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I have a secret.
I buy all of my area rugs from Amazon. Am I crazy? I’ve ordered 5 so far and I’ve yet to be disappointed. Crazy like a fox maybe! The family room is on the list to get tackled this fall so I’m in the market for another rug. I was perusing Amazon earlier and I thought this would make a good post if you’d never considered Amazon for your rug purchases.
You know, me and Amazon are pretty tight.
I really should know by now that if I’m looking for something and can’t find it anywhere else, Amazon will have it. They’ll have it, I’ll buy it and then I’ll have it in 2 days. Even if it’s Sunday!
That was the case when I realized what a great resource Amazon was for the bargain rug market.
I’d fallen in love with a rug that was out of stock on another site. “Back in stock by August”. It was May. I’m way too impatient to wait for pretty much anything, so I decided to check Amazon to see if there was a similar rug available. And what did I find? The exact same rug. Only it was cheaper. And in stock. Obviously, it was meant to be mine.
Amazon might not be everyone’s cup of tea. We have small children and animals in this house so a fancy expensive rug really isn’t a good fit. A nice-looking rug that’s under $200 is a very good fit though. They do have rugs in all price ranges so if you have your eye on something from another store that’s higher quality at least you could check it out. You might be surprised. There are some things to keep in mind when buying a rug online though. This would apply to anywhere, not just Amazon.
My Quick Tips for Buying Rugs Online
Read the reviews.
When I find a rug I like the first thing I do is check the ratings and reviews. If it has 3 1/2 stars or higher read what others have to say. I particularly look for comments regarding the color possibly being different, funny odors or bad experiences with customer service. When you’re buying a rug without seeing or touching it first, you have to rely on the information that’s available to you. Reviews are part of that.
Some people have been paid or have received a free product in return for their review but those are usually easy to spot even if they haven’t clearly stated that. They tend to read like a high school English essay and are about five times longer than they need to be. “Therefore, it was most fortuitous that the rug found itself in my possession.”
Look at all the pictures available.
Zoom in on it. You really can pick up on a subtle pattern on zoom that’s not noticeable when you first look at the image. Skip the zoom and you might end up with a rug with a pattern you hate. A quality seller is going to provide plenty of photos taken in natural light to make it easier for you to see what you’re getting. It’s a pain in the patoot to return so you want to make sure you’ve examined it as thoroughly as you can.
Make sure you’re ordering the correct size.
There’s a ton of information out there about the “right” size rug. Basically, if it’s in a dining room, it should be big enough to extend past the edge of the table to accommodate seating. If it’s a family or living room, don’t get it so big it dominates the entire room. Get a rug a few feet shorter than the smallest wall. Maybe get one that delineates certain areas, like for a reading or conversation area. In a bedroom, try getting one that partially fits under the bed and extends a few feet past the foot. Or try runners on each side of the bed. Again, returns are a hassle so do your research and take your measurements before you ever hit “search”.
All right, now on to the good stuff – let’s look at some pretty rugs! My style has evolved over the years into something I call “coastal casual”. My house looks lived in, it’s not photo-ready at a moment’s notice so whatever decor I bring in needs to work with that. I also find that I really like the soothing and pleasant colors of a coastal palette.
Here’s the first one I found. Safavieh Mystique Collection MYS971A Vintage Watercolor Teal and Multi Distressed Area Rug
- The 4’x6′ rug is around $100 and the 5’x8′ is around $150, so either size works in this budget. I really liked the colors and subtle pattern in it and I’ve had good luck with Safavieh rugs in the past. This polyester rug is machine loomed and would fall in the lower end of the quality spectrum, I still consider Safavieh to give you a good bang for your rug buck. There are multiple colors available and from some of the reviews, it sounds like mix-ups happen. I’ll keep that in mind when making my final decision.
This next one is pretty similar to the previous one and another Safavieh. This one is the Safavieh Collection Alpine and Multi Vintage Distressed Rug.
- It’s also machine-loomed and polyester like the one above but the price is about half. It’s priced about the same as the one above so again, well within the budget. There weren’t a ton of reviews and some of them mentioned a color variation which is something to keep in mind. I’d say this one isn’t high on my list but it’s good to keep in the mix for comparison purposes.
Here’s number 3 on my list. Sweet Home Stores Cozy Shag Collection
- This rug is a real contender. I can feel Alex rolling her eyes at me because it’s the most plain of them all. The reviews are great though – 4.5 stars and over 1500 reviews. The price is pretty great too. The 7’10” x 9’10” is just under $200. One other thing I forgot to mention in my tips above is to look at the questions and answers. For this particular rug, there are over 100 of them so lots of good info there. When I look at this rug, I want to take a nap on it. That’s an immediate mark for the plus column.
Number 4 – Diagona Designs Contemporary Stripes Design
- This one was a little different because it has more deep blue than aqua.
Again, there’s a subtle pattern going on and the cream breaks it up a little and keeps it from feeling overwhelming and too dark. This is another good size rug for a reasonable price. The 8’x10′ is just around $100. That’s a lot of rug for $100. The reviews and ratings are really good too. 4.5 stars and almost 500 reviews.
And last but not least, number 5. Rugshop Modern Floral Circles Design Area Rug
- I love the patterns and colors in this rug! This one looks more teal than blue as the description says. But this is where the question and answer section comes in handy. People who’ve purchased the rug describe it as turquoise. This would be good in a room with a lot of neutral colors to give it a pop of color that makes it stand out!
There you have it. 5 rugs under $200 that you can get on Amazon. And of course, if it’s Prime eligible you get free shipping too which makes it even more affordable! I really had never considered Amazon before for area rugs but there are literally thousands of rugs in every color, shape, size and price range. If you’re looking for a rug but don’t want to spend a small fortune on it you should check it out.
Check out Farmhouse Decor On Amazon for under $20.
Which one of the rugs on my list do you think is a winner? Let us know in the comments!
