One of the biggest design mistakes we see time and time again when we go into houses (don’t worry we won’t tattle on you – we are here to help) is when the area rug is too small for your room. What does that mean exactly? Well, went into detail in this post, but in short – most living rooms will need a rug that is at least 8×10 with some even needing 9×12 if the room is larger. Your rug is the foundation of your room and your furniture plan so everything should feel grounded by it rather than having it serve as a small accent piece that floats in the middle of the room. It connects all the “design-dots” in your room and brings everything together through one grounding point. Beyond grounding the room the right rug can be the jumping off point for the design and style of the room as well as set the tone for the room.
Above the graphic blue, yellow, grey and cream rug in Charlie’s room set the tone for everything else that we brought into the room and also helped the room to feel young and playful. If we would have gone with a more muted rug or something that was a solid, then the room would not have had as much visual life or energy in it. This rug (and your rug) helps set the tone and some of the styling choices that were made in there. Yesterday on the blog we featured my refreshed living room and showcased how drastically different a room could look by just swapping out a few accessories and the rug in the room. And while swapping a few accessories and the rug out sounds relatively easy – finding an affordable rug that still looks good and is large enough for a living room is quite the task. But, today we have you (and your floors) covered and are bringing you 60 of our favorite rugs at under $300, under $450 and under $600. And the best news of all… they all come in a variety of sizes including 9×12 so whether your room needs an 8×10 or a 9×12 we have the rug for you. Let’s get into it.
1. Indigo Modern Lines | 2. Grey Herringbone | 3. Overlapping Striped | 4. Cream Eyelash Shag | 5. Surya Paramount Low Pile | 6. Leather Dressage | 7. Arizona Shag | 8. Maui Chunky Loop | 9. Olga Gray | 10. Bleached Ivory Basket Weave | 11. Mixed Stripes | 12. Indigo Champagne Shag | 13. Java Woven | 14. Light Grey Border | 15. Multicolored Woven | 16. Ivory and Silver Rustic Bohemian | 17. Slate Ikat Woven | 18. Granite Broken Lattice
There are so many above that we love but we used #1 in my Dream Dorm Room, Brady has #10 in his entryway and #13 looks very similar to a vintage rug that my friend Corbett had in her entry area. Next up: Under $450.
1. Terry Indigo Woven | 2. Black with White Stripe | 3. Diamond Steps Wool Dhurrie | 4. Blue Tufted Wool Faiza | 5. Chunky Knit Wool | 6. Blue Awning Stripe | 7. Marled | 8. Birmingham Black Woven | 9. Sisal Grey | 10. Blue Herringbone Hand Woven | 11. Jubilee Solid Braided | 12. Train Tracks Slate Woven | 13. Kiwa Handwoven Jute | 14. Petra Triangle Wool | 15. Marled Grey | 16. Theo Indigo Woven | 17. Hand Woven Gray | 18. Jute Bauble | 19. Handwoven Triangle Striped | 20. Southwestern Grey and Dark Grey | 21. Sierra Paddle
Lots of winners on this one, that all feel timeless enough to work with a lot of different styles. We used #5 in our Loft Makeover, #8 is a classic stripe that would work well to bring in a graphic monochrome moment into any room, and #1 is something that would hide lots of foot traffic and stains well – which is always a winner for us. Last but not least, under $600.
1. Stone Tile | 2. Diamond Point | 3. Tanzin Vertical Block Print | 4. Denim Rag Diamond Ivory Woven | 5. Jute Ticking Natural Woven | 6. Sayulita | 7. Tochi Grey | 8. Code Neutral | 9. Hazy Lattice | 10. Souk Wool | 11. Blue Herringbone Hand Woven | 12. Eaton Ivory Geometric | 13. Hand Woven Gray | 14. Catamaran Stripe | 15. Blue Hand Woven | 16. Black Diamond | 17. Off White Braided | 18. Pixel Shag | 19. Lattice Dove Grey | 20. Dynasty | 21. Fair Isle
So which are your favorites out of the roundups and if you have seen any of these in person or have any of them please let us know how they are holding up in the comments below. We recommend all of these for style and price but unfortunately haven’t been able to test them all out in person so we would love any input you have.
