Checks bring order to a room. A grid of lines looks calmer than a floral pattern and livelier than a plain surface. You can get a checkered rug flatwoven from cotton or wool, as a firm jute weave, or as a soft high pile in polyester. Most designs are beige. You will also find black and white, plus a few stronger shades such as red or green, and even orange.
Cotton kilim
Made handwoven
Shapes rectangle, runner
Underfoot flat, chairs glide over it
Wool
Made handwoven
Shapes rectangle, runner
Underfoot flat and springy
Jute
Made handwoven
Shapes runner, square, oval
Underfoot firm, slightly coarse
Polyester high pile
Made machine-woven
Shapes rectangle, runner, round
Underfoot soft, muffles steps
Checkered Rug for the Living Room
By the sofa, feel matters most. The high pile in polyester softens every step. Prefer something flatter? The handwoven wool check stays very flat.
A seating area needs 200 x 290 cm or, with more space, 240 x 340 cm, so sofa and chairs rest their front legs on the check. Big rooms take 300 x 400 cm. Further sizes and patterns turn up among our lounge rugs.
Contrast decides how strong the pattern looks. Cream on beige stays subtle. A checkered rug in black and white is graphic, almost a checkerboard, and gives a plain grey sofa a clear frame. Green and orange checkered rugs bring in more colour, and red is available too.
Under the Dining Table
A flat rug belongs here. Chairs glide easily over the cotton kilims, which are handwoven and very flat. Crumbs stay on top. Vacuum them up or shake the rug outside. Let it overlap the table edge by around 60 cm all round. Pushed-back chairs then keep all four legs on it and don't wobble.
Which Check Suits a Hallway?
Long hallways handle a pattern well, because the check breaks up the length. Checked runners come flatwoven in cotton or wool, in jute, and as high pile, from 180 cm up to 500 cm long. At each end, roughly 10–20 cm of bare floor looks tidy.
Where people walk a lot, the flat version is more practical. High pile is better kept for quiet spots like the bedside. There, a round checked rug in soft polyester feels good under bare feet first thing in the morning.
Too busy for a narrow hallway? Look at our striped rugs instead. Stripes and checks get along well when they share one colour, say a striped runner in the hall and a checked rug in the lounge next door.
Wool is springy. When a bed leg presses a dent into it, the fibres recover over time. If natural fibres appeal to you, our wool rugs range has flat and deeper qualities. A beige check goes with light wood and linen, and more pieces in that tone sit under beige rugs. Want several colours at once? Then a colourful rug may suit you better.
Frequently asked questions
Does the wool one shed?
A little at first. Loose fibres from production come out with the vacuum in the first weeks, and after that it settles down noticeably.
How do I vacuum the high pile?
On a low setting and without the brush.
Can I mix a check with patterned cushions?
Yes, as long as the scales differ. A large check on the floor works with fine lines on the cushions. Two patterns of the same size side by side soon look restless.
Is there a round one?
Yes, in the soft polyester high pile.
Is the jute check rough?
Jute feels a little coarser than wool or cotton. It is handwoven, with a short pile, and gives a hallway a natural look.
