We have a rug under our DR table. I think it helps ground the space plus I dislike the sound of chairs scraping against the floor.

However, I don't think not having a rug would look odd. If you'd prefer to go without, you should do that and if it ends up looking odd, you can always add a new one later.

What's in the DR now? Carpet, tile, hardwood...

I don't because I don't want to worry about one getting dirty, but I think it would look good. My breakfast area is going to have a tiled "rug" in the center so I'll have the look but easy to clean.

I don't think it would look strange to have a table without a rug. It sounds practical and in line with the modern, clean-line feel you're after. Try it for awhile without and see what you think.

FYI, we have a wool rug under our dining table. We have a lot of wood (oak woodwork, table/chairs, cabinetry & laminate flooring) & I wanted the rug to add softness, texture and color and to ground the space. We don't use our table very often so cleaning the rug isn't an issue.

We don't. I'd consider one, but I know DH isn't into them. Our floors are hardwood (white oak) and our table is walnut.

If you have a formal dining room I think a rug would look nice. My DR is open to my kitchen and the kitchen has a colorful floor, so a rug would be overkill. We have rugs in other areas of the house, but I like the look of no rug under our table.

If I were to ever get a rug there, you can be darn sure it would be an inexpensive one. Nice looking, but inexpensive. Because I am THE sloppiest eater I've ever seen. :)

I have a rug under my dining room table and it looks fine. We have a combo kitchen/dining area and no formal dining room although the dining area is large and we eat all our meals there. The rug gets dirty but it has a flat pile and is very busy with a small pattern so I only vacuum once a week. It is an 8x10 wool oriental.
I learned when I was a teenager working at Wendy's that busy rug patterns, which they had then, really did cover a multitude of sins.
We've had our rug for 9 years with no wear and it looks good.
I can't imagine the upkeep of a sisal type rug, however, although I love the look.

Note: busy rug patterns do limit choices in chairs and placemats.

I too have a rug under my DR table. It is part of the decorating color scheme in the DR so that is the only part I was really concerned about & the look of softness for the room. Bonnie

I think rugs look nice under a dining room table, but I don't think they are practical so we've never gotten one.

For some reason, this reminds me of the time we had my aunt visiting and I asked her to clean off the table while I was washing up. She brushed everything onto the floor as her way of cleaning off the table! That did annoy me...

Oh, Bumble that would make me crazy!

Last house, we had a flat kilim-style rug under the table and just sent it out every year or so to be cleaned, along with the rest of our rugs.

Now, I have Flor squares, which might work for your more contemporary look. They are washable and replaceable. Chairs slide well and the wood floors don't get so dinged up.

Our dining room floor is brick, so we wanted the rug to break up some of the brick look as well as provide color and softness to the room. We also find that the chairs actually move a bit more easily over the rug than they did over the bare brick floor. We've had a 40+ year old wool oriental under our table for about 4 years and have never had any problems with cleaning it. The wool seems to naturally repel liquids and stains. A weekly (or so, I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm rigorous about it) vacuuming is fine.

That said, I don't think there's any problem with not having a rug under the dining table. If you decide later that you want one, you can always add it.

I don't have a rug under my table but it is only because I have 4 small kids and it would be ruined in no time. Generally I like the look with the carpet.

Since you are going for a modern look I think it would be fine without one.

My floors are 20" tile and I HAD a beautiful oriental rug under the dining room table and then decided that it distracted from the sort of Tuscan casual look that I wanted. When I took the rug out, the room, belive it or not, the room then looked completed.

I guess your decision should depend on
a. Your flooring ..(tile, wood, carpet) and more important
b. Your total design of the room.

Bottom line...Do what feels good to you.

I have hardwood floors in the DR. Issue is, I'm sort of getting one chance at this. We are having the downstairs hardwoods finished so all furniture will be moved. DR table is EXTREMELY heavy due to the thick glass and I don't really have the opportunity to "play" with the rug in or out. It's more like a one shot deal when the furniture goes back.

Years ago I went to an auction and bid on an antique persian rug, 9' X 10'. It was sooooooooooo old it was thin. Had pink flowers on it...went for $90. "THAT" rug I would put under a dinningroom table. It was rustic, quality, not much money invested in it..not much nape to to so it wouldn't dent when a heavy table was set on it....
A kilm rug would do the same thing....do it!!!

We don't have one and I prefer it that way. Our dining room is now open to the kitchen as well as the living room, and it's rather narrow. Fine for dining and entertaining 14 people, but narrow enough that if I put in a rug big enough for the table and chairs so that nothing is hanging off, it would almost cover the entire beautiful wood floor, which I wouldn't like. And would break up the flow I worked so hard to get from room to room having the same floor. So, no rug. It works fine for us, is easier to clean. Doesn't make the room any less beautiful, although a bit less formal. Which is also fine.

We do- it is a karastan oriental and we love it. We have hardwood floors and it just looks empty with out a rug. It also quiets the echos. It depends on what you like. When the kids were little we had wall to wall carpet in the dining room -dark rust I might add- no koolaid stains for me!

For those of you with hardwood floors -- do you have a rug under your table for protection? We are having hardwood installed next week and bought an 8' x 10' rug so that it would extend beyond the chairs and we wouldn't have to worry about scratches. I think maybe it will look too big and hide the beauty of the floors but it doesn't seem to make sense going any smaller. What is the "rule of thumb"? We bought the felt pads and will put those on. Any suggestions on what to do for hardwood?

FLOR squares look interesting. Are they only available online? Thanks!

Our dining room is also open to our living room. Ours is not narrow and the table seats 6, but we do not have a rug underneath. I am not particularly a rug person and we love the look of the wood floors. So, like Pirula, "it works fine for us and doesn't make the room look any less beautiful, although a bit less formal. Which is also fine."

We don't seem to have a problem with echoing (maybe the subflooring, etc.?) and we have protectors on the bottom of the chair legs, so have had no scratches, noise, etc.

I have toyed with the idea of a rug underneath that table, and may someday do it, if and when the right rug comes along.

I really think it's personal choice.

tina

Considering that your table is extra heavy and not likely to be moved, I would offer this to think about:

Depending upon the type of leg on your table, keep in mind if you do not move the table off the rug occasionally, you run the risk of moth infestation under the legs. The worst damage I see from my customer's rugs are in areas just like you are describing, where heavy furniture is rarely moved.

conanc: you might find the link below helpful. I put together a diagram on how to choose a DR rug. I think you have chosen the most popular size.

amy: I'd love to hear more about your Flor tiles...especially in use under a DR table with chairs scooting back and forth. I am wondering with the number of 'seams' where the tiles butt up to another if those are showing signs of wear?

Here is a link that might be useful: how to choose a DR rug

No rug for me. I have hardwood floors and small kids, so there is a lot of chair scraping and food droppings. It's an informal house, adn having no rug makes it much easier to clean up after the kids.