Originally my kitchen floor was vinyl. A fairly ugly boring tan vinyl.
One of the first things I changed was the flooring to 3.5” oak with a coffeebean stain. I couldn’t believe how different the space looked. I had a friend warn me “be carefully about hardwood in the kitchen, you drop one can, and you’ve got a huge dent staring you in the face”. I wasn’t sure how to avoid this kind of situation. I mean, surely I would be dropping things on the kitchen floors, that’s what happens when you running around trying to cook, especially a new recipe. I’m not usually one to fuss about things getting “messed up”. That’s why I can do natural materials (stone countertops, wood floors, leather furniture). I like the patina and “flaws” that develop over time. However knowing that my six year old can speed up that patina process, I figured maybe laying down a rug would help to preserve the wood floors a bit.
Ideally, I would have used a vintage wool rug in my prep space. Something dark, with a beautiful pattern that would complement my green kitchen cabinets. But that wasn’t really in my renovation budget. Genuine vintage wool rugs are pretty expensive. But there’s a company, Loloi, that makes printed flatweave rugs that give a vintage look at very affordable prices.
These rugs are all synthetic, but I think that’s a great thing with kids and pets. You’re not spending a ton of money on a rug that may have spaghetti dropped on it multiple times.
That left what to put under the kitchen table, which is on the opposite side of my kitchen, separated by the breakfast bar/peninsula. I didn’t want another patterned rug that would compete with the Loloi. So I decided to go for a natural fiber rug with no pattern. I searched different jute rugs for the longest time, but by happenstance I finally found the perfect one in a lovely gray shade at the Pottery Barn Outlet.
My kitchen table is 48”, so I knew I would need the 6’ rug. Ideally, your rug should be large enough so that when you pull out your kitchen chairs, the front legs still rest on the rug. Again, that’s IDEAL. If your space is too tight for such a setup, the you can use something slightly smaller, or forgo the rug all together.
For the longest time, I had no rug under my kitchen table and just embraced the beautiful hardwood floors, but I will admit, the rug definitely added some warmth that the space was missing.
What are your thoughts on rugs in kitchens? Let me know in the comments.
Some of the popular Loloi styles I have in my home:
Layla
Skye
Hathaway
Millennium (low pile)
My favorite places to shop for Loloi rugs are:
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