When a news release announced that kitchen rugs were the latest home design trend, some were skeptical. After all, it’s hard enough keeping kitchen floors clean without an add-on that harbors pet hair and cooking splatters.
Chef’s Special: Embracing the Kitchen Rug
When a news release announced that kitchen rugs were the latest home design trend, some were skeptical. After all, it’s hard enough keeping kitchen floors clean without an add-on that harbors pet hair and cooking splatters. Besides, wouldn’t a rug on a smooth surface be a slipping hazard? According to the experts at Rug News and Design Magazine, people are turning to rugs for decorative reasons. Now that kitchens — once teeming with color and pattern — have gone neutral, some are using rugs to add visual punch, not to mention softness and warmth underfoot.
Andrew Franz, a Manhattan architect, favors runners made from vintage kilims, which he said are durable and can withstand the foot traffic in a kitchen. Rugs can protect a wood floor, he added, and keep dishes from smashing on floors made of harder materials such as stone. “It’s your first line of defense,” he said.
Nader Bolour, the owner of Doris Leslie Blau — he acquired the rug business from its namesake founder — said that someone who is obsessed with cleanliness might never embrace kitchen rugs. But people who do should use pads under them to prevent skidding; Mr. Bolour sells one called Eco Supreme and said that some designers recommend Eco Rug Pads. — Jane Margolies
A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 4, 2018, on Page F2 of the New York edition with the headline: Trends