The Latest Rug Trends You’ll See in All the Best-Designed Homes in 2027 — From 'Palette Setters' to Look-At-Me Borders
Discover the colors, patterns, and textures interior designers are using to bring serious style underfoot
Every interior designer knows that great rooms start from the ground up. While your floors might be gleaming in polished hardwood or looking resplendent in smooth stone, it’s what you layer on top that really makes them sing. That’s where the latest rug trends, from contrasting weaves to reimagined classics, come into play.
This year, things are stepping up. “The floor is now where a room earns its personality,” agrees Alicia Meireles from OWN London. Whether you’re considering a new design for your home or are at the start of the journey, looking at where to buy rugs, knowing the latest looks enables you to choose the very best.
Ready to break new ground? Let’s explore the top rug trends for 2027 and discover how to make them work in your space.
1. Multiple Textures
“Don’t think of texture as the safe choice,” says Regan Baker. “It requires just as much design intention as color and pattern.”
Interior designers have long relied on rugs as a way of layering texture into a space but are now opting for even richer, more tactile styles. “A rug with contrasting pile heights gives you dimension and depth in a way a flat rug just can’t,” explains Regan Baker.
Rather than one uniform surface, embossed rugs with multiple textures feel far more interesting underfoot. Opt for a handcrafted design made from entirely natural materials — like the alpaca style in the space above — to maximize the variations in finish, weave, and fiber that enhance the sensory experience.
With a background in hospitality design before setting up her own studio in 2007, Regan brings practical as well as creative flair to high-end residential projects. Based in San Francisco, she is known for championing the work of artists and makers from across the world.
This rug trend allows you to create real interest without having to rely on color or pattern. “Texture asks you to slow down and actually engage with a space,” adds Regan. “It allows you to build richness in a way that feels calm and liveable, but still very glamorous.”
Made from 100% wool, this neutral rug is available in three sizes. Hand-braided and featuring irregular pile heights, it will add a sculptural sensibility to your floors.
2. Artistic Expressions
“Irregular shapes, where you can almost feel the gesture of the person who drew them, bring movement and emotion,” says Sibylle de Tavernost.
Rather than the usual regimented stripes and strict pattern repeats, we’re spotting more rugs in creative, free-flowing motifs. “I think we’re looking for more spontaneity in our spaces,” says Paris-based designer Sibylle de Tavernost. “There is something almost hand-drawn about these styles, with their curves, irregularities, and unexpected proportions.”
For a more individual look, consider rugs created in collaboration with artists, illustrators, or independent designers — these were a highlight of the recent Clerkenwell Design Week, as well as 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen.
Wherever you place it, a bold rug is sure to become a feature. “These designs feel more like a piece of art within a room, so you want the rug to feel like a painting on your floor,” says Sibylle. Rather than cluttering the rug with lots of side tables and armchairs, give it space to breathe so its pattern and colors can be properly appreciated.
Designed in Paris and made to order using traditional manufacturing techniques, think of this statement rug as a piece of art for your floors.
3. Runners, Anywhere
“We’re moving away from the idea that a bathroom needs to feel pristine or sparse,” says Trish Lynn. “A tactile rug makes the space feel much more personal.”
Good news — the hallway is no longer the exclusive habitat of the runner. These rectangular rugs, typically found in long, narrow entryways, are now popping up in bedrooms, kitