I don't have a bed runner but I do like having 'something' at the foot of the bed. While a bed runner may add color or texture to a bed they don't seem to have a real purpose which bothers me for some reason. You wouldn't wrap it around your shoulders or drape it across your lap. I'm not keen on having a zillion pillows and shams so I placed a cashmere throw at the foot of my bed. In one bedroom I have one of my grandmother's quilts folded at the foot and in the guest room I have a coverlet.

Maire

I don't even like them on hotel beds. They don't expect me to fold it up nicely and put it somewhere before I get into bed do they? I don't. It falls on the floor. Tripping hazard. ;-) I don't want anything on my bed that I don't need.

I use a quilt folded diagonally across the end of my bed for the same purpose that hotels have a runner. I find that when I place a laundry basket of clean clothes on my bed, there are sometimes bits of debris picked up somewhere along the path. The quilt/runner allows me to shake it outside to get rid of them.

Isnt it for putting your shoes on when you lie down on your hotel bed in between meetings?

Or when you pack/unpack your suitcase?

So I've never seen one in someone's master. Maybe the guest room.

Joanie, is your reason for the looks of it? I would get a colorful/textured throw that can be used to someone wants a short nap during the day.

We have family flying out to spend a week with us very soon. Funny that you should mention this, because just two days ago when I was freshening up the guest room, I put a throw across the foot of the bed to use as a runner. I have to confess, though, that many times I’ll leave a clean bath towel folded on top of the throw for company to use as they unpack their suitcases instead.

The first time I ever saw one of those little runners at the foot of a bed was in a Heathrow airport hotel, and I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. Of course, it was made of some shiny material that slid all over the place, so it ended up on the floor. I do keep a fleece throw tossed across the foot of my bed (ok, I'l confess to "artfully arranging it in a haphazard manner" when I make the bed), mostly to keep the cats off the comforter. Our newest addition, Tonto, will suckle anything fleecy though, so the throw is usually wet in spots.

quilt folded across the foot of the bed. Its were the dogs land.

I accidentally ripped a bedspread at a bed and breakfast in Great Britain. I had my suitcase on the end of the bed repacking it, and when I went to pick it up, something in the wheel casing caught on the bedspread and made a big tear. I offered to replace it and it cost about $80.00. So I learned the utility of a bed runner.

I've been contemplating making a quilted bed runner....but I guess that might not be a popular thing to do? (Not that I've ever needed to take a vote!) This is my thinking: it breaks up the big solid color quilt on our king bed and the cats will be more likely to sleep on it than elsewhere on the bed quilt, so it'll be easier to wash than a throw or quilt folded at the end of the bed. Our king quilts don't fit in our large capacity washer, so I keep a sheet thrown over the bed for the cats to sleep on. Since they LOVE LOVE LOVE patchwork quilts, they might be more inclined to sleep on the runner than on the whole cloth bed quilt.

I keep a folded throw at the foot of the bed. Previous kitties (pic) loved to nap there or in their donut beds. Current kitties don't lounge on the bed, but the throw remains. The donut beds are located elsewhere.

I use them. I’m a seamstress, however, with access to lots and lots of remnants, so it’s easy to make them to fit the decor of a room. I make them wide enough to use for protection from dirty shoes.

A late response, but I similarly use a folded throw. At our short term rental/2nd home, our ID had some made from each bed, to coordinate with the WT and throw pillows (they actually have a filling). To me, it's a bit of a waste although it looks great in photos.

I use them. I ended up buying a long table runner in just the right colors to go with both my bedroom and the guest room. It is purely for show. I like them very much. It is also called a bed scarf. Between the pillows, throws and runners my beds are well dressed :-)