicely with the dining room curtains, which are visible from one view (check out Sherry’s hastily draped dishcloth pillow cover in the corner to help tie things in) and it helped her visualize the potential color scheme of that side of the room.

Kitchen Rugs Diamon Curtains

But ultimately this rug got the axe too. The pattern felt too distracting – perhaps because it was still relatively large scale – and the colors felt a bit circus-y in real life (it actually photographs better here than it looked in person). Sherry was bummed, especially because she had found a matching runner for the laundry room (which also has the same color scheme as the kitchen and is attached to the other side of the room).

KitchenRugs Diamons From Dining

By this point we had tried our entire bounty of HomeGoods rugs (which all got returned), and were starting to be convinced that a bold pattern was not the way to go. So we turned to our stash of existing rugs that are not currently “in service” around our house (aka: shoved in the playroom to use either in rooms we haven’t touched like the sunroom or playroom – or to be yard saled/craigslisted eventually) to see if any of them might work – even though we knew that would be a long shot. For instance, here’s the Pottery Barn rug that used to live in our office:

KitchenRugs PBCircles From Hall

Meh. We deemed it too light – and the off-white color just looked dirty in comparison to the white counters and cabinets in the room. Back to the closet for you!

KitchenRugs PBCircles From Dining

And even though we were over the in-your-face patterns, we also gave the old Pottery Barn “Clara” rug from our old den a shot – just to be sure.

KitchenRugs Clara From Hall

We still love it as a rug, but the pattern and color are totally wrong for our kitchen. Once again (like the original jute rugs from The Company Store) the honey-wheat tones were all wrong with the soft avocado walls (which we hear can read differently on many monitors, so our apologis if they look yellow or neon green – they’re really the color of the inside of an avocado- very light and subtle). Sorry Clara rug.

KitchenRugs Clara From Dining

At this point we started pilfering things from other rooms, like our all time favorite yellow moorish Pottery Barn rug from the guest room.

KitchenRugs Yellow From Hall

We were actually feeling this one a little bit. We liked that the sophisticated pattern wasn’t too high contrast. It didn’t scream for attention like a lot of the other larger-scale rugs had.

KitchenRugs Yellow Other Angle

Our only hang up was that the yellow clashed with the walls. Even though we love the other yellow accents around the room, it just wasn’t working (it was a little too orange in person while the walls have green undertones). Of all of the colors we tried, we actually thought that something gray could be the most natural for the space (it’s not clashy with the walls, it would tie into the wall of tile on the other side of the room, etc).

KitchenRugs Yellow From Stove

The yellow rug is still living in the kitchen just-for-now, but we’ve both agreed it’s not permanent. So I guess we still have more rug shuffling in our future, but at least all the shuffling in our past wasn’t a waste. We learned some important things about what we’re looking for: mainly a light, subtle not-too-large-scale pattern – possibly in gray to reference the backsplash and bring that over into the fireplace side of the room. We actually used this criteria to hunt down another rug that we think will be perfect. Cue the choir of angels. The only sad thing is that it’s on order – but once it arrives and we have photos to share, we’ll be able to tell you whether or not we were on the right track. Fingers crossed!

In the meantime, what did you guys do this weekend? Any rug shopping? I hope there was lots of family time too. We got to log some of that – and although four children under the age of three sounds like a recipe for disaster, it was great to have everyone together.

Comments

  1. Jenna Sue says

    Sorry if this was suggested already, but have you considered FLOR tiles? Your giveaway post yesterday got me seriously considering them for our sunroom. Lots of options!

    Reply

  2. Jackie says

    I liked all of your finds! LOL. My husband and I were fortunate to inherit 4 storage units from our grandparents who recently moved to a smaller place. The units had 6 Karastan Persian Rugs!!! We’ve been in rug heaven!