I would NOT recommend #6 under $450 rug (Annie Selke Blue Awning) and presumably the #8 would have the same issues. I have a Dyson vacuum and it constantly sucks up the flat weave of this carpet. Once that happens, it goes to “hard floor mode” so as not to suck up the carpet, the only problem then is that the dust bunnies and dog fur are stuck enough to the carpet that this mode isn’t strong enough to suck them up. Now, you may be thinking, perhaps I have a vacuum issue? I prefer to believe the rug is more of the culprit in that my vacuum is AMAZING for everything else (I cannot recommend the pet Dyson enough!). I had put this rug in my dining room (as I believe Ginny did as well) and basically have to pick up the large visible fur/bunnies BY HAND and then use the light mode on my vacuum to (hopefully) get the food particles and such. The dogs also tend to get any morsels that do make it to the carpet. What I want to know is have others had this issue with flat weave carpets? I love the look and… Read more »
I had a Dyson and returned it for a Miele. It works so much better on the various flooring I have throughout my home. The Dyson was really tough on the antique rugs I had and was really really annoying on a cow hide as well. I have no problems with the Miele–gets up all the pet hair and food crumbs thrown on the floor by my toddler, but also handles all my rugs great as well. So….sorry to say. it but…it could be the vacuum (or a combo of the rug and vacuum!).
Agreed! My Miele is the best because I can turn off the rotating brush for the fragile area rugs.
Which Miele vacuum do you have?? My Dyson is a goner.
Which Miele vacuum do you have?? My Dyson is a goner.
What Miele model do you have?? My cordless bagless Hoover just died. Have kids, and pets, need help. TIA!
I have this problem with my shaggier rug. I assumed it was because it was a cheaply made rug? I got it from Rugs USA, I vacuum/ hand pick fuzzies 2-3 times a week and it still sheds… we’ve had it for 2 years! I keep waiting for the shedding to stop and I’m about to just throw it away.
Hi Emily! I adore the look of the traditional Persian/Afghan/Turkish rugs, but the prices are way out of my budget for the larger ones. Is there a way to make a smaller rug work in a larger space? Or are there any good cheaper versions? It seems like the colors are always off in the modern synthetic versions I have seen, or the distressing looks fake.
Check out rugemporium240 on eBay! Got an amazing 7′ x 10′ for my bedroom for under $200…it did have a lot of dust and a musty smell upon arrival, but I laid it out on my porch in the strong sun for a day, and then vacuumed with Arm and Hammer baking soda carpet powder and it aired it right out. The store has some very negative review, so we knew it was a bit of a gamble, but the rug we bought is amazing. On par with ones I’ve bought from dealers for over a thousand (which I still thought was a good price!).
I’ve bought from that exact eBay store too. It was a great deal, and the rug was just as pictured.
Thank you!
You could try using a larger sisal or flatweave which are typically more affordable and then layer on top of it a smaller Persian/Afghan/Turkish rug. As long as the smaller rug is at least 1/2 – 2/3 the size of the larger rug then you should be fine. You could also check out Ebay (where I got my large living room rug), Chairish, EBTH, or Etsy for some affordable options. Hope that helps. xx
I have had a ton of luck with this ebay seller: expertofcarpetandkilim
We have #9 from the under $300 section in our lake home living room and we love it. The pattern, although you know it is present, is not overwhelming and the colors are soft and perfect for this space. We placed a very good quality rug pad under it and it is so comfortable to sit on the floor. The rug is easy to vacuum and it makes us happy to live with it. I would recommend this rug for anyone looking for a very inexpensive, good looking, easy care rug!
Thanks for the round up. I love rugs and I completely agree with you about their importance in designing a room.
I’ve been thinking about getting #9 for a long time, but am concerned with it looking too “dingy” with a dog and a kid on a mostly white rug. Have you noticed that it cleans up well?
Thanks in advance!
