I just blithely did a little search for you sue, thinking I would come up with all sorts of options, & I'm really dismayed to discover that the felt pads of yore are....well, just that....yore :( I have several pads made of felt & horsehair that I've had for many, many years - I had a huge horsehair pad that I just keep cutting to fit smaller rugs. And I expect them to last for many more years. Which is why I haven't had to shop for one for a long time. Everything now is synthetic, but the good news is that you can still find synthetic felt pads - hopefully they are no less damaging to your floors than the felt pads are. Still, check out your local rug dealers - the ones who sell area rugs, & see what they have. The problem with most synthetics is that they bond to your flooring & create damage that can be very hard to repair w/o resurfacing. And/or the pad is too thick & the carpet gets dents that turn into worn fiber. And/or the pad does nothing but keep the carpet from slipping & ruin the floor underneath at the same time. BTW, if your carpet is a thick one, you're probably better off w/o a pad. HTH, & good luck!

O, good point about the pets. We'll be shopping for rugs in a few weeks, all in high traffic areas. We have two dogs and two cats. The cats I can train..knock knock knock, but it's the 14 year old dog who'll do her thing when I'm not looking. So I too need rug advice. I assume wool rugs are hard to spot clean? Oh! I noticed something interesting in the floor store when we were there. They had a very large area rug, not sure of the brand, but the main color was black. At a distance it looked awfully faded or dusty, and I know they vacuum because their floor is a showcase unto itself! The rug wasn't near a window either. I'm wondering if black background rugs look lighter than they should? It was enough for me to do a doubletake!

Remember, too, that with a wool rug, the tighter the weave, the better the wear. I had a wool oriental in my dining room for 17 years that was a low quality, loose weave. After 17 years, it was worn & haggard. But it served its purpose very well -- a dark, patterned rug that didn't show stains and held up to years of growing boys & their friends playing games in the dining room. (Also three cats inflicting their share of damage.) I bought it knowing it wasn't quality, expecting to replace it after the family years. My "good" oriental with a really tight weave, on the other hand, looks as good as it did when I bought it in 1988. It has spent its life in rooms that weren't heavily used, but it still has had a fair amount of traffic on it, plus strong sunlight, the occasional spill, and more than a few hairballs. I haven't babied it, that's for sure.

I agree that you do not need a rug under your table. It is anchored by the dog bed. Just kidding. It is framed/anchored by the windows. I pondered this same issue, with a table centered on two patio doors, and decided not to use one. I don't think there is necessarily one correct answer, but I think your table looks lovely and lets the floors/surroundings serve as accents.