Our rug experts share the top 3 things to consider when picking a rug under your dining table:
1. Rug Thickness
Look for a rug with a low pile height (aka thinner rugs). Avoid loops, shagginess, or chunky woven styles. This makes moving your chair effortless and avoids pulling and tugging.
Amethyst design tip: Add a rug pad so that your rug doesn’t slip and slide from chair movement.
2. Spill Friendly
Dining rug myth: It’s not worth having a dining room rug because it will get trashed.
There is a rug for every type of family: rugs you can sweep, rugs you can hose down, rugs you can bleach. Our rug experts are here to help you find a rug that performs the way you want to live in any season or stage of life.
Dining rooms may see more spills and stains. Here are the best materials for the dining room & expert cleaning tips:
Wool:
Antimicrobial & built to handle the toughest stains. We love to imagine the durability of a fluffy sheep on a hillside — nature is designed to rinse and repeat.
Our expert cleaning tip: Clean wool dining rugs with soap & water will do the trick! For tougher stains like red wine, ketchup, or chocolate — grab a pharmacy bottle of hydrogen peroxide and soak the stain. Repeat as needed.
PET:
A new favorite, PET gives you the resilience of an outdoor rug with the softness of an indoor style. It's sustainable, made from recycled water bottles meaning it doesn't "absorb" stains but rather sits on the surface!
Our expert cleaning tip: Think of a plastic water bottle — you can rinse it with soap and water, bleach it, scrub it, soak it…lots of ways to keep this rug looking fresh!
Jute:
It’s a vibe, but if cleaning is a concern, you may want to opt for a different material. Jute is a natural option that is as beautiful as it is sustainable. It’s the best way to get that effortless chic aesthetic.
Our expert cleaning tip: Clean spills on jute immediately and don’t allow liquids to linger. It’s a dab-and-go situation — water and soap will break down the integrity of the rug over time and could cause color issues.
Polyester/Polypropylene:
Popular on Instagram, this material is man-made and comes in trendy, fashion-forward patterns. Some styles are printed and some are woven by a machine.
Our expert cleaning tip: Polyester/polypropylene rugs can be cleaned with soap and water. You can use most cleaning agents on this rug to maintain.
3. Rug Size
Dining rooms can be a tricky space to find the perfect size. Sometimes there are vents or patio doors in the way. The perfect fit ideally leaves at least 18” of rug extending past every edge of your dining table.
Our rug experts recommend these dining rug sizes:
- Dining tables for 4 people: 5x8 or bigger!
- Dining tables for 6-8 people: 8x10 or bigger!
- Dining tables for 8+ people: 9x12 or bigger!
Amethyst design tip: Go as big as your space will allow and don’t be afraid to mix and match shapes.
Dining rug myth: You need a round rug with a round table. Don’t cave into the pressure! It’s great to have a balance of round and square shapes. Our rug experts often find a rectangular rug balances the space with a round table the best!
Our rug experts curated a list of dining rug favorites. Get inspired:
For the modern home:
For the organic home:
For the fresh traditional home:
For the collected home:
Amara Hand-Knotted Rug