We also have this rug, a cat, and a toddler, and it cleans up incredibly well. The synthetic fibers mean that spilled liquid kind of sits on top of it before absorbing and stains blot out well. We’ve had it for two years and it looks great.
Hi Laura – as Bethany points out, the rug is not white. It is more of a ivory or cream, but not with a lot of yellow undertones. She is correct, if you need a white rug, this will most likely not work. We have a dog and we have had no problems with clean up. Also, if you are worried about cleaning small spills and so forth, I would recommend Folex Carpet Spot Remover – great product, it almost performs miracles at times.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ILA3YY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Good Luck! Buying a new rug can be terrifying and exciting at the same time.
I have this rug too! I just laid it out a few days ago but I really love it so far – it’s super soft and it had really good reviews. It’s definitely more cream colored than white in real life though, so if anyone is looking for a white rug this may not work.
Thanks for the recommendation! xx
I have that #9 under $300 too, but I got it from Rugs USA. I just rented a Dr. Rug cleaning machine to clean it because it had dingy spots and stains from a snacking toddler and now it’s lumpy and bumpy from the wet cleaning solution. Does anyone know how to get those wrinkles out? I don’t think I have enough coffee table books to level out the edges!! I’ve got fans trying to dry out the rug, but the pad is a little damp, too.
I have #9 in under $300 to. It is more cream and gray. I have cats and it is incredibly easy to vaccum. It is not a super plush rug and isn’t super soft. I have mine over carpet, but i think you would want a nice thick rug pad on a hard surface. There is enough color variation in the fibers to make it naturaly look like it has been around for awhile. Practical for kids and pets when your heart is set on a light rug.
Do you have any suggestions on rugs for unusual spaces? We’d love a rug in our dining room, but unfortunately standard sizes just do not fit.
Unusual spaces are hard : I have a kinda triangular shaped living room and it’s really stumping me. Do I put a rug so it’s parallel to the couch, to the opposite wall? Do I get a round or irregular shaped rug? It’s driving me crazy. >_<
It really depends on the room layout and shape but you could try layering a few different smaller rugs in the space or there are some great circular options out there that could be used. We used a circular rug in Birdie’s nursery and it was the best option for a very awkwardly shaped space. xx
You could try Flor carpet tiles. They make really cool rugs and are totally customizable. Another option is to find a patterned carpet or rug you like and then have the carpet store cut and bind it to whatever size you want.
Depending on the type of flooring you have, Flor tiles may work. You can design & configure them however you’d like and each carpet tile can be removed for the inevitable spill (to clean or replace). They look like a rug when assembled (even Persian, etc). We put them in my son’s room over ceramic tile and are so, so happy about it!
I was SO excited to see this roundup, and the discussion of how most of us need BIG rugs. Then they are organized by price for the smallest rug available. 🙁 I wish they were organized by price for the 8×10 size given that the discussion above was how most of us need that size (or bigger.)
In terms of the rug vacuuming issue I’ve found that my vintage 1000 pound Kirby cleans all rugs the best. Period. The vacuum is heavy enough itself to keep the rug still but with a cowhide it’s just better to pick it up and shake it outside. I use my Dyson cordless for all other vacuuming (a dream on stairs!) and let my robo-vac Eufy take care of the everyday sweeping.
It looks like a few of the options that we have included already sold out of the larger sizes :(, but all of the pricing that was included on the roundups was for an 8×10 sized rug, which is generally the smallest anyone could use in their living room. Quite a few of them are on sale now so the prices marked are even higher than the sale price on their site. xx
I have the second rug in the top group (that grey and white herringbone one) and I like it but, I have gotten a lot of comments that it makes people dizzy…. if you look at it directly it tends to looks like the pattern is moving. Doesn’t bother me at all, but maybe something to keep in mind if patterns like that bother you?
I have #11 under $600 (Dash and Albert Herringbone from Wayfair) under my dining table – which, side note, I think is exactly the same as #10 under $450. The flatweave is great, no issues with chair legs snagging, the pattern has hidden all spills and messes (so far), and it’s easy to vacuum. And, it looks fantastic. The pattern is understated but interesting. We did put a rug mat underneath it- without the mat it was sliding around all over the place on the wood floors. Would definitely recommend.