    Reply

  3. Simply Life says

    just snagged 2 rugs from urban outfitters this weekend for $10 each- the sale was “in store only” but they have some great patterns if there’s an option there you like! they didn’t have it in the store we went to but they ordered it online with free shipping to our house and said we can return it to the store if needed. Happy hunting!

    Reply

  4. maribel says

    This weekend I finished painting my Ikea dresser ( i think its Malm? like the one you have in the guest home, but white). We’ve had it for a few years, but over time it started to look dingy. I read with a good primer it could be painted. I was inspired by a piece Nate Berkus has on his set….it’s chocolate brown with white dresser fronts. Now the fun part I’m going to decorate around my “new” piece. I once heard Nate say and you’ve done it too, choose one item and work around it. His inspiration for a room was a some sonvenir piece from India….and you have have Sue.

    Reply

  5. Alicia says

    I like the IKAT one too! I can see how it might be too busy in person, but in the photos, at least, it adds a nice pattern when everything else in the room is solid colored.

    Reply

  6. Debbie @ My Little Mess says

    I actually really liked the high contrast of the black and white striped one! The Ikat one would have my vote as well until you said that it looked better in the photos that in person. I didn’t know Home Goods sold such cute rugs for such cheap prices. I might have to check out the one by me!

    Reply

  8. Jessica says

    I can’t believe how much I LOVE this post! Who know a post about rugs could be so interesting?! I really liked seeing the different options and hearing your thought process about what worked and what didn’t. I totally agree with your observations- none of the rugs seemed quite right. I’m confident that when you find the “one” you will know and it will be absolutely lovely. Good luck! Can’t wait to see what you end up with!

    Reply

  9. KathyL says

    ARgh! I have things pictured in my mind—and its so perfect!, and then try them out first, and its ususally a FAIL. Drives me crazy. But I guess that’s what little paint jar samples and return policies are here for, lol.

    Reply

  11. Erin says

    I bought that Ikat rug at HomeGoods for our “Texas Room” Guest Room! I was actually at a loss for a color scheme for the room until I stumbled upon that rug — it became my color swatch! It even led to my selection of an incredibly gutsy green for the walls. Here’s my blog post (“Holy Guacamole!”…I’m really proud of this dorky title) featuring the final product, including the rug: http://diysquirrel.blogspot.com/2012/05/holy-guacamole.html

    Reply

  12. Ely says

    Your walls are the color of the inside of an avocado? The floors remind me of the color of the pit. Maybe try an avocado-y color scheme?

    I really liked the orange one though! Bummer :/

    Reply

  13. Oysterwhite says

    I thoroughly relish in your descriptions! Both you and Sherry could be writers or docu-writers for that matter.
    The ikat calls out to me with the avocado paint:). It was lovely!

    P.s. We made the palette compost this weekend, turned out awesome!

    -Melissa

    Reply

  14. Morgan says

    Any thoughts on where to find a round 8 x 8 rug? I have looked on overstock, but nothing is really jumping out to me.

    Reply

  15. sarah says

    so funny- i bought a rug from homegoods this weekend too!

    I think its unfortunately getting the ax too- the white on it turned grey within two days bc I have three kids and the only place the rug works is near the patio door. Meh.

    Its beautiful though- yellow and white *huge* chevron pattern. Sigh.

    Reply

  18. Carolina says

    First time poster here, long time fan of your site!

    I do love the striped rugs. Both of them, in fact. I do see the point about them being visually harsh, but I guess it’s in my taste to like interesting contrasts :) Good luck with the rug shopping!

    Reply

  19. Jennifer says

    I would have said the same about maybe a round or square option, but I also think maybe another chair or other piece of furniture, a planter, etc. something to live on or beside the rug will break up those hard lines. Can’t wait to see the next post on this!

    Reply

  21. Meredith says

    Cliffhanger post! I feel like this is the season finale of one of my favorite tv shows and I need to come back and see how it gets resolved. :) (Which I would do anyways, of course, but now I HAVE TO).

