5 Places You Wouldn't Think to Put a Beautiful Area Rug

If you’re the proud owner of a beautiful new area rug, it’s not always clear where you should place it in your home. And while you could go with the obvious options like your living, family, or dining rooms, there are plenty of spaces in your home that could benefit from the durability, beauty, and warmth of an area rug.

To help you find surprising, yet perfect places in your home for an area rug, here are our five places you wouldn’t think to put a rug.

1. Laundry Room

It isn’t often that we see nice area rugs in places that see a lot of action like a laundry room. For starters, the area is prone to increased foot traffic, stains, and messes. But that doesn’t mean the room can’t benefit from a durable, eye-catching area rug. With an area rug in your laundry room, you can comfortably wash, dry, and fold your clothes while barefoot.

The best laundry room area rugs need to easily withstand detergent, water, and footprints. Natural fiber rugs are a great fit as dirt and other messes don’t cling to the hard fibers, but instead rest in the weave. Choosing the right rug size is also important as area rugs that are too large (or too small) are distracting to the eye.

2. Patio or Deck

Our outdoor spaces are some of our most-loved parts of our homes—especially in the summertime when the weather is at its best. But sometimes the outdoors can be harsh on our patio/deck floors or on our feet. For example, when the sun has been baking your patio floor, it becomes impossible to walk on without burning the soles of your feet.

From protecting your outdoor floors to giving your outdoor living space a cozy vibe, an outdoor rug has many benefits. Built to withstand the seasons and tough weather conditions, specially designed rugs like outdoor sisal or polypropylene rugs offer the ideal solution for withstanding the elements and being easy to clean. And because they have a natural, earthy look they will feel right at home in the outdoors.

For more ideas on how to decorate and arrange your patio, check out our nine ways to create cool spaces for the summer.

3. Walk-in Closet

It’s an often neglected area, but your walk-in closet is a well-loved space that you spend a lot of time in each day. But your closet doesn’t have to be just a glorified storage room for your clothes and accessories. Pairing your walk-in with a warm, cozy rug can help transform your closet into a real room for your home.

Make your closet a comfortable lounge space by laying down a new area rug. And because you’ll be doing a lot of standing in your walk-in to change outfits and accessorize, you’ll want a rug that is softer on your feet. For the softest natural fiber rugs, try sisal wool, jute, or large weave sisal.

Have carpet in your closet? Don’t worry—you can layer a beautiful area rug on top of your carpet to complement the room.

4. Mudroom or Entryway

Mudrooms and entryways can become filled with hoards of shoes, winter coats, hats, and other accessories for the outdoors. After all, they are the first and last rooms our family members and guests use to enter and leave the house. But instead of letting your tile, wood, or carpet floors take the beating and have to mop it up afterwards, an area rug can go a long way in terms of hiding the mess and protecting your floors.

Use an area rug in your entryway or mudroom to greet guests as they first arrive and protect your floors from all of the shoes and mud tracks they bring in. Similar to a laundry room, the rug you select for your front entryway or mudroom should be durable and easy to clean as it will see a lot of foot traffic and stains. But luckily, the hard fibers and thick weaves of a natural fiber or polypropylene rug make cleaning a simple task.

Find out how to design the perfect mudroom or entryway for your home with our four essential mudroom items.

5. Kids’ Room

Kids’ rooms usually don’t see design items like area rugs, end tables, or ottomans. With plenty of toys and imaginative kid-friendly design themes, an area rug can seem like an odd fit. But if your child’s play area or bedroom has hardwood or tile floors, an area rug can be a lifesaver. You can also pick a fun rug design that will help fuel your child’s imagination. For example, an oriental rug can be your child’s own magic carpet.

Because the kids’ room is often where playtime happens, it’s critical to get your children a rug with softer fibers. After playing on their hands and knees all day, you don’t want your children getting frequent rug burns. If you want a natural fiber solution, sisal wool or jute rugs are a great choice.

Ready to purchase a beautiful rug for your home? Get started with our four factors to consider when choosing a natural area rug.