Choosing a rug–especially a natural texture rug– can be a headache. I know from experience. There are so many options that they all seem to run together. One of my best purchases for our living room was our sisal and I would recommend it a hundred times over. Unfortunately, I think I bought mine on its way out because it seems to be discontinued and impossible to find in a larger size online. Â So, in an effort to give you more sources, I scoured Amazon and am sharing the 10 best natural area rugs I found. (I looked through reviews and made sure that most of these are still available in at least an 8×10 or larger.)
- When in doubt, size up. In a living room especially, I would always rather err on the side of too much rug than not enough.
- If you’re considering pattern or no pattern in a natural rug, think about how you plan to use it down the road. Do you love the look of layered rugs? I’d stick with less pattern on a natural rug if I ever thought about layering a busier rug on top at some point.
- Is the natural rug going to go over carpet? I’d go with a flatter weave so it lays better.
- I can’t speak from experience with pets but I have had crawling babies. I would stay away from a harder texture like seagrass and go with something that has a softer blend of materials. (I had this chenille/jute rug when our twins were crawlers. Actually, I’m still using it under a vintage rug now.)
- If you’re worried about stains and dirt, I’d probably go the jute route. It literally shows nothing.
- Sisal and jute, patterned–This one is actually from the same collection as the sisal I have in our living room now. It has a similar diamond pattern and as of this post date, several 8×10 and 9×13’s are still available.
- Chunky jute–This is almost a lookalike of the Pottery Barn jute I’ve had for years. Great texture but you will definitely need a rug pad.
- Woven jute–A good option if you love the texture of jute but want a flatweave, especially for layering over carpet.
- Seagrass and cotton–Another good option for layering. The cotton should make this a softer blend.
- Seagrass with a border–Gives you a more tailored look. Lots of border color options.
- Diamond jute–Another rug similar to my living room one and in the same collection. I like the understated pattern. Looks a little more formal.
- Sisal with self-edge–I like that this one has a backing. Also very understated and could work with just about any style.
- Fringe jute–A more casual–and more patterned–look. The weight of this one would probably work better for layering over carpet.
- Seagrass with border–This one has a low pile and would work well for high-traffic areas.
- Ivory jute rug–A really pretty neutral shade if you want the look of a natural rug without gold/tan tones.
Wonderful post, Emily! I will be purchasing one of these soon and really needed help in understanding the choices. Thank you.
How do they clean up with spills and accidents?
I can speak to the jute ones and say that they are very resilient. One of my kids spilled a blueberry smoothie on it and you could barely tell after I cleaned it up.
Hi, Emily. Can you share where your coffee table is from?
Vintage from a thrift store!