    Reply

    • Christie DeSilva says

      Yes…I was scrolling through all of the comments HOPING you snuck it in on a link there somewhere for the crazy loyal readers that even read all 355 comments. ;) You guys ought to do that sometime, just for fun. Little sneak peeks in comments. Tee hee hee.

  22. Sarah says

    Maybe something with a subtle purple to it? I know there is no other purple in your house, but if you go with a patterned rug, try to find one with a gray-ish purple or something because that would really make the green walls look more green! I’m sure you already know that purple and green are complimentary colors which is why I suggest something purple! Happy rug shopping!

    Reply

  23. Maggie Rose says

    Too bad about the ikat – it looks great to me, but I totally get the looks-better-in-pictures thing… people keep saying the horrible orange chairs in my dining room “look great” in my blog post about them, but they are SO bad and dingy in person. Fingers crossed the new one you ordered works perfectly!

    Reply

  25. Amanda says

    I know you’ve likely thought of this, but have you considered going with FLOR? If you’re still smitten with the idea of have a cozy rug under your feet in the kitchen part of the kitchen (like by the sink) and in the living area of the kitchen, this would be a great way to have two identical rugs (pattern going in the same direction)! OR if you wanted to a runner in your laundry room to be the same as the rug. Lots of options with FLOR!

    Reply

  29. heyruthie says

    maybe you posted already, but did you try stealing Clara’s grayish bedroom rug? (I’m a believer in stealing from one’s children early ;-) even though the color is a little blue, maybe it would look better than you think—and that PB rug might look great in her room…or it could prompt a Bean-room upgrade *grin*

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s one rug we actually didn’t try to snag. Darn us for not thinking to steal from Clara! :) Though I’m not sure the color would’ve worked, as it’s got a bit of a purple-ish hue to it.

      -JOhn

  30. Mitsy says

    I was thinking to write the last time you posted about the new rug you got for your bedroom. Since this post is about rugs it sort of ties in. I was wondering if you guys thought about switching the rug you got in your bedroom for the rug in your living room. Seems like your bedroom rug would go nicely with the gray walls, dark couch and curtains you already have and your green rug would go with the blue walls and green curtains you already have. Just a thought. And for your kitchen–I liked the gray color best too. Overstock.com had a 15% off all rugs for Memorial day, but I checked today and it’s still in effect–might find something you like. Anyhow, love your guys’ blog, wish I could be as consistent with other things as with my daily YHL fix :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The rug in the living room is giant (12 x 14!!!) since Karl is the biggest sectional known to man, so that rug wouldn’t fit in our bedroom and the bedroom rug would be too small. Fun idea though!

      xo,
      s

  32. Annette says

    I also bought and returned the ikat rug from TJMaxx. Wanted to love it but it just didn’t work.

    Reply

  34. Kierstin says

    I spy a white leather Moroccan pouf! Right? Funny, I just bought the same one in lime green this weekend from Joss & Main, for my “lady lounge” or whatever the female equivalent of a man cave is. It’s been a long redecorating process…

    I love the ikat rug (I love anything ikat right now), but pics can only tell so much. You have impeccable taste, so I’m sure what you choose will be lovely. Btw, I’m thinking that my HomeGoods doesn’t have nearly the selection that yours does. I visit the store regularly, and rarely see the amazing things you bring home. However, I did find a great grey, white and yellow patterned nailhead trim chair yesterday for a mere $129. I’m going back today to get it if it’s still there. I don’t exactly have room in m bedroom, but I’m going to do some rearranging to make it fit. It’s too fabulous not to. It totally reminds me of the chair that you reupholstered and added nailhead trim to. You then did a pillow fashion show for the blog. Very cute. :-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s actually about 6 months old (it just moves all over the house, so it has hidden in Clara’s room for a while). But it’s from jossandmain.com a while back since they have the best prices for them! Love that you got one for your lady lounge in lime green! Oh and I hope that chair is still at HG for ya!

      xo,
      s

    • Kierstin says

      The lime green leather Moroccan pouf arrived finally! It’s a little shorter than I had envisioned, but I still love it. And the chair was still available at HG, so I snagged it. :-) Btw, love the grey scallop rug that you chose from UO. It really is perfect.

