Personally for me think they look beautiful either way. BUT, and it's a big but, I wouldn't want to have to worry about keeping a rug under a table clean. I may love to vacuum, but I it's just not so fun when dodging table can chairs under a dining table. It's so much easier to sweep a bare floor in this situation. But that's just me.

I have a rug under my DR table. It's a nice wool rug I found on sale at a reasonable price. As others have noted, I made sure the dimensions allowed for all chairs to be pushed back without falling off the rug. (BTW, in the photo above with the zebra rug, I don't know how one would use the chairs at that table without catching the edges of the rug... that's the most impractical set-up I've ever seen, but, yes, I do like the rest of her blog. ;-) There are a number of economical sources for large area rugs--you don't have to spend thousands. My DR rug is no more difficult to keep clean than any other area of my home.

My 2 cents...if it were my room I'd go with the lighter color you posted in the first set of pix. Stay with the red WT, and the original gold leather. Love the lantern chandy. I'd do the ceiling in the gold in your last photo. I am not loving the greenish chairs in that room. It seems like yet another color competing with the vibrant colors of the rug. Alternatively, if you go with the last color you posted, stay with the red drapes. They really work great. I did a faux stucco finish in my kitchen, and I love it so much that I did it in the master bath, too. I used joint compound (used for sheetrock seams) and spread it on thinly. Then went over it with a damp sponge, pushed it in, then pulled off, leaving spikes. Then knocked that down with a trowel. Once it dried (waited a couple days) I painted it an ivory color then went over that with an antique glaze. I find it quite easy to clean, the glaze acted like a sealer. I can't photograph it well, so no pic, but if you really wanted one I'd try to do it again.

I too highly recommend polypropylene. I tried sisal and our four cats liked it a little "too" much if you get my drift. I just changed out our last rug to polypropylene and will never got back to rugs with nap again. All mine are indoor outdoor rugs and are super easy to clean. With in a week of getting the large one for the Gentleman's Parlor my hubby spilled a glass of red wine all over the rug. We both jumped up, my saying get a pitcher of water while I put plastic sheeting under the rug. While I poured the water over the rug, hubby got the shop vac ready. The wine disappeared, the rug dried and no one would ever know wine was ever spilled on it. I bought them at Overstock.