Hi, where did your oval coffee table come from? Thank you!
It is from Lulu and Georgia but unfortunately looks like it is currently out of stock online: https://rstyle.me/n/cxjaxrsdhw
I’m surprised you don’t mention FLOR rug tiles as a lower cost option and an easy way to make a custom-sized rug. We bought them for under the dining room table which we use daily and they have held up quite well. Plus if you have a spill they pull up to clean or can be replaced if really damaged.
We need a new bedroom rug but my husband has dust allergies so I’m hesitant to have a rug under the bed. Can you have the rug under only the foot and have it look okay?
I have found Home Depot to be a great, unexpected place to find affordable rugs. I got an 8×8 rug that I love for my living room on sale for $200. Also you can return to a store if it doesn’t work, which makes buying online a little less stressful.
I have a large 9′ x 12′ CB2 Code Neutral rug in my living room and I love it!!
What is the rule on furniture being on or off the rug? The sofa and chairs are in an L shape with the chairs being on the long side. My sofa floats in the room and is totally on the 8×10 rug. The chairs are off. Not even a 9×12 would solve the problem. It would allow the chairs to be partially on the rug but not totally.
Love this series. In the under $450 range, #21, I bought this rug in a beige brown colorway and it was too much visually. It is dizzying. I laid it out and immediately got dizzy. Then my hubby and dad walked in and both noticed it right away. I think the black and white colorway might be worse. If the two colors were a very close match, then it might work. Just my two cents.
I have number 2 and number 16 from the under $300 roundup. No. 2 didn’t stand up to my cats as it is a thin cotton weave and it also wrinkled. Currently rolled up in my basement. No. 16 started off in my living room and is beautiful. Has held up to cats and some toddler exposure. It’s now giving a chic vibe to our earth tone/gray playroom, but it’s been two years and I still love it. I actually have the 9×12 in my amazon cart for our bedroom too.
I know you recommend placing a small persian rug on top of a large sisal but what about the other way around? I bought a huge persian rug for $15 (I had to drive from IN to WI in a snow storm to pick it up). It’s worn in the center though. Not all the way through, just the pile is gone. Would it be weird to put a smaller rug on top? Pattern, solid, texture?
I’ve had #21 (under $450) for ~5 years and it’s held up amazingly well to spills (soy sauce, hot chocolate, baby and toddler puke, puppy pee and poop, etc.). I did find the original pattern a little bold, so we have it reversed and much prefer the muted back side. When we bought it we replaced our 5×7 with an 8×10 and even my husband agreed that the bigger rug made the room look a million times better and way bigger!
Emily….not one of these rugs adds warmth…..all cold hues…..not even interesting. I’m so surprised. What’s happening?…….. very disappointing.
Uh I counted 18 rugs with warm tones. There’s creams, golds, tans, and reds in about 1/3 of the rugs above
I’m interested to know what peoples experience is with the fringe on the end of rugs….does it collect a lot of dirt and dust? Does it get stuck in the vacuum when you try to clean it?
I feel like it’s super important to call out that flat weave and hooked rugs are terrible for most pet owners (especially cats). And while some sites (like Overstock) let you filter rugs by weave type, a lot of rugs are a combination of tufted and hooked which ends up being problematic for kitties. (It also makes them harder to vacuum and harder for little kids learning to walk to navigate the big jump in texture under their feet.)
So beware, if you’re a pet owner you may want to go for tufted only and really pay attention not just to the text description but to up-close detail images of rugs. I have a really similar one to Emily’s new Dash and Albert living room rug (mine was way cheaper from West Elm but very close in color/pattern/vibe), and the fact that it’s half hooked and half tufted is definitely problematic with cat claws. My only solution was to have a baby and suddenly stop caring so much about my rug needing to look nice. XD
Dear EHD team,
I appreciate this post and will probably reference it for the rest of my life, but my real reason for commenting is to make a request. I am making my own room darkening curtains so that my 4 month old baby and 2.5 year old toddler can take longer naps. I want the look that you have in your master bedroom and living room curtains which is a French rod with rings but how do I attached the rings?! I’ve Googled images of rings with clips because i thought that was the answer but I think the clips showing looks cheap. In your design mistakes post on hanging curtain you said, “There needs to be a whole rod/ring conversation but…..” I am desperate for this conversation!!! Please help!
