How about something like this that has oatmeal and terra cotta shades to blend? Then, your art can be the star in the small space. Not sure if the smaller one would still be too big?

https://incrediblerugsanddecor.com/products/loloi-juneau-jy-01-oatmeal-terracotta-area-rug-1?variant=1019388231686&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6NSRhvv83AIVEl8NCh133AEtEAQYGiABEgLJnvD_BwE

White rugs are totally out, although white has always been my favorite “color”. Why? We live in a mountain community in Northern New Mexico surrounded by thousands of acres of piñon pine and juniper trees . . . and lots of dirt. We don’t have grass lawns here. Or sidewalks. As much as I can picture beautiful pristine white linens, in reality it would be a disaster here. So would any pastel or light rugs. BTW, DH hasn’t even noticed his pride-and-joy rug is missing out of his study as yet. But Sammy did make a good point in that (overnight) guests are counting on a visually clean bathroom. And, because I totally agree, I’m thinking that I need a rug that’s easily washable. The much-washed, old rusty brown rug that has faded to a weird salmon color is falling apart and needs replacing. Bossy, your last post about my possible barbed wire rug choice being “interesting” made me chuckle. That was a brilliantly used word instead of “weird”, and I loved and appreciated it. But I do really like that rug for some equally weird reason (LOL). Anyhoo, am off to look at more of the possibilities you all have posted here. Thanks again for your help. Just wait until I rope you all in when I tackle the guest bedroom next (LOL)!

I meant to add a no to the barbed wire one...that looks way too prickly to feel welcoming or to step onto!

I LOVE the one from your husband's study.

And I also think a teak mat would be lovely in there. I bought one from Houzz for my downstairs bathroom but it was too big so it ended up in my kitchen. I still love it.

https://www.houzz.com/products/oceanstar-bamboo-floor-and-shower-mat-prvw-vr~14287967

This is the one I bought. It's bamboo and has held up quite well for two years in my kitchen.

I may be in the minority but I think you should pick up the blue in your tiles to match the rugs. Love the bluebird print!

I agree the white just wouldn’t work for your bath. Too stark, and for all the reasons you mention, Lynn.

With that pretty towel, I like something with more navy, or a southwest pattern rug that is washable. I hope you find it. The ones Ida posted are really nice, but I would like to see something a bit brighter with a small navy washable tub mat in front of the shower instead of a matching rug. Good luck!

Just saw the close-up of your tile; it’s fantastic!

OT but I adore piñon pine. We burn it every fall in our patio chimney.

This is onsale. It adds interest without competing with the rest. And, it's a dirt hider.

https://www.rugstudio.com/surya-aztec-azt-3007-neutral-area-rug.aspx

I'm a fan of Dash & Albert's indoor/outdoor rugs for kitchens and baths - good looking and great quality. This is probably too busy but it's a fun style I had not seen before.

I also like Target's bathroom rugs.

Off topic Lynn, did you end up letting the movie production film at your home? I don’t remember reading how that turned out.

I have no advice to add. I just wanted to voice my admiration for your bathroom. Your house is so warm, inviting and artful. I love everything about it.

I think I've found it/them!!! Thank you all for your ideas and practical suggestions. I usually have a good eye for design, but there are so many rugs out there that I just got extremely bogged down! From what I've culled through reading all of your ideas is: washable; not a bold pattern, but a pattern that won't show every little bit of lint . . . or dog hair. I love DH's rug, but it's too much of a show piece and not machine washable. Plus, there was no red in it and my Talavara tile pattern has red with blue . . . and DH wanted it back.

I found this rug on Amazon. It's 60"x 24" and it also has a matching bathmat that's 2'10"x1'8". They're machine washable, have the rusty red, and not too bold of a pattern. Free shipping with our Amazon Prime, so they'll be here on Thursday. I'll take pics and we can decide then if they work.

A few more pics of our guest bathroom: All small handcrafted pieces of local art. In the back, an Indian mandala. The two "characters" are hand puppets made of suede, beads, etc.

The two candle wall sconces are in the shape of stirrups. The horses are ceramic and made by a Santa Fe artist:

NatesG: I had to tell them no, as part of the shooting would have needed to take place while we were gone visiting our son and DIL in Augusta, GA. It was for the new tv series "Roswell".

I just didn't feel comfortable not being here then. And, we didn't want to change our times to go, as DH and DS were going to the Masters Golf Tournament while we were there.

They may want to shoot here later in the series, as they loved our home and it's views. We'll see.

Justerrilynn: I love that brown rug, but they only had it in a small size.

I liked the brown rug too. Reminded me of choc syrup drizzled all over

Can't wait to see the new rug when it's down. I can't picture it in my head.

I love that floor Lynn!

I have mostly light tile that came with the house ( excluding my bedroom & bath), hate it with dogs, hate it near pool and patio entry. Paw prints keep me too busy.

JTL: thanks. Our entire house has these brick floors and I love them, too. Except when I drop a glass on them (LOL)! We even have them on our foyer ceiling, which is technically called a boveda ceiling. Those bricks, though, are over one hundred years old. It was really interesting to watch them put that in.

You haven't gotten the new rug yet? I'm waiting impatiently...HAHAHA!

The runner arrived this morning via UPS, but the small matching rug for in front of the shower is due sometime today via Fed Ex.

