On Having a Rug in the Kitchen

Since we updated our kitchen, the two most frequent questions I've been asked are, "What paint color did you use on your cabinets," and, "Do you like having a rug in the kitchen?" So I thought I'd do a little update post on the rug situation.

The rug is actually holding up quite well (especially considering that it was a steal at $79!) I do find that I have to vacuum it every other day, as it definitely gets a lot more traffic than some of the other carpets in the house, and it is obviously around food. I am pretty careful about where I prepare messy food - I try to do it on an area of the counter that isn't directly above the carpet in case anything should happen to spill, like when I'm cracking an egg or making spaghetti sauce.

 One issue we had was that the girls kept slipping on it, as I had cheaped out and failed to purchase a rug pad. Luckily we received this one from Rug Pad Corner and it has been lifesaver! It also makes the rug nice and soft underfoot, which as you can see Moe greatly appreciates:

It definitely helped that we chose a very flat, low-pile rug with a fairly busy pattern and darker colors, as I have had to spot-clean it a couple of times. I would definitely never choose to have a light-colored or thick/shaggy rug in a kitchen, or even a dining room for that matter. I love that it makes the room feel a little cozier and less sterile, as kitchens can sometimes tend to be. What about you guys - do any of you have rugs in your kitchens? How is it going for you?