Whenever I’m designing a dining room for a family, one of the early decisions to make is rug or no rug under the table. I always ask the clients if they have a preference and while some do, they’ll often defer to me to help them figure out whether it makes to include one or not.

How to decide whether to have a rug in your dining room

If the room and/or table can accommodate a rug (some spaces are tricky!), it usually comes down to a few simple factors:

Your stage of life
Kids’ ages if you have them or whether you have kids over a lot
Your tolerance for messes and willingness to clean a rug

If you decide you’re a YES to wanting a rug, it’s time to move on to figuring out what makes for a good choice!

via The LifeStyled Co. (lead designer: @misskylieray for the LifeStyled Co., architect: @cwarchitecture, builder: @aft_construction, photography: @thisisnickdotcom)

Choosing a family-friendly rug

Inevitably, food will end up on the floor, especially if there are kids around! If this is you, and you’re eyeing up a family-friendly rug for your dining space, might I suggest a few criteria so that it functions well, looks pretty, and doesn’t get destroyed too quickly?

While there’s no right or wrong answer, I’d look for…

Darker colors
Busy patterns
Durable materials (like polypropylene or wool)
One that’s not too expensive

Make it easy on yourself so that your rug doesn’t cause you anxiety every time you sit down to eat! Even if you love the look of a lighter toned rug, think about your stage of life and how you use your space. Put a rug like that on in a bedroom or a lesser-used space. I promise you’ll thank me later. 😊

(Side note: The one exception to my “not too expensive” criterion would be a vintage rug - they’re often a wonderful fit for a dining space because they’re usually made of wool, which naturally repels moisture and resists staining, and have busy patterns. It’s something to look into if you want something unique and are willing to invest a little more in a rug!)

via Halfway Wholistic

Now, some of you might be asking, “What about washable rugs, Chaney?” Washable rugs are definitely having a moment right now and while I do think that can be a nice option (in fact, I included a couple of my roundup at the end of this post), let’s think about it practically. How often are you going to want to move a giant, heavy piece of furniture and chairs in order to wash said large rug? I’m going to guess not often - at least that’s my answer for my own home!

Instead of focusing your options just on washable rugs because man that sounds nice, I’d look for one that will be easy to spot clean with a good carpet cleaner. It’ll definitely broaden your options!

I’ve sprinkled some examples of family-friendly rug styles throughout this post to help you visualize the criteria I listed above, and here are a few more: