marcia59, thank you for posting this question! I've been thinking about this recently myself. I'm not quite to that stage yet, but have seen pictures & love the look. I'm anxious to hear what others say about this. Thanks for the post!

Susan

I had a cotton braided rug under my kitchen table for over 10 years, through child rearing years and multiple spills. Spills were cleaned up quickly and it was vacuumed regularly but it held up beautifly and hid any stains well. I think we flipped it after 6 or so years. The advantage to a braided rug is both sides are usable and it did fit into my 100 year old home's decor. We had a high quality jute pad underneath which adds to the durability.

I have a small kitchen and I like the look and feel of a 2x3 rug at the sink. I live alone and don't consider myself a slob or particularly messy, but that rug gets a lot of action and needs to be washed regularly. They can lose their looks after frequent washing, but I can find nice ones for $10-20 and it doesn't kill me when they eventually don't look great and need to be retired. I can't imagine putting a really nice rug in a place with food prep involving meat juices, flour, fruit pulp, errant chocolate chips crushed underfoot.

It's funny that you ask this question. I myself have D&A rugs and sisal in my kitchen and other places in my home. I am also very lucky to have several Oriental rugs that were passed down to me by my grandmother and mother.

Last year I had my 40th birthday party at my house. It was apparently Monsoon Day in Charleston that day and water was getting everywhere from people coming in and out with sloppy shoes and dripping umbrellas. I have a 4'-ish x 8'-ish rug in the entry to my house that is an antique so I asked my mother if it would be a better idea to just lie another rug down to save that one. She says, "hsw_sc, camels and who knows what else walked all over this thing for years before it came to us. I think that it can handle a little party mess."

Point is is that they can, literally, take a beating and are cleaned easily with a towel. I like the ease of throwing D&A's in the washer, but nothing beats an Oriental for color, warmth and the potential for being an heirloom.

dbl post...sorry!

This post was edited by bicyclegirl on Wed, Sep 18, 13 at 21:44

hsw_sc, what is a D&A rug?

Your mom sounds like a wise lady! Makes sense...the rugs have been used quite a bit, so they must be pretty durable.

I have a very expensive wool oriental rug under my kitchen table. It has been there for 13 years through babies, toddlers, and our nightly family dinners. It still looks wonderful. For some reason, food and drink spills seem to easily wipe off the rug without staining. It's very dense so any spills tend to sit on top without soaking in. I would definitely consider it to be durable!!

For rugs in food prep areas, I would recommend something that is machine washable. That way, when you have a drippy raw turkey incident, you can just toss it in the washer. For areas where the spills are generally cooked food or shoe slush, spot cleaning should suffice.

I bought a cheap Ikea rug for my prep area of the kitchen. It's not too precious, so I don't give it a second thought, and I toss it in the washer when it looks grungy or something truly icky is spilled on it. Word of warning - the rug may shrink after washing.

D&A is Dash & Albert, a line of colorful, stripe-y, cotton (I think) throw rugs, runners, etc. Not sure if there's a website, but they are available through several Internet retailers. Pretty good quality, I believe.

Marcia59,
Yes! think broadly. Antique Persian rugs are VERY durable. I have them everywhere, including the kitchen and in my sometimes sloppy-filthy Minnesota foyer. The dog has thrown up on them and worse. (New puppy in the house these days.) The quality wool fibers seem to repel moisture and can be cleaned up with a cloth easily. About once a year, I use my big carpet cleaning machine (with water only) and make a few passes over them. I've had the one in our foyer for over 20 years--still looks nice.

They don't have to be expensive. Try Rugman and even Overstock has some antique ones.

They go with everything and really pull together a neutral space like nothing else. They're as casual or fancy as your decor--chameleons. For me, old rugs are step 1 and make all the other decor look better.

If you like the look, don't worry about wear. They will last and last.

Hmmmnn, d'ya think shanghaimom likes old rugs?

double post

This post was edited by shanghaimom on Thu, Sep 19, 13 at 0:44

I opted for a kitchen rug that is not washable even though I knew it would be located in a vunerable spot between the cooktop and the sink. The rug cost about $100 dollars from Overstock and to me that is expensive but I thought it was perfect for the space so I splurged.
My DH is a sloppy cook so I do have to clean up spots frequently but it is a wool rug and Woolite Oxy Pet Stain and Oder Remover takes care of any spills. The rug is now 2 years old and looks as good as the day I bought it.

Badger, I've looked at that rug so m any times on Overstock... that looks GREAT in your kitchen with the lights and the other touches of blue. Really beautiful.

I have Orientals in LR, FR and office, but not in kitchen. I've got a tan sisal and 2 stripey rugs, which I rotate. I like that they are washable. The rug by sink does get dirty.

I have been looking to replace my "sink rug" for a while and was also going to suggest overstock. I haven't yet found what I want, but the prices are pretty good that I won't fret about it. I am mostly looking at wool but should something catch my eye I will jump on it.

I have a sloppy household- drippy, dog sheddy and drooly as well so spending much on it is not in my plans.

Yes, D&A's are Dash and Albert rugs. I highly recommend their indoor/outdoor rugs for the kitchen. They are bleachable and stay nice looking to boot.Whatever rug you decide on, get a good rug pad. In my experience the open waffle-type pads are junky and do not keep a rug where it needs to stay (they also give no cushion under foot).

This is a D&A that had been bleached several times over:

badgergal and shanghaimom posted two beautiful examples of nice quality and well proportioned rugs in kitchens. But here's my question (and I hope this isn't too much of a hijack): when standing at the counter, is it annoying to be right on the floor to rug transition? The main reason I haven't put a runner in my kitchen is that, if proportioned properly to my eye, I'd be standing on that transition spot a LOT. Just something I've been wondering about, since rugs make a kitchen look so inviting to me.

Thanks everyone for letting me know D&A is Dash & Albert. I'm very familiar w/ them & have been considering one for my kitchen. Actually, hsw_sc, you have the very D&A rug & color I want! I love love love that rug! I'm glad to hear they're so durable. I wasn't sure how they held up. But, like marcia59, I've also been looking at the oriental rugs for my kitchen. And very glad to hear that they're as durable as some are saying. As hsw_sc's mom said, they've been walked all over by camels & who knows what else....there's something to that!

Thanks marcia59 for posting this!

I think in the long run a Persian or other wool rug will hold its place in a home far longer than any other rug would simply because the style has been around for eons, they are perfect for any space, and they are very forgiving. If you get sick of it in one room, move it to another! I adore shanghaimom's rug.