  36. kelsey says

    I liked a lot of those! I don’t know if you are going to ever put a table over them, but we have a bamboo rug in our kitchen under our table and I LOVE IT!! I mean my kids drop enough food on the floor in a day to feed a small country and it cleans up super easy and looks just as good as it did the day I got it a year ago. I just have a thing about fabric on a kitchen floor – and….it withstood a Crayola marker attack the other day with flying colors! Just my useless two cents, and I am sure you already thought of that!! Good luck!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Great tip! We’ll definitely be putting some sort of natural fiber rug under the dining table (it’s about 5 steps away from the kitchen, so another table along with the peninsula that seats four was too much for us- so that area in front of the fireplace is a reading nook and a spot for Clara to play while we cook dinner).

      xo,
      s

  37. Kim says

    We just ordered a couple through Urban Outfitters and did a fashion rug show in our living room. We ultimately went with a grey and white scallop kinda pattern and love it. Best part – just $75. If the rug you ordered doesn’t work out, you may want to try UO. I was surprised by their selection as I usually think of them as more dorm room/college life style, but this is surprisingly grown up. Can’t wait to see what you go with.

    Reply

  38. Tirsa says

    Loved the rug show. I keep searching and searching for option in rugs for my bedroom and living room.

    Have you considered the green rug you had in the living room as a possibility? Of course it would need to be resized. It seems that that green could complement the green of the kitchen walls.

    Reply

  39. Jamie says

    I like the Clara rug – could be because it reminds me of my grandmother’s house, which was always warm and inviting. (But probably not your decorating style! LOL)

    Reply

  40. Maria says

    I love flat weave rugs so much but I have a hard time vacuuming them and keeping them in place! I use those rug pads, but they always seem to slide anyway. And when I vacuum them they get sucked up into the vacuum. Any suggestions on how to clean these things and keep them put?

    I like the grey striped rug the most in your kitchen. It’s a bold pattern but not too busy!

    Reply

  41. Meghan says

    I just found your site, closing on our first home in 6 days. We’ve got some interesting/way fun things to deal with coming up, I found your site and have been loving all your old posts! Hoping the on-order rug works for your space, it’s got to be like Christmas when a new item fits into your space.

    For another floor covering, check out floor cloths. A quick esty/google search will show you tons of options. I received one as a gift and it seemed weird at first so I would recommend finding a local seller so you can touch/stomp/love one in person. They are the predecessor to rugs and are usually made of canvas. They sit on a rug pad (or ours does) and although they are a smooth surface the canvas/pad combo makes them warmer then expected to stand on. I love that they are hand painted and look fragile but a well made one by an experience craftsperson will last for decades. Many artist make custom orders so they match perfectly to your colors. Not quite a rug, and can get pricey but so neat! Also very easy to clean up.

    Reply

  42. Laura says

    Completely unrelated, but I saw Clara and Burger on the People.com homepage yesterday for the “dogs wearing hot dog costumes” feature! How fun. Good luck finding the perfect rug!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Funny, right? They asked permission to use that last 4th of July and it’s now showed up for its third holiday weekend (they also used it over Labor Day).

      -John

  44. Mark at NW Rugs says

    John, I recall seeing you at the PDX Home Show (we tweeted the pic of you in an apron: http://pinterest.com/pin/223280093995634259/). I appreciated your openness and friendly demeanor, so I think you won’t mind our comments here.

    I am so glad you posted this story about trying to find the right rug. We love to help folks avoid several of the problems you have encountered. If I may, we’d like to offer a few tips and one or two rug suggestions.