The secret, I think, is drapery hooks! I go no this post super helpful:
https://inmyownstyle.com/2016/02/hanging-drapes-and-curtains-tricks-and-tips.html
This post is perfectly timed for me, as I’m neck deep in trying to pick out a rug online. Thank you!!
Yes, thank you! Been really struggling to find the perfect rug for an affordable price for my new house we move into in May. These are all so workable in the space we will have! Will let you know if we go ahead and get one and see how it works out! 🙂
Has anyone ordered from rugs USA? They have so many great, affordable options but it is a site I’m unfamiliar with. Looking for customer experiences/reviews and information on rug quality. Thank you
HI Jen! I’ve ordered from them and have had a good experience. You do have to pay for your own shipping back though in case you don’t like it so that is the only downside.
I have #21 under $450 and absolutely love it. It is an incredibly well made and beautiful rug. The 9×12 is under $300. You can not beat that!!! We have bought it for two clients as well:)
One of the biggest design mistakes we see time and time again when we go into houses
kissanime https://kiss-anime.co/
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I appreciate these round ups, but the part at the bottom that says you can’t vouch for them kind of make the entire post moot. I would love a post where you say, “these are 5 rugs that are great quality and you would have in your house for a long time!” I bought a rug summer of 2016 that is wool, and I loved it, but it has co tonued to shed for all this time and now has bare spots! I’m at the point where I want to find a rug that I can keep and not have to purchase again! I would rather have 5-10 “these are great rugs and will last” options than a round up of 50.
These are great! I’m always in the market for an affordable rug. I’d love to see more colors in these round ups! I’ve been searching for a rug with green tones in it for my dining room and I’m striking out left and right. Unfortunately, I don’t have blue anywhere else in my house or I’d totally snag up one of these.
I was at Ikea last weekend and they had some awesome new rugs! The ones I liked were wool or wool blends, good sized and under $300.
Where could i find a more affordable version of the new blue tone rug you have in your living room? i love it but out of my price point and possibly in need of a 9×12. Love your round up posts, super helpful and time saving!!
After making a conscious decision to bring more natural materials into our home, we saved up to buy a hand woven wool rug. I think in the long run it saves us money because it should last at least 25 years – but if you get tired of it before then, you can return it for store credit and they’ll recycle it into a new rug. We got it from a small family owned weaving mill and we actually went there and met the people who made it. I love being barefoot on the rug and my kids love rolling around on it. No issues with our dyson either 😉
(I should add I live in Germany and the company is Habbishaw if anyone is interested)
I love Annie Selke indoor/outdoor rugs. They are soft to walk on, clean up easily either with a hose or cloth, and can take the battering from a busy household, including 2 frisky dogs. I also have many oriental rugs that we have purchased over the last 40 years that still look amazing. They also can stand up to almost anything, clean easily, don’t smell, and vintage rugs are so easy to find now at great prices. A side note; my rug cleaner told me to never buy a tufted rug (chain stores sell many of these). They won’t clean them as they fall apart.
I am struggling with an L shaped floor plan. I have a dining room in the small section – roughly 8×10 room, and living in the long 10×18. Currently have two matching 6×9 neutral rugs – but neither seem big enough (moved from previous house – diff furniture arrangement) I would like a big 9×12 in the living, but do you also overlap a bigger one coming from the dining area? Matching? Or offset with a jute? Suggestions??
Thanks, i thin this are great tips!
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I was excited to see this post! We need multiple large rugs at the moment! Could you do a round up soon with bright rugs? There are some good choices in there but everything is really neutral!
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any advice on where to get a really big rug? I’m looking for a 13×10 or larger and having a lot of trouble finding one.
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