Anyhoo, I like it well enough. It definitely fits my needs of being machine washable. It blends in with the brick floor well enough, too, so as to not busy up the room and take away from the art in there. And, I needed a rug with a dark rather than light background. It was inexpensive enough to keep for the time being until I find the perfect rug sometime in the next few months. I don’t know. What do you think?

I think it's fine, but maybe a bit bright. I can't shake the image of hubby's rug with those subtle colors that blend in with the brick. I know it's difficult to find one similar that is washable, tho.

washable runners

I think that it goes great with the decor of the house. No, it isn't as perfect as hubby's rug but you really can't use a work of art in the bathroom, on the floor. :)

I love your brick floors & see such shame in covering them up!!

Maybe I missed it-but, have you thought of getting a cream washable mat/towel to place on edge of tub - like at a hotel? That way there's no question of cleanliness &your pretty floors show. Also easier to clean floor with no rug to vacuum/remove

Honestly, I think it might be a bit too deep red. But if it will be temporary and you can use it elsewhere later then it might be a keeper. I would keep looking.

OK, now that troublemaker Olychick (LOL) has thrown a wrench into the mix with Ruggables, which are all machine washable! Until about an hour ago, I'd never heard of this company. Unfortunately, all of their runners are 7' long, which will not fit in this bathroom. But, their 3'x5' rugs will . . . although (please note) they will be the same size as this one I already have, shown below:

So, with that in mind, would any of the below three from Ruggables look better than the runner I just received today, or this one above??? Or are they too busy???

#1 Ruggable Sapphire

Or #2: Ruggable Lunara Geo (on further reading, this one is deep teal blue and dark turquoise with silver; not any of the colors I have in this bathroom) Probably disregard this one.

#3 Ruggable Cambria Ruby

One more thing to remember, all of my good towels in here are basically navy or forest green, or prints of the two combined. And my tile is cream with rusty red and blue.

{edited to add that I'm leaning towards the Sapphire at the moment}

OK, first of all, I'm returning the red print runner and bath mat. They are just too red! There is a (frosted) skylight directly above the rug. This morning was unusually cloudy, but the sun is out now and that rug is glowing. Ugh!

Peppapoodle: The entire house has the same brick floors, so I don't mind hiding part of them in this bathroom to make it more comfy for guests. But, I do like your idea of just keeping a cream colored bath mat draped over the tub side instead of something that will match whatever rug I end up with. Thanks, I'm going to look into that!

Outside Playing: Too red was my first thought with today's runner. I was just hoping that I'd eventually get used to it.

I think you are right on track, Lynn-- the sapphire is beautiful and will not compete with the beautiful brick! Also it works with your towels and artwork. (now I am off to discover ruggables!)

I like the Ruggable Sapphire and the Ruby. Sapphire would be my first choice. And totally agree about the bath mat :).

OK, thanks!!! I'm off to order the Sapphire Ruggable, and looking for a cream bathmat.

{edited to add: Ordered! It'll arrive sometime between August 29 - September 4} Thanks again everyone, and thank you Olychick!!!!!

Funky, I actually ordered mine via Amazon. It was quite a bit cheaper and although not available for Prime free delivery, the shipping was free from the non-Amazon sender.

Lynn, I see a 2.5x7 option in rug size on ruggable. If the 3x5 is too wide, will that other size work? Another vote for sapphire. I like the cooler color better than the red for that space.

What is the distance from the door to the half wall?

My vote is for the Sapphire rug among those you show. And I agree, the cream bat rug or mat should work just fine.

Whatever happened to the new rug? I'd love to see the pictures of the newest choice!

Ooops, sorry, I forgot to post pics of it, as I've been madly getting ready for my sister's visit . . . and our trip to Dallas right before that! Anyhoo, I ended up buying the Sapphire rug. It's very pretty, but I had a bit of a time getting used to its bold pattern. I'm ok with it now, though. The rusty red and the navy work well with both the Talavera tile and with my towels for this room (see pic above). And, it's machine washable, which was a must for this guest bathroom! If you look closely, you can see my new cream colored bathmat hanging over the side of the tub. It wasn't as easy as I'd though to find one that blended in, but I finally found one I liked.

Oh, and while out searching, for bathmats, I found this soap dispenser for in here. It reminds me of the carved gourd pots and Indian pots we have out here in New Mexico.

So, the guest bathroom and bedroom are now finished, de-dogged, and closed up awaiting my sister. De-dogged as she's allergic to dogs and we have two of those crittters, including Sasha, our MAJOR shedder. Hopefully, all of my work and her allergy meds will make for a good visit.

Perfect!

Referring to dog and rug both :)

Very nice. I’m glad your new rug had the coral which I think worked so well in the original rug. Soap pump: classy

Lovely rug, adorable dog. I hope you have a wonderful visit with your sister.

Beautiful! I love the bold pattern and the colors work perfectly!

That looks very nice- love the colors in there!

And I especially love that little snub nosed doggie!! I have a thing for snub noses, being a ship tzu mom.

That looks so nice.

That rug looks perfect. Brings in the cream from the tile on the counter, the floor tile colors and your towels. The soap dispenser and bath mat are great touches too.

Too late to this thread to help with selection, but I can cheer for your decisions! Well done!

Thanks! Here’s a better pic of it, I think.

Lost this thread for a while, but I did want to say thank you all for the help. I appreciate it!

This new one looks great! Yeah, I wondered what happened to this thread! I was scratching my head on that one! HAHA!