Kitchens are high-traffic areas that are bound to get messy, and it’s easy to believe that the only appropriate kitchen rug ideas are dark, drab, or in stain-resistant colors. But kitchens are often the heart of the home and deserve as much thought as any other room. This means considering everything from the cabinets on the wall to the space under your feet. “When I’m designing kitchens, I consider rugs an opportunity to incorporate unexpected layers of inviting warmth and texture,” says designer Jessica Jubelirer. “Rugs allow color and pattern to coexist with utilitarian aspects of a kitchen—allowing us to weave layers of beauty into the mix.”
At AD, we know how important a good rug is, which is why we embarked on our first-ever product collaboration, a partnership with Ruggable, the LA-based home brand known for its viral washable products. Designed by AD’s New American Voices, our all-star list of the most promising rising talent in the interior design space, these easy-to-clean, hassle-free designs are the ideal blend of form and function. We’ve loved seeing how customers have tailored the vast range of styles in piles and sizes to their own kitchens. Below, we talk with nine design aficionados about the ways they incorporated the rugs into their kitchens, to give you some great ideas of what to try at home.
What is the most important aspect to consider when choosing a kitchen rug?
Pattern, color, and shape are all valid aesthetic criteria to consider when gathering kitchen rug ideas, but selecting something that is easy to clean may be the most vital criteria. After all, it doesn’t matter how fashion-forward a rug is if it’s bathed in spills and infested with crumbs, and those dark fuzzy surfaces could make the perfect home for carpet beetles and other unwanted pests. “Make sure the rugs have a low pile so they can be easily cleaned and vacuumed,” advises Hema Persad of Sagrada Studio, who designed one of the best-selling rugs in AD’s Ruggable collection. “Food particles and other dirt can get trapped in a high-pile rug.”
Safety is also a critical factor to consider, especially if you have kids or pets at home. “Exempt those [styles] with tassels and fringes. It can be a hazard,” suggests Monet Masters of Forbes Masters, who contributed the Maha Natural and the Kasi Black and Tan rugs. David Quarles IV, another participant in the collaboration, agrees. “[I look for] no-slip padding under the rug, eliminating tripping hazards while providing support for us as we lovingly cook meals or daydream while washing dishes,” he says.
Mix and match patterns
If you prefer a maximalist look for your kitchen, the more patterns the merrier. Try a different pattern for your rug, wallpaper, and tile, as long as they are demarcated into distinct zones to avoid visual overload. Incorporating neutrals can also help with keeping it all cohesive. Carissa Henderson, an interiors content creator, struck this perfect balance in her Dallas, Texas, kitchen with David Quarles IV’s La Joie Natural Multicolor rug, which draws inspiration from artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, and Kehinde Wiley. “I’m a big fan of pattern, color, and style mixing in my spaces!,” Henderson says. “What I love about the La Joie runner is that it is a bold, interesting pattern but with nice muted neutral tones which creates the perfect statement in my already bold kitchen, without feeling too busy.”
Contrast neutrals with a pop of color
If you already have a bold kitchen, consider a neutral rug underfoot, as interior stylist Kyla Magrath opted for in her Bristol, England, kitchen. “The muted earthy colors work perfectly in my kitchen,” she says of Forbes Masters’ Maha Natural Clay Rug. “The print adds warmth and texture to the space. It complements the colors of my cupboard doors and pulls the whole look together.”
Opt for natural wovens
Natural wovens can go anywhere—and they’re especially perfect for heavy-use work zones like the kitchen. Design firm Light & Dwell’s Harvest Stripe Brown rug comes in a woven jute-like material made of recycled and virgin polyester and polyurethane, promising durability and longevity. This style of rug is also visually cohesive with a wide range of textures and colors. “We chose [a] brown rug in the kitchen as it was muted enough to blend in with our dark wood without offsetting the marble counter,” Tim Drucker, a theater director, shares of his own Chelsea, Manhattan, kitchen, pictured.
Echo your wall color
When picking a color scheme for your rug, it can be helpful to find one existing color to match it to. This way, you won’t find yourself with too many clashing hues. Founder of Imani at Home, blogger Imani Keal chose David Quarles IV’s Teal and Gold Nerissa rug to match her orange wallpaper at her house in Washington, DC. “I always try to reference my wall color in the rug, so things feel cohesive, and the tiny dots that run down the middle are in the same color family, so I went with it.”
Cozy up your island
There’s no place better to convene in the kitchen than the kitchen island, where cooking, eating, working, and chatting can happen at once. Putting a runner under kitchen stools makes that area cozier and more appealing to sit in for extended periods. Tim Drucker styled Forbes Masters’ Kasi Black and Tan rug underneath his island, adding the perfect touch to a bustling space where he hosts friends and family. “It has a dynamic design that really helps the flow of the area,” he says.
Demarcate your zones
When you have an open floor plan, runners are the perfect way to build subtle barriers, as Dara Segbefia, principal designer of The Zen Experience, demonstrates in a California school’s teachers’ lounge with David Quarles IV’s La Joie Natural Multicolor rug. It naturally divides the spaces between the kitchen work zone and eating area, all the while adding color and texture to the space. When choosing a length, Hema Persad suggests choosing something that elongates a space. “Opt for something across the entire run of cabinets rather than just in front of the sink or stove,” she says.
Add warmth with neutral patterns
“When I’m designing kitchens, I consider rugs an opportunity to incorporate unexpected layers of inviting warmth and texture,” says Jessica Jubelirer. In art and architecture historian Lindy Kuit’s Rotterdam kitchen, David Quarles IV’s La Joie Natural Multicolor depicts a tropical, patchworked composition of animals in taupe, charcoal, mustard, ginger, teal, and coral atop a cream background. Here, the intricate design is certainly a statement piece, but the neutral tones add effortless warmth without too much distraction. “The use of color in particular matches well with my warm mahogany midcentury modern kitchen,” Kuit says.
Match your backsplash
With such a vast assortment of colors and patterns, it can be hard to choose the right rug option for your space—but matching to your backsplash is always a good rule of thumb to create a cohesive and striking room. In designer Jane Vora’s Brooklyn kitchen, David Quarles IV’s Teal and Gold Nerissa rug illuminates the subtle color play in her space. “The teal and gold rug elevates our kitchen and really brings the colors of our mint green tile backsplash and bamboo wood floors altogether,” she says.
Play with contrast
Picking opposite ends of the color wheel is an age-old trick to creating impact through color. Forbes Masters’ Kasi Black and Tan rug features pops of navy and periwinkle, which contrast perfectly with the warm wood walls in Aphorodite Agency founder Lana Wilman’s UK home. The contrast between sharp minimalist angles and circular patterns also imbues the minimalist space with playfulness and drama. “I love the Ruggable x AD rug in my kitchen because it adds a super fun texture to my all wood kitchen—the more colors and textures I can pack in, the better!” Wilman says.