6 Reasons Why You Need Runners

There are many great reasons to use rug runners in your interior spaces. Their shape alone (runners are typically 2 to 3 feet wide and 7 to 14 feet long) make them ideal for placement throughout the home.  From the foyer to the mudroom, they’re perfect for many different areas. It should be noted that you’ll get the best visual effect from your area rugs and rug runners if you choose colors and patterns that complement each other when they can all be seen through open doorways and such. Here are six reasons you need runners that immediately come to mind:

To welcome guests at the front door

If you have a foyer, especially a spacious one, then you definitely need a runner rug. Runner rugs are perfect for showing off your decor style and bring a warm welcome to visitors at the front door. Runners come in all sorts of color colors and patterns, from solid neutrals like soft natural tones or gorgeous grays to a lovely mix of brilliant hues. Of course, available pattern options run the gamut from contemporary oversized botanical or floral patterns to modern geometrics to traditional tribal motifs. You get to choose what works best with your home’s style and color palette.

To protect floors

In areas of heavy traffic, runners can protect wood floors or even carpeting. Adding a pad under a runner can give even more protection for your flooring and create comfort underfoot. Be sure to vacuum often so that dust and debris don’t collect under rugs since that might cause damage to the flooring underneath and thus defeat the very purpose for which they’re there.

To elevate a bland (or less than inspired) hallway

Hallway runners can bring a sense of cohesiveness to your home by using a pattern to tie together colors from all the rooms that can be seen from the hall. Any hallway, especially narrow, gloomy ones, can be brought to life with rug runners, strategically placed wall art and lighting fixtures that suit the space. A hall can become a stylish space to be enjoyed, not just a long narrow confined area you or your guests want to pass through as quickly as possible on the way to another room.

To add color and comfort underfoot in the kitchen

Runners seem made for kitchens as well as hallways. These long area rugs are just right for a galley kitchen or one that has walkways on both sides of the kitchen island. Many kitchens, even those with high-end finishes and appliances, can use a refreshing pop of color. Enliven your kitchen with bold patterns and brilliant hues, making it a space in which you love to cook, spend family time or entertain. Kitchen rug runners can create a warm and inviting atmosphere for holiday gatherings and Friendsgiving meals, a current favorite celebratory event.

To create comfort in the bathroom

The bathroom is another room that’s usually a perfect shape for fitting in a rug runner. Since runners can be easily found in many different lengths, you can give your bath a great customized look. Color and pattern can also be chosen to suit your bathroom’s style and palette. A runner (you can choose a soft cotton one that’s easy to care for) can add warmth and comfort to the bath where cold hard surfaces usually reign. With a runner, you get it all, beauty, color and comfort underfoot. That’s a win-win situation for you and your home.

To bring softness and warmth to the bedside

Rug runners on either side of the bed can be the best way to add a warm place for feet to land when getting out of bed. Of course, rugs can bring beauty with color, pattern and soft texture to the bedroom, but the comfort and warmth of deep pile and even long shaggy fur-like luxury is the most appealing aspect of runners on the floor in this room which is often our coziest space.

We hope you are inspired by these six reasons to use runners in your home. They will make your rooms more stylish and beautiful but are also very functional and practical. Where will you place your runners?