7 best outdoor rugs to spruce your backyard for spring

Searching for the best outdoor rugs for this summer? These beautiful rugs will make your patio seating area feel extremely cozy, as well as look better than ever. Adding textures to your alfresco dining space is sure to help tie the entire look together, and will help the transition from indoors to outdoor space smooth and seamless.

With a soft rug under your feet, sitting outside to dine or relax becomes a more luxurious activity. A thicker rug option can also help to ground lounge furniture and prevent marks, as well as provide a base for your chairs. Stylish waterproof rugs are also excellent for summertime picnics or to allow children to play on your patio area more comfortably. 

There's such a range of designs available with outdoor rugs too, from eye-catching geometric looks to more calming, subtle shades. These are the absolute best outdoor rugs out there this season, with tonnes of comfort and style packed in. Plan more elegant additions to your garden with the best garden furniture too, and create an outdoor area that will be every neighbor's envy. 

The best outdoor rugs

This design-led diamond-shaped kilim rug will create a statement focal point either indoors or out. 

The unusually shaped design is available in three contemporary shades; nude and petrol blue, blue and green and, our favourite, the ice cream tones of the pink and yellow option - perfect for high summer living. 

There are also three different sizes on offer, including a generous 300 x 390cm option that's great for larger spaces. 

And the good news doesn't end there, as this super stylish rug is also sustainable, woven entirely from recycled PET fibres to repurpose single-use plastic and create a product that's super-soft underfoot.

Add cooling coastal vibes with this blue and white rug that emulates the reflection of light bouncing off rippled water.

Made by FAB HAB who specialize in creating rugs made from recycled post-consumer waste - such as water bottles and food-grade plastic containers - each rug is also certified by Good Weave, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending child labor in the carpet industry and offering education to children in weaving communities.

There's an extensive outdoor rug collection available, with everything from super vibrant colored patterns to calming neutrals, plus a fantastic range of size options making it easy to find the perfect fit for your outdoor space, and all at great price points.

Designed by Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon — recognised by Wallpaper Magazine as one of the most influential creators of the last decade, and lauded as a “visionary” by Times magazine - the Silhouette outdoor rug celebrates Hayon's distinctive style, mixing loose abstract and figurative drawings into a fun and imaginative finished product. 

Speaking of the intuitive lines that create the silhouettes of faces in the rug, Hayon explains; “It’s a freehand drawing, similar to works in my sketchbooks. There are endless characters who are part of my imagination. They change and evolve, according to my interests at a given time".

Bringing modern art to the patio is also a comfortable proposition with this hand-tufted design, which uses recycled PET fibers to create a sumptuous floor covering you'll be happy to sink your toes into.

If you want a quick fix to brighten up a lack lustre outdoor space then a colourful garden rug is the way to do it, and they don't come much brighter, or more cheerful, than this rainbow-striped number.

The tufted design is plenty thick enough underfoot to create a comfortable play area or is great for adding warmth to a paved patio, and there is also a good range of size and shape options available so you can get the right fit for your space. 

An easy neutral that will go with a wide range of outdoor furniture and flooring materials, Ferm Living's Way outdoor rug repurposes 292 recycled plastic bottles to make each design. 

Available in simple black and white, or the darker 'sugar kelp' brown, there is also a long and thin runner, plus a doormat sized version on offer, all offset with asymmetrical rows of fringed trim that underscore the handmade feel.

And for the full effect, you can now also match outdoor cushions to the look. Made from recycled plastic that corresponds to 55 plastic bottles and featuring plumptious feather and down inners, you will need to bring the cushions indoors during any downpours, but luckily they look just as good inside as out.

A Ruggable product for your home is not only a stunning interior addition but also entirely practical. Crafted from extra-durable materials, this outdoor rug's crowning feature is also the fact that it's machine washable, making maintenance so easy, especially if you've accumulated dirt or stains on your rug. 

Aside from practicality, this rug is also striking in its design, with a palm print to make you feel like you're in the tropics. The teal-gray, copper terracotta and marigold yellow colors blend expertly together, though they are muted enough not to overcrowd your outdoor setting. 

How to choose an outdoor rug

Materials
Most outdoor rugs are made from polypropylene, a synthetic plastic that is water-resistant and stain-resistant. Because this material doesn't absorb moisture it makes outdoor rugs mold and mildew resistant so that they can be left outside during a shower. However, most manufacturers will recommend them being stored somewhere dry over winter.

The best outdoor rugs you can buy are options made from recycled plastic or recycled PET fibers. These repurpose already existing single-use plastics from things like plastic bottles, drinking straws, and food-grade containers, preventing new materials from being extracted from the earth and stopping single-use plastics from ending up in landfills (where they take many years to break down and in so doing leach harmful chemicals into the environment). 

Weave
Outdoor rugs tend to come in either a flatweave or a tufted design. 

A flatweave outdoor rug will be thinner and won't add as much insulation underfoot, but the bonus is that they're usually lightweight, easy to move, and because they lay very flat to the ground have less potential to be a trip hazard. The flatweave also makes it harder for outdoor debris to become trapped, so they're easy to freshen up with a quick shake or a hose down.

A tufted rug usually has a much deeper pile which makes it a more luxurious option for sinking your toes into and adding insulation to the floor, however, the deeper pile adds extra weight, so this is unlikely to be an option for picking up and taking onto the beach or the lawn. The deeper pile makes debris a bit harder to shake out, and the extra raised thickness could potentially be more of a trip hazard. 

UV-resistance
Most outdoor rugs are water and mildew resistant due to being made from non-absorbent polypropylene, but UV resistance — which determines whether the rug's colors will fade in the strong sun — is dependent on the types of dyes used in its manufacture, so it's worth checking the small print to see if your preferred option comes with this added longevity protection. 

Browse more outdoor rugs...

Still searching for the rug to change your outdoor space for the better? These are the retailers we would recommend for sprucing up your garden:

• 2modern outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Amazon outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• At Home outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Ballard Designs outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Birch Lane outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Crate & Barrel outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Frontgate outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Home Depot outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• IKEA outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Joss & Main outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Lowe's outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• McGee & Co outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Overstock outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Rugs.com outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Rugs Direct outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Rugs USA outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Serena & Lily outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Target outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Wayfair outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• World Market outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)
• Ruggable outdoor rugs (opens in new tab)