Rugs can be a daunting purchase to make. When choosing a rug you have to factor in style, color, material, construction, durability, size, and of course, cost. High quality rugs are one of the best investments that you can make in terms of decor because they can literally last for decades. The problem is that premium handmade rugs are usually super expensive and most people can't afford to put one in every room of the house (if any).
So, if your budget calls for an inexpensive rug, then go with a natural fiber rug like sisal, jute, or wool in a non-traditional style. What I mean is that you should completely avoid the
cheap, knock-off versions of Oriental/Persian rugs. Nearly all of them are a waste of money and just look tacky...also it's pretty likely that they'll shed like crazy.
Luckily, there are TONS of well-priced "non-traditional" rugs out there these days. Retailers like
West Elm and
Calypso Home and designers like
Jill Rosenwald have been churning out flatweave rugs adorned with punchy geometric prints. Etsy's
KilimCom is a great resource for Turkish-made styles.
FLOR offers an inventive modular rug system and a wide selection of textures and styles (I'm currently obsessed with the wild and crazy
Parallel Reality mix shown below). And finally a caveat to the "natural fiber" recommendation,
Brita Sweden offers reversible rugs that are made from soft plastic foil and are produced in Sweden. After having a disappointing experience with an indoor/outdoor polypropylene rug purchased from Frontgate, I'm skeptical of indoor/outdoor rugs (aside from
Dash & Albert ones...they are fantastic), but these are supposed to be really good.
Here are some cool, not-too-pricy rugs I've seen lately...
What is your rug situation like? Have you ever splurged on a luxe rug or have you focused on finding moderately priced ones? In my house, I have some nice rugs and some that are more trendy and temporary (and certainly cheaper).
Do you have a rug texture/construction preference? I hate high pile rugs, so I'm a fan of dhurries and kilims. If you buy a flatweave, you might want to get a set of these
Stop the Curling Rug Corners.
