Score a sweet deal on a beautiful rug runner? Just invest in some new flooring and want to protect your investment? Or merely curious how one can decorate a space with a runner? Along with protecting high traffic areas of flooring, rug runners can also add some visual interest into your space, dampen noise on the flooring, and add some comfort underfoot!
A rug runner is a popular choice for home design decor. It is a long rectangular rug. They are typically placed in higher traffic areas or smaller narrow spaces around the home. We recommend placing rug runners in these areas of the home:
- Hallways
- Entryways
- Kitchens
- Bedrooms
- Staircases
- Small Spaces
- Patios
Are you wondering why or how to use a runner in these spaces? Should they match other rugs in the home or can you use two together? Continue reading for examples and inspiration of runners in the above-mentioned areas as well as answers to some common design questions regarding runners!
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Where To Place A Rug Runner
Hallways
Hallways are the most popular and well-known spot to place a runner. Long hallways can sometimes reflect a stark, drab, or cold appearance. Not only does this option add a touch of warmth to the hallway, but it also allows you to add a decorative touch to a small space. It further acts as a floor protectant in these high-traffic areas.
Entryway
Entryway runners offer both an aesthetically pleasing entrance into the home and functionality. They will collect any excess dirt brought into the house, stopping it from traveling into the rest of the home. They also offer a warm inviting place to sit and kick off your shoes if there is a bench or seating area nearby.
Kitchen
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The placement of a runner in the kitchen, particularly under the sink area, can offer a great cushion for the feet, and especially the heels while working at the sink. There are even memory foam runners specifically designed for use in the kitchen area.
A runner in the kitchen area can also soften the hard lines often displayed in the kitchens. In this area of the home, they can also add in some personality depending on your design choice. You will want to make sure to add grip padding to any rugs placed in the kitchen area for safety to prevent any movement of the rug while using the kitchen.
Check out this grip pad on Amazon.
Bedroom
Most people strive for their bedrooms to reflect their most comfortable space. Placing a runner next to the bed enhances a cozy feel and provides a warm surface for your bare feet when stepping out of that nice cozy bed in the mornings. Another option for the bedroom is along the foot of the bed.
Staircase
Runner rugs can be used on both carpeted or hard surface stairs. On both surfaces, they will protect the high traffic middle section of the stairwell. They are especially wonderful for hard surface stairs, providing cushion, noise muffling, anti-slip protection, and style.
To ensure safety, you will want to have the stairway runner professionally installed or install gripping underneath to prevent any movement of the rug on the stairwell.
Small Spaces
To add a lot of visual interest into any smaller space in your home, you can pair the runner with another shaped area rug! This adds a lot of appeal in a room with an empty smaller space that might otherwise feel cold. You can play with different shapes.
In this room, they've placed a circular area rug at the top edge of the rectangular runner at the foot of the bed. This technique could also work in a smaller room in front of some sitting chairs.
Patio
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If you have a long, narrow patio or lanai, a runner rug can be a great design addition. You can place them up against benches or other patio furniture for comfort underfoot when rising from the furniture. Depending on design taste, they can add lots of color and coziness to your outdoor spaces.
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They can also be placed outside on the patio, running the length of French doors or sliding glass doors, preventing excess dirt from entering the home.
How Much Of A Hallway Should A Runner Cover?
Design experts recommend that when placing a runner in the hallway, there should be flooring visible on either side of the rug. If you have furniture placed by the rug, such as a bench or chair, there should be ample room between the rug and the furniture for ease of cleaning.
Recommendations for how the runner should fit in the space suggest that for a 3.25-foot wide hallway (39 inches), the best choice for a runner would be around 2.6 feet wide (32 inches).
When deciding on the length, make sure that it covers your space well and doesn't look misplaced or too short in the space. A good rule of thumb is to have at least a good four to five inches of space on all sides of a runner. An alternative to one very long runner in the hallway is to place two or more shorter runners consecutively in the space.
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Should Your Area Rugs And Runner Match?
Interior design experts recommend having the area rug decor come first. This means the area rug is your main design point, then other rugs in the home that are visible from the area rug should either complement it or match it for a cohesive feel in the home. This can be very helpful when designing as it can help you decide on styles, colors, and motifs.
Rug runners can be used to connect spaces in your home quite effectively if they complement or match your other rugs.
How Long Should Your Runner Be?
When deciding on the length of the runner, you will want it to either fill the entire length of the hallway or you will want to add several runners consecutively to run the entire length of the hallway. If you abruptly end the runner in the middle of the hallway, it can appear unfinished or misplaced.
Can You Put Two Rug Runners Together?
Absolutely! You can put multiple runners down a long hallway to break up the long space. You can also place two runners at two intersecting hallway spaces. The example below utilizes multiple runners down the space on top of using an intersecting angle!
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What Is The Standard Size Of A Rug Runner?
There are many, many sizes of rug runners on the market. You can have them special ordered to fit into your space or cut and fit in most home decor stores to whatever sizes you'd like. The sizing you will find available most frequently is between 2 and 3 feet wide and can range from 6 to 14 feet long.
In Closing
Rug runners can be an excellent design tool to bring warmth and style into your space! We hope we have given you lots of great ideas for decorating your space with rug runners. They can really beautify a space along with protecting the flooring underneath.
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