Is Getting A Luxury Rug Worth The Hefty Price Tag?

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A rug is often defined as the foundation of a room. It can instantly spruce up a space by making it feel warm, comfortable, and inviting, while also showcasing your own personality. Choosing the right rug for your home, however, can be an overwhelming process. Not only because of the dizzying amount of styles and materials that are available, but also because of the often-hefty price tags. While some hand-knotted wool rugs can cost thousands of dollars, you can also pick up a machine-made option for a few hundred — or sometimes even less. So, do you really need to splurge when buying a rug? Not necessarily. 

Although a high-end rug will likely have a longer life span than a more affordable option — thanks mostly to the use of high-quality materials such as wool or silk — even the most luxurious of rugs will show signs of wear eventually. Sunlight can fade a rug's color, surface dirt can break down its fibers, and heavy foot traffic can lead to an uneven texture. Plus, if you're someone who likes to switch up their décor every few years, an expensive, long-lasting rug might not make sense. 

Per the floor covering company Floorz, "Retailers often stock rugs that follow current trends in color, texture, and style — so you can easily find something modern, seasonal, or on-trend without doing much digging." In other words, if you like to follow current styles, a more affordable rug will give you the flexibility to swap it out for a new one without feeling guilty for having paid a lot of money for the original. 

An important thing to think about when shopping for your rug is the size of room you're planning to put it in, because the first rule of decorating with rugs is making sure it's the right size for your space. Interior designer Erin Zubot say on her website that "no matter how nice your rug is it's going to look terrible in a room that it's too small for." In bigger rooms where a luxury rug would "blow the budget," as Zubot says, a large rug with a smaller price tag might be the way to go. Consider this one from the Loloi Chris Loves Julia Jules Collection for $360 or this Amoami Vintage Runner Rug for $34. 

If the room you're buying the rug for is one with heavy foot traffic or frequent spills — such as an entryway or kitchen — a higher quality rug made of wool might be worth considering, since it's fibers are naturally stain- and dirt-resistant. But there are more affordable options, including rugs made from synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, for example, that are easy to clean. And these days, brands such as IKEA and Ruggable are even producing affordable, machine washable rugs.

Another reason someone might lean towards a more expensive rug made of higher-quality materials is the fact that they can attract less dust mites — a big benefit if you're sensitive to allergens. And while it's true that wool is known for its hypoallergenic properties, there are still cheaper materials that are resistant to allergens including cotton, which is a much more affordable material. You might also consider less expensive hypoallergenic options such as jute or sisal rugs, like this Easy Jute 9x12 Rug for $219.