The 8 Best Places To Put A Runner Rug In Your Home

1. Hallways

A rug running in a hallway is about as natural a combination as peanut butter and jelly. After all, both hallways and rug runners are long and narrow. But hallways are also how you get from room to room, which means they see a lot of foot traffic. If the floor in the hallway is hardwood or concrete, everyone in your home will thank you for making their life a little more comfortable by adding a runner rug to your hallway. 

2. Entryways and mudrooms

When you’re welcoming your guests or even yourself into your home, having a rug in your entryway or mudroom makes for a cozy and inviting first step inside. But what about the second step inside? Adding a rug runner to these spaces can provide a comfier walk all the way to the other side of the room. Adding a rug runner also designates a walking path, which can be a helpful signal for a larger group of people coming into your home to not crowd around the door the moment they step inside. 

3. Laundry room

Laundry rooms are sparse, utilitarian spaces that rarely get any decorative attention. On top of that, laundry room floors are usually tile, concrete, or vinyl—none of which is that pleasant to walk on. To make laundry day a happier experience for your feet, place a runner rug in front of your washer and dryer. When you do, make sure you avoid common rug hazards. You can avoid tripping by making sure the runner rug’s edges lay flat and you can avoid slipping by adding a rug pad under your runner. 

4. Open-concept living room

An open-concept living room can be deceptively difficult to decorate. A common approach to styling these cavernous rooms is to create borders around specific areas by using a rug to define the edges of the space. You can use runner rugs to further delineate these spaces by using them to establish walking paths. This creates an unofficial hallway through the various areas in your living room. The space between the runner and the larger area rugs also further reinforces the borders created by the larger rugs. 

5. Bedroom

Runners may not be an obvious choice for bedroom rugs. But runner rugs are an ideal choice for all sorts of bedrooms. When you have a bedroom with two beds that are arranged side by side, placing a runner rug between the two beds is a simpler way to add a touch of comfort than placing a full-size rug under each bed. In bedrooms with just one bed, laying runners along all three sides of the bed keeps your feet happy while also being much easier to maintain—there’s no need to move your bed to clean a runner rug!

6. Bathroom 

Yes, you can put a rug in your bathroom! A runner rug is ideal for adding a bit of extra cushion in front of your sink—and you can double that comfort by adding a rug pad. Runners are also great for bathrooms where the sink sits opposite the tub on either side of a long, narrow bit of floor. You just need to make sure you pick a material like polypropylene that has no trouble standing up to a little water.

7. Kitchen

Runner rugs are perfect as kitchen rugs. In large kitchens with long counters and multiple areas that serve as cooking stations, consider adding one long runner instead of multiple small rugs at each station. In a galley kitchen, a runner rug can be placed along the full length of the floor, providing you with a non-slip surface throughout your kitchen and a bit of extra cushion while you cook. 

8. Stairs 

What are stairs if not an extension of a hallway? The same reasons that make runners ideal for hallways also apply to stairs: they add comfort and a bit of style. But they can also be a helpful safety feature by adding some much-needed grip on hardwood stairs. You can even add a runner rug on your stairs yourself by following our guide on how to install stair runners. 

Run, don’t walk, to get a runner rug! 

Runner rugs are an often overlooked rug style, but they can be surprisingly versatile. For just about every room of your home, there’s a runner rug that will elevate your style and comfort. Our custom rugs can be cut to any size or shape, so you can get a custom-length runner rug for any room of your house in whatever style you’d like. Start by browsing our wide selection of custom rugs today.