Cyn - That's what I was afraid of, although I have no pets. I have the 2x3 positioned in front of the entry door so the next 4 weeks should help determine whether or no it's ill fated given there will be a couple more contractors in and out, then a scad of movers, deliveries, etc.

I would steer clear of wool, too. As hard wearing as wool is, kitchens are sloppy places so make your life easier. I have a washable cotton rug from Hook & Loom in my kitchen. It's between my stove and my sink so it gets plenty of abuse. I have washed it at least a dozen times, colors have not changed and there's not a loose thread on it anywhere.

I would, myself, but you have to weigh all the factors mentioned above. I had a flat weave rug in the kitchen (covering most of the wood floor) for the years that my DD had a large dog here, to protect the floor. So, it was in major traffic lanes, including from the back door to the rest of the house as well as in front of the sink, fridge, and prep area. I am sure that despite frequent vacuuming, it collected much more dirt, pet fur, and splatters than your proposed rug would! I am not sure what materiel it was made of (it was a pass-along to me) but it felt like wool. I took it outdoors spring, midsummer, and fall, draped it across a couple of patio chairs, lathered it up with carpet cleaning solution, rinsed it with the power nozzle on the hose (took perhaps 15 minutes altogether), and let it dry which generally only took one afternoon in bright sunshine. It held up to this very well. I didn't find this terribly time consuming or onerous, but I can see that others might. Some of the indoor-outdoor rugs are made of material that will dry even more quickly.

I don't think the rug is big enough (the pattern/color seem fine). You want a rug big enough that all the legs of the chair stay on the rug when you pull them out to sit down, otherwise the back legs of the chair run into the rug when you pull your chair in.