Ethnic Rugs for the Living Room: What Works and Why

We make 123 ethnic designs we would put in a living room. This is why the combination works, and what to get right.

How ethnic behaves on a floor

Tribal geometry is drawn in flat, unmodulated colour at large scale. It carries a room on its own and is the most forgiving of traffic, because there is no uninterrupted ground for a walked path to appear on.

What a living room asks of a rug

Get the front legs of the seating onto it — 155 × 230 cm at minimum, 200 × 300 cm where the room allows. Expect a walked line and a coffee table standing in one place.

Why the two suit each other

Put a ethnic design in a living room and the rug can carry the room on its own. Tribal motifs, kilim geometry and Anatolian pattern. Anchor the sofa and coffee table.

The colours available in this combination

Across these 123 designs you will find blue & navy, mink & brown, lilac & purple, red & burgundy, green & khaki, orange & terracotta, cream & white, yellow & gold, pink & fuchsia, black & anthracite and grey & silver. They are drawn from 51 separate design sources — Seljuk, Sumak, Nomad, Caravan, Cicim, Talish, Baluch and Yomut and others — each with its own origin.

Sizes and prices

• 60 x 100 cm (2' x 3'3") — £50
• 80 x 150 cm (2'7" x 4'11") — £65
• 100 x 200 cm (3'3" x 6'6") — £86
• 120 x 180 cm (3'11" x 5'11") — £90
• 80 x 300 cm (2'7" x 9'10") — £95
• 100 x 300 cm (3'3" x 9'10") — £95
• 155 x 230 cm (5'1" x 7'7") — £125
• 200 x 300 cm (6'6" x 9'10") — £185
• 160 cm round (5'3" round) — £125
• 200 cm round (6'6" round) — £185

The construction

Chenille polyester on a woven cotton backing with a non-slip finish. Machine washable at 30°C, no underlay needed, no latex or rubber crumb. In a living room that is the difference between a rug you protect and a rug you use.

See all 123 ethnic living room rugs →