The 12 best striped rugs that add instant vacation-inspired joy to your home

The best striped rugs evoke the playful and carefree mood of outdoor umbrellas, deckchairs and good times - an wonderful mood for your decor

Wayfair, Ruggable, Amazon, Lulu & Georgia & Pottery Barn Striped Rugs
(Image credit: Wayfair, Ruggable, Amazon, Lulu & Georgia & Pottery Barn)

We are seeing stripes. From playful and large-scale prints to small-scale fine lines, stripes have been part of a designer’s dictionary for a long time. Dating back to the Middle Ages, this distinctive pattern was infamously attached to prostitutes, prisoners, and clowns. Stripes and their social standing have come a long way since then. Striped rugs can help direct the eyes and open spaces with ease, all whilst adding some color and contrast into schemes. New colorful and contemporary iterations of this pattern are decorating rugs of every size and style. 

To help you find the perfect piece, you can begin by taking a look at our best rugs feature for our top picks alongside insightful advice from interior design experts. We’ve scoured and searched through the best home décor stores to find our favorite striped rug styles.

Best Colorful Striped Rugs

Best Washable Striped Rugs

Best Outdoor Striped Rugs

Best Black and White Striped Rugs

Does a striped carpet make a room look bigger?

Striped rugs come in a variety of sizes and styles. Small-scale striped rugs can add detail to designs whilst the expanse of larger stripes can help a room feel bigger. The direction of your stripes is another important factor to consider. “The rule is similar to wearing stripes. Stripes widen and shorten if the stripe runs across the eye (left to right). If you enter a room and the stripes go away from you it will feel longer and narrower. Stripes tend to work better where there is a clearly defined direction of travel, like stairs or a corridor, so you are moving with the stripes,” says Monique Tollgård, Head of Interior Design at Tollgard.

Don’t forget to consider the impact color will have on your room, lighter color palettes can provide the rhythm and pattern of a stripe but feel softer to the eye. Beiges, creams, and soft pinks all work well to achieve this goal. Finally, size matters so ensure that your striped rug of choice that extends all corners of the room further emphasizes the sense of space in the room.  

Writer and design expert Faaizah Shah is the founder of The Interiors Consultancy. She has worked with designers such as Staffan Tollgard and design houses such as Sanderson to help them understand and communicate their narratives. She is known for crafting engaging stories and imaginative content, and understanding great decor from her years alongside some of the best creatives in the industry. She is also a contributor to Livingetc.