5 Types of Rugs Your Home Needs

A rug can be one of the most interesting and eye-catching features in a home. They can serve to showcase a color or design scheme, provide softness and texture, or protect original wood floors.

The kind of rug you need may also vary over time and in different stages of your life. The rugs you have with young children are probably very different than the ones you have once they are grown. Similarly, pet owners likely shop for rugs differently than others.

 If you haven’t bought a new rug in a while, read the list below to learn about 5 types of rugs your home needs.

1. Washable Rugs

Have you ever been a guest in someone’s home and accidentally spilled red wine on their white rug? It’s a mortifying experience to be sure. At that moment the owner of the white rug is probably wishing she had purchased something easy to clean.

There are a few different options for washable rugs. A few new companies have popped up recently that offer rugs you can place directly in a residential washing machine. These will not be as plush as other types, but if stains are a concern for you, this is likely a great idea.

You can also opt for indoor/outdoor rugs. Often comfortable enough to be used indoors, these rugs have the added benefit of being easy to clean. Simply take them outside and hose them off. A pressure washer works best, but most spills should be treatable with a regular hose and some soap.

Washable rugs are a must-have if you have toddlers, dogs, or accident-prone housemates. When buying an expensive rug, make sure you will be able to keep it for years.

2. High-pile Cozy Rugs

Sometimes you just want to feel a soft rug under your feet first thing in the morning. Layering a small shag rug over the floor next to your bed is a simple way to achieve this. Shag rugs peaked in popularity decades ago, but there are still ways to incorporate them subtly in modern decor.

Other high-pile rugs can add a great deal of warmth and coziness to other rooms of your house as well, such as living rooms and even kids’ rooms. Pile some blankets and pillows on a plush rug to make an excellent reading nook. You may want to avoid high-pile rugs in dining rooms and kitchens though, as they can be harder to clean.

3. Cowhide Rugs

Cowhide rugs are incredibly versatile, stylish, and durable. And they are experiencing a resurgence in popularity over the last few years.

There are a few misperceptions about cowhide rugs that may have kept you from buying them until now. First, they do not cause animal slaughter; cowhides are just byproducts of the meat and dairy industries. Secondly, they are not just for western style decor. You can find cowhide rugs for sale in any color or print you can imagine.

These rugs are durable and easy to clean, which makes them a great option for households with pets and children as well. They can handle high-traffic areas and shouldn’t ever need to be replaced.

4. Runner Rugs

Runners are typically differentiated from other rugs by size. A standard runner rug will be 2’ by 8’ or something similar. You can place them in any room of your house and generally want to match them to whichever rugs are nearby. A lot of runners and area rugs are sold as a matched set to create a cohesive style in individual rooms.

A runner serves to delineate a long section of floor in your house and create some visual interest. Runners can also help provide traction in areas that might be slick or dangerous, such as at the top or bottom of stairs.

From a design perspective, runners can also help transition between different rooms of your house, especially if the rooms contain different design styles. Using runners can be a really interesting replacement for kitchen and bathroom mats as well. Just make sure that they are easily washed and not prone to mold.

5. Novelty Rugs

This category is primarily for use with children and in children’s rooms. These rugs are bright and colorful while providing amazing information and resources for your little ones.

There are so many great novelty rugs that can help kids learn the alphabet, different shapes, geography, and much more. You can also find rugs with designs that promote physical activity, such as hop-scotch or car racing.

Other novelty rugs might be seasonal or holiday-themed. You can find many rugs specifically designed for fall, with leaf-print designs and dusky orange colors. Other rugs may celebrate Christmas and its red and green color scheme. These rugs would need to be changed out often, so make sure you have somewhere to store them in the off-season.

It’s hard to keep up with all the amazing types of rugs available these days; even this list doesn’t capture them all. You may want a different kind of rug in every room of your house, and we think that’s a fine idea. When deciding what kind of rug to buy, consider the room it will be in and function it needs to serve. Be sure to check Pinterest for guides on how to use the right size and style of rug for different rooms as well.

Changing out your rugs can be a really great way to refresh a room without a ton of work. And in the same vein, a mismatched or worn out rug can drag down an otherwise beautiful room. If you have never experimented with different rug styles before, we hope this list has inspired you to try something new.