Area rugs are the essential supporting cast members of a well-decorated room. Without them, a space looks bare, bland, and cold, with nowhere soft to walk. We love the pop of color, the subtle arty designs, and the coziness they add wherever they're placed.
When you're starting your search for a new rug, the price and size are probably the first requirements you have in mind. And, of course, the style.
Price
Rugs, unfortunately, are expensive. Buying a large, inexpensive, brand-new rug is a tall order, and you're probably not going to find anything of high quality and durability within those narrow constraints. So, for this guide, we've capped our budget at $800 (with most of them well below that), featuring rugs from several different retailers that span 6x9 to 12x18 feet, with lots of variance in between.
Size
Area rugs are a great way to visually define different spaces within a room, especially if you have an open-plan space. However, if your room is small, you'll need to decide whether you want an area rug that layers underneath all of your furniture or just one small area, like beneath a coffee table. Our favorite way to determine which rug size would be best for your room is to layer newspaper on your floor in your chosen area, leaving at least a 1-to-2-foot border of bare flooring exposed. Then, measure it.
Style
Your area rug's style is completely a matter of personal preference, although the material and pile level may make a slight difference. The most affordable area rugs you'll find are typically made of polyester or polypropolene — however, we've represented a range of materials in this guide, including wool and hand-braided jute. The higher an area rug's pile is, the fluffier (and dreamier) it'll feel underfoot. But note that these types of rugs can be tough to clean, and they do tend to shed, which is why short pile and flatweave rugs are so popular.
Finally, no matter what type of area rug you get for your home, make sure you also get a rug pad (unless your chosen rug actually comes with one!). These not only protect the rug from wearing down and fraying from constant shifting, but they also keep your household safer by preventing accidental slips. Some can even provide a little extra cushion or support to a flatweave rug.
Ready to revamp your naked floors with a little more coziness and color? Check out the 10 best area rugs that you can buy under $800.
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1
Abstract Art
Madison Collection Modern Abstract 12x18-Foot Area Rug
If matchy-matchy coordination and perfect symmetry simply aren't your style, we love decorating with area rugs that have abstract designs ... like this one from Safavieh, which offers a little more visual texture.
Its stylistic ambiguity and eye-pleasing palette give you the flexibility to redecorate your room as you wish, without worrying about things suddenly clashing.
Plus, this particular design comes in an unbelievable range of 37 different sizes and shapes, all for very reasonable prices.
Like a cozy wool sweater for your floors, this area rug from Kelly Clarkson's home line at Wayfair warms up your space without weighing it down with too much bulk.
While some wool rugs can have a cute, nubby look to them, we like that this one is a flatweave, preventing snags, dirt, and dust from deteriorating the fabric. It features variegated linework that's unique to each handmade piece.
Looking like an illustrated page straight out of a storybook, this area rug is nothing short of dreamy. It was created in a collaboration between the brands Loloi and Rifle Paper Co. and features exquisite color variation and detail that make it a total delight to look at.
This rug is available for preorder and estimated to ship in early April. It's also part of a full collection of rugs that really perk up the home with their flora- and fauna-inspired style.
Styles come and go, but jute's natural beauty is truly timeless. This Indian-made, hand-braided material adds warmth and texture to your floors, and coordinates seamlessly in any surrounding. If you're a fan of layering, a giant jute rug is an ideal backdrop for smaller rugs that don't quite fill your space.
The material is also surprisingly soft and smooth underfoot — no roughness here! Some reviewers with dogs do say that their pets like to chew or scratch this rug, so just keep that in mind.
Shag rugs are cozy, but they're not always practical. That is, until Ruggable launched their own shag rug collection.
This editor-tested brand is unique from all others because each Ruggable rug comes with its own nonslip pad that stays secure on the floor and doesn't budge. Its soft top part, on the other hand, can be removed and thrown into the washing machine whenever it needs it.
This shag rug has a generous 2-inch pile that features a water-resistant barrier designed for less shedding — both in the wash and on your floors.
6
Art for Your Floors
Follow the Summer Around the World 6x9-Foot Area Rug
For the cool kids out there, Cold Picnic needs no introduction. The brand behind the iconic boob bathmat makes some of the most beautifully artistic area rugs that our social media timelines have ever seen.
With its graphic, abstract shapes and muted, yet playful palette, this flatweave area rug looks like it could be hanging on your walls instead of layered on the ground. The texture of the wool is warm and rustic — it doesn't feel anything like carpet pile.
This particular style comes in just one color scheme, although there are plenty of other designs available on Cold Picnic's site.
Don't be fooled by this area rug's aged, distressed design. It's made of polypropylene, and is much sturdier than it looks!
If you're searching for a low-pile rug to adorn your living room or provide some softness underfoot for your covered porch or deck, this multipatterned piece from Urban Outfitters is a very stylish indoor/outdoor choice.
Nope, it's not The Rug, but it's close! This West Elm area rug has a fragmentary, slightly mysterious design that — although understated in its cream-and-black colorway — does stand out from the pack.
Made of hand-tufted wool, the rug's minuscule ridges between each row add interesting textural variance and softness underfoot.
Revival Rugs specializes in both one-of-a-kind vintage rugs and contemporary rugs that look like one in a million.
This flatweave cotton rug comes in a few different sizes, and features a geometric pattern that looks great from any angle — whether that's peeking out from underneath your sofa or displayed in its uncovered glory.
Whether you go big or small with this Joybird area rug, it'll be sure to make an impact.
With a design comprising a multitude of zig-zagging diamonds, it adds energy — but not too much busyness — to a room. Its short polypropylene pile feels comfy, yet is rugged enough to handle practically anything you might throw at (or splash onto) it.
Melanie YatesSenior Home Decor EditorMelanie is the senior home decor editor of Best Products, where she's been researching and testing out home and bedding products since 2015 — her work can also be found on House Beautiful and Women's Health.
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