This beige check has a flat weave and feels closer to a mat than a plush rug. The surface is flat, with no pile to catch on heels or chair legs. That is the nature of flatweave rugs, and it suits rooms where people come and go all day.

The squares are tone on tone, so the pattern stays calm rather than loud. A checked rug like this one looks as much at home on a terrace as by the kitchen door.

Its surface is 100% polypropylene, woven by machine in Turkey on a jute back. Polypropylene is a synthetic fibre that hardly absorbs water, which is why this rug can live outdoors as well as in. Heat is its one weakness: hot pans and irons should stay well away. For a table in the kitchen or dining room, choose a size large enough that the chairs still stand on it when pushed back.

It comes as a rectangle, and this design is also available as a runner and as a round rug in beige. It suits the living room, the kitchen and the dining room. Warm floors are no trouble, since it suits underfloor heating. The synthetic fibre is happy by the back door, and as a kitchen rug it takes crumbs in its stride.

Crumbs shake out easily. A spill beads up on the surface for a while, so you can blot it before it sinks in. Then dab with mildly soapy water, as described in our rug care guide. A quick vacuum now and then keeps this beige one looking fresh.