    Kitchen rugs can be tricky because it is a high traffic area and spills are inevitable. So, durability and easy cleaning are a must. Jute backed rugs are less than optimal, especially if they get wet. They tend to decompose and can have a bad odor if not dried thorughly and immediately. Synthetic rugs begin to show wear rather quickly and you wind up replacing it not long after purchase. Hand tufted cotton backed rugs should not be steam cleaned in the home as the glue that holds the backing starts to melt and can seep through to the surface. The resulting stains are near impossible to get out. Mold can be an issue for both types.

    For these high use areas where you want style, warmth, durability and easy cleaning, hand knotted 100% wool is really the way to go. If it is directly in the kitchen where one stands alot, the thicker the better and use a good pad. It’ll save the cook’s back. You may pay a little extra upfront but you will save a lot of headaches and cleaning / replacement costs down the line.

    Here’s a great little note about Why Hand Knotted Wool Area Rugs Are Stain Resistent: http://on.fb.me/uB6aDT

    A “busy” pattern is really good in these areas beacuse they tend to hide dirt between vacuuming. Also, they provide a overall backdrop for multiple colors of napkins, dinnerware, kitchen appliances etc.. Everything tends to go with something that has a lot of colors. We think one great option would be a “Patchwork” rug. They take old school traditional style and piece it together in a fresh modern way. These rugs will “go” with nearly every style, from Arts& Crafts to Modern / Contemporary. They even have a bit of a “tribal” feel to them. Furniture and accessory choices can be either formal or casual, This particular one might work very well with your color scheme as it has the complementary colors on the color wheel: http://on.fb.me/JSMFhO Check out the whole photo album for other examples – http://on.fb.me/I7zNDF

    Another option might be a Tibetan style rug. Very modern, very thick, sturdy and durable: This one has the right color combo and has a real contemporary flair. http://on.fb.me/JSN57K See the whole album of these one-of-a-kind, unique pieces: http://on.fb.me/yf3NU8

    Still stumped. No worries. Here’s an infographic that can help: “Choosing a Rug” http://loveofrugs.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/choosing-a-rug-inforgraphic/

    And this Pinterest board shows several rooms that need a rug and the multiple options available for each: “Rug Solutions” http://pinterest.com/nwrugs/rug-solutions/

    We hope this was helpful info and that some of the suggestions are useful for you. As a bonus, here’s a Rug Cleaning Guide to keep handy when those inevitable spills occur (and they will). http://bit.ly/u7MDrs

    Take care. We can’t wait to see what rug you finally choose.

    Cheers.
    Mark @nwrugs on Twitter

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We didn’t because it’s way too big for the space. The kitchen needs a 5×7 and that one was 8×11. Plus, it was so thick that it probably would be a challenge with all of the crumbs and dust that end up on a kitchen floor.

      -John

  47. Joy Cooper says

    The Tuesday Morning ad I received in the mail today had some colorful rugs that made me think of you.

    Reply

  49. Ally says

    As a temp, I love seeing “Old Yellow” standing guard :)

    This weekend, I helped out with a garage sale, and took along a few of my own items for ‘recycling’ :) I hauled in $153 beans! I think I may get one of those very cute Tivoli radio’s you guys have (it’s a toss up between the yellow or the kelly green colour…decisions…decisions :)

    p.s.
    The expression on J-Boom’s face is PRICELESS.

    It says: I’m whipped – and by a kitchen rug, no less :)

    xox

    Reply

  50. Heather says

    I love the black and white stripes!!! It looks high end and sophisticated, while bold and fun. The gray seems to clash with the green wall, and feels drab and washed out against all the other grey tones. The kitchen backsplash, stools and light fixtures. Also I love 2 rugs. I’m sure in person it looks different but it looks more balanced in the picture. I don’t think it matters if they are going different directions. Actually it looks better that are. Gives more dimension and layers than if they were parallel. Hope you find what you want. A year later I’m still searching for the perfect kitchen and dining room rug.

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *