My mom always used bathroom rugs in the kitchen, and used to buy bathroom carpeting and have it cut to fit under the kitchen table. She washed her smaller rugs several times a week, so the bathroom ones were perfect for that. The kitchen first was pale pink (think mid-1960's) and then yellow, so it was easy to get the colors she wanted that way.

This was a very nice house, by the way - high end, 5,000 square feet brick colonial, plaster walls, etc. No one ever seemed to think the rugs were a bad choice in there. LOL

I have used low pile bathroom rugs in a kitchen. I used to live in an old farmhouse where the HUGE kitchen was the main entry-- between the dogs and my own muddy feet, I washed the rugs at least weekly. The rubber backing also kept the dogs from wiping out when they had "the zoomies".

I'll be honest-- I felt like they always looked like bathroom rugs but they served my needs then. The key is selecting the right rug. Try to find one with sharp right angle corners rather than rounded. I think that will help.