Would not want any rug in my kitchen, especially not one that I'd especially liked or that had real value.

Perhaps consider using it beside your bed instead?

If you do decide to put it in your kitchen, have it not extend into the walk path through the kitchen -- that path from the room in the foreground to the doorway on the far end of the kitchen (directly in front of the doorway) -- keep it to stand while you're working at the sink and adjacent cabinets/countertops rather than have it walked on by through traffic.

It's an ACCENT that protects the floor in the prep area. .......if the flooring is wood. If the flooring is tile and you want the big bang of a centered rug? Fine. Either is fine, just preference : )

Rugs are MEANT to be walked on. Get it cleaned once in a while.

iMHO rugs in a kitchen get gunky and matted quickly. Yes, you can clean them, but until you do, you are looking at the gunky matted rug. Realistically, do you want the added chore in your life of taking a rug to the cleaners? Also, if the rug is valuable it should not be in a kitchen. I would get one of those gel mats for standing in front of the sink, that's it. Like I said, just MHO.

I have hardwood everywhere in my house except the bathrooms and have lots of rugs, but I'm not a fan of them in kitchens as they get dirty quickly and can be a tripping hazard. Have you thought about getting creative with the wood, tile or other material you are using?

I’d get the rug. Rug, rug, rug! (cheering) If something does spill on you can spot clean. That’s what I do with mine between thorough cleanings. It’s not a big deal to do. I’d go with the 2’6” size.

We have 2. 3x5 at the back door and 2.5x8 at sink and prep. Sometimes i think maybe should have gotten bigger, , but 4x6 wouldnt have been long enough and 5x8 is too wide.

No teal cabinets here, though we considered it. But lapis lazuli floor. I love having a pretty rug instead of a “kitchen rug.” We did get an inexpensive polyester one so if it gets ruined we aren’t heartbroken. It‘s been a year and still looks ok but it’s about time to clean it.

Oh! And I have a nice thick felt rug pad under it so it’s super cushiony

I don't know what some of you are doing in the kitchen that is so destructive to rugs! Regular vacuuming and spot-cleaning takes care of any little accidents. We've managed quite nicely not to trip over our kitchen runner. But, of course, everyone is different so YMMV.

That said, I would choose the 2'6 size, although I personally would look for a runner with more symmetry to the pattern than the one you're considering.

OP your rug is cool and i kind of like the idea of the asymmetrical pattern going in that spot you marked off (i.e. off to the side). In my experience, you won't know exactly where to put it until you get it and try it out in a few locations. But i don't think you can go wrong in that space. Sometimes i wonder if folks on this site haven't opened a design magazine in the last 5 years.....

I'm with IdaClaire. I've had rugs in my kitchens for decades. I've never tripped over them (why would they be any more of a tripping hazard than anywhere else in the house?), nor are they dirty.

If you do happen to drop something on them.....you clean it up. Just like any other rug in the house. :)

It is sink front GEL mats that are a tripping hazard. Not rugs : )

Jan, it wasn't you that said rugs were a tripping hazard.... :)

The old gelpro mats had a tendency to curl up after a few years. The newer ones don't curl at all. I have had both and I love the new ones - they are thicker though and I can see where someone may trip over the beveled edge.

Yeah...... I was talking about those awful new puffy things : ( Horrible!!!

I agree, they are really thick!

I have lots of arthritis and they are glorious to stand on though. I will admit I stubbed my foot a few times in the beginning, getting used to it.

Gel-pro mats are not rugs. They are designed to be highly slip resistant and to minimise any tripping hazard. They also have an easily cleaned non-absorbing surface. They are great to make standing for long period easier on the feet and back and are good in kitchens.

If I put a regular runner and pad on my hardwood floors it would be a tripping hazard and experience of mopping and vacuuming the hardwood tells me that it would quickly get stained and covered in flour, splashes of soup, soy sauce, bits of bread etc.

Please be sure your rug does not slip on the floor....older people have a bad time with "throw" rugs....a tripping hazard for sure.

"My gosh, what is the big deal with a rug? How much "goo" do you spill? If kids are cooking, I'll give you that one. but honestly? How much goo?"

Jan Moyer - my mother is in her 80s and her hands tremble a bit. She loves to come to my house to cook. I would never tell her to stop cooking, as she loves it so much, but she does spill. I do not have a rug in my kitchen, as it is so easy to spot-clean spills on a wood floor. In addition, children, while learning how to cook, or helping in the kitchen, will spill. You acknowledge that at least, but your disdain is still there, a poor choice. Not everyone is as impeccable as you unfortunately.

"I have tripped forward and nearly KILLED myself on more of those gel mats than I can count. Too thick! I'd stay far from those anywhere!"

