Not all rugs were born to be kitchen rugs. I’d argue that most are actually quite terrible for the job, although I’m sure there’s someone out there who just loves to squish their white sheepskin rug under their feet while they cook bolognese. Whoever that freak is, I hope you’re having fun.
For everybody else, a good kitchen rug will follow a particular set of criteria. First and foremost it should be washable, because the kitchen is a dirty place. I’m not saying you, the rug-curious reader looking at this, is necessarily a messy little pig in the kitchen; I’m just saying it’s a high traffic area, and you’ll want a rug that can withstand a substantial battering and a wayward splatter or two. The second—and maybe more subjective criteria—is that it should be interesting. That’s not just for fun aesthetic reasons: An interesting texture, pattern, or color scheme can more subtly obscure the inevitable accumulation of wear.
I subscribe to the movie theater carpet approach to how a carpet should look in the kitchen: bold and busy is good—I’d just stop short of picking some technicolor popcorn galaxy print, an interesting weave or a Kilim motif should be able to get the job done.
Below you’ll find a curated collection of area rugs and runners designed for heavy duty performance in a kitchen.
Colorful
Subdued kitchen designs have been practically de rigueur for the past decade. But more and more people are choosing to ditch their millennial grey, “resell friendly” design choice and dabbling in eclectic maximalism. A vibrant, multicolored rug is one way to instantly resuscitate a kitchen mired in the doldrums.
