6 Great Area Rugs to Buy If You’re on a Budget

Editor’s Note: Some of the selections in this buying guide are offered in different sizes that may fit your living space more effectively. If a given rug is too big or too small, make sure it’s not offered in other sizes.

Upon furnishing a home or apartment for the first time, few costs are as eye-opening and subsequently wallet-opening as buying an area rug. With import costs and insane markups, a decent-looking rug can very easily breach the $1,000 threshold.

Considering a rug is quite literally designed to be beaten into the ground, spending a lot of money feels at odds with reality. Thankfully, there are still ways to cover up the splintering wood in your apartment’s 80-year-old floors that will run you well under a month’s rent. From the cheapskate to the design-minded, these six rugs look good, do their jobs and cost less a grand.

Joss & Main Nathanson Terracotta Area Rug

A pattern-aggressve design similar to the Persian Tabriz, Joss & Main’s Terracota rug is best paired with pared back furniture. Its medium-low pile (1/2-inch) means it’s easy to vacuum and can be placed in high traffic areas without worry. You also don’t need a rug mat.

Size: 5′ x 8′

Target Weaved and Fringed Tufted Area Rug

Made with a wool blend, this not-too-minimal navy and cream rug does not look like the rug in your childhood home. Its low pile gives you placement flexibility (it won’t crush or flatted as easily as high pile rugs), and the blended wool makes for a better overall foot-to-ground experience. Short tassles add a sliver of flair to an otherwise no-fuss rug.

Size: 5 x 7 feet

World Market Woven Jute Rug

Jute is among the most delicate natural fibers in the world, and, as such, it’s decidedly not for areas with high foot traffic. Its lightness does mean that it’s exceptionally soft, though, making it a favorite for placement under a couch or chair. World Market’s variation is no different, but it employs a simple slate-blue ikat design through the middle. One small warning: don’t vacuum this rug at high suction — the fibers are prone to fraying if aggravated and can lost their softness.

Size: 6′ x 9′

Article Velo Aqua Rug

There’s neither water nor the color aqua present in this rug. Article’s exceptionally durable indoor-outdoor rug gets its name from the recycled plastic bottles and bike tires that it’s made from. The rubber gives it a slight bounce and permits a degree of stain resistance not found in natural-fiber rugs.

Size: 8′ x 10′

Revival Rugs Saba Rug

Revival Rugs was founded after its owner went rug shopping for the first time. The company’s goal is to provide one-of-a-kind rugs that don’t call for financing or months of planning. A blend of goat hair and wool, the Saba rug is made with natural stain-resistant, moisutre-wicking materials. Its predominantly dark color works well with lighter furniture, and it can be flipped over to reveal a subtely different design.

Size: 6’5″ x 7’8″

Tantuvi Amethyst

All of Tantuvi’s rugs are handloomed in much the same way they would’ve been hundreds of years ago. Like this No. 8 Amethyst rug, much of Tantuvi’s offerings riff on a mish-mash of traditional Indian ikat methods and modern, semi-geometric patterning. Though Tantuvi’s rugs are made and dyed by hand, they aren’t delicate — the low pile is meant to take a beating.

Size: 5′ x 7′

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