Jan Moyer - that is interesting, as that has never happened to me once. That tripping might lead to spills. In any case, everyone is different, so it's good advice for the OP to perhaps see if a friend has a gel mat and she can look at it and see if she thinks it would be trippy for her and her family.

All it takes is one spill or one pair of dirty shoes some child didn't wipe or one accident of a pet to need to remove it from the kitchen immediately.

If the household is only adults that take the time to care and you want your rug there, then put it there; however, if you have pets or small children, or frequent guests that are not as careful as they should be, or If you fry foods in an uncovered pan, then at least know what you're getting into -- the potential work and cost involved in keeping the rug in the kitchen -- before putting a rug in the kitchen, and then make an informed and reasoned decision as to whether or not a bare floor or one of the thinner versions of a gel mat would be preferable.

You can make the pets and children argument about rugs in any room. I think rugs in kitchens are a bad idea because more stuff falls onto the floor in the kitchen and you are often carrying stuff around so the consequences of the tripping hazard are greater.

Get an indoor out door runner and cease agonizing. You can hose it, bleach it. There are MILLIONS of them. Literally. Plus they are thin enough that tripping is not an issue.

And as to the gel pads? They ARE a trip hazard. They are too small and thick, they catch the toe of a shoe suddenly........., and they do not budge.

If you need gel cushioning? Put gel inserts in your SHOES. Save your face and teeth.

There are millions of these in every color imaginable. Protect more floor, and avoid the "suddenly there is this pad" thing you get with sink pads.

The rug pictured in my post above is polyester but not indoor/outdoor. It has a 1/4” felt pad underneath. A dog and 2 messy kids. I cook A LOT. I bake A LOT. Kids help. The older one cooks by herself. They spill flour and it vacuums up. I spot clean if it’s something wet. I wouldnt advise a light colored rug, but the one you’ve chosen has a nice busy pattern. Ours is busy enough that I have had a hard time finding a whole blueberry that I dropped.

I don’t understand why dogs would make it a problem. They make the same mess everywhere in the house no matter the surface. And they don’t cook or spill.

We have hardwood in the living room with a rug and pad and never trip. We have hardwood in the dining room with rug but no pad and never trip. We never trip on the kitchen rug either, even when aforementioned dog won’t get out of the way in the mornings when there are 4 people in the kitchen. We trip over her, but not the rug.

For real, people have been putting kitchen rugs in front of the sink forever. I don’t understand why extending it a few extra feet turns it into an ill-advised kitchen disaster.

For your kitchen, I would do a rug like you have drawn out. That said, I can testify DD2 had a killim in her last house/kitchen. Even with a rug pad, it did not want to stay down. They are not heavy rugs, and tend to "walk" and move about. I would suggest something heavier than your etsy rug.

We've had rugs in our kitchen for decades. When the children all at home (and cats/dog), I had a printed sisal (ordered from Ballard Design). Also had one under the breakfast room table. No issues. Easy spill clean up and vacuuming a breeze.

Last house, I decided no rugs in the kitchen, but used Soumak rug in laundry room (and many other rooms). Flat weave rugs, are virtually indestructible, and they stay down. Liquids bead, so easily cleaned. This includes cat vomit. :D Check Kalaty website (then shop around), as they make odd sizes some manufacturers do not make.

I have three nice rugs in our current kitchen. 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 grandchildren, but DH is my mess maker (arthritis). I have been buying rug pads from Rug Pad USA for years. There is a great buying guide to help get the right pad for your floor and rug types. They also custom cut to size. (Have you ever tried cutting a nice rug pad with scissors?!)

BTW, for pet or food stains, keep the small bottles of club soda on hand. Get up spill/whatever as much as you can with a spoon (lifting it off, not getting it deeper). Then use the spoon to put just enough club soda to cover the spill. The bubbling lifts the spill to the surface, then firmly blot with paper towels. If needed, repeat. I usually put aluminum foil between rug and rug pad, so the rug pad (and flooring) doesn't get wet. This method has been great to remove cat vomit stains from the rugs in our current home (not just the kitchen). Replace top and shake bottle. Store in refrigerator until needed again, but if it doesn't bubble the next time you use, toss and open a new bottle. (Hence, buy the small 6 pack of club soda).

I have a flat-weave runner rug in my kitchen (tile floor) and have had the same one for 8 years. I have 2 dogs and 2 little kids (2 & 4). Nobody has ever tripped on it. I have a rug pad under it and it pretty much stays put. I pick it all up when I mop, or sometimes I just mop around it.

I put it in the washer/dryer every couple of months and it comes out looking new.

It extends across my sink/prep area and stove/oven.

Sure it gets crumbs on it but I vacuum them up or sweep them off just like I would the floor. Plus I actually find it much nicer to step on crumbs on a rug than crumbs on a hard floor. they don't crunch into a hundred crumbs.

I have 4 kids and a St Bernard, with rugs in our kitchen. No issues.