Vintage Rugs for the Living Room: What Works and Why

We make 142 vintage designs we would put in a living room. This is why the combination works, and what to get right.

How vintage behaves on a floor

A faded design has low internal contrast, so it behaves like texture rather than pattern. That makes it the easiest family to combine with other pattern, and the most forgiving of furniture standing on it.

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 vintage design in a living room and the surface forgives everything a busy room does to it. Faded, overdyed and gently distressed surfaces. Anchor the sofa and coffee table.

The colours available in this combination

Across these 142 designs you will find blue & navy, mink & brown, grey & silver, red & burgundy, lilac & purple, black & anthracite, orange & terracotta, yellow & gold, green & khaki, pink & fuchsia and cream & white. They are drawn from 86 separate design sources — Palazzo, Regency, Antiqued, Provenance, Sumak, Overdye, Attic and Nomad 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 142 vintage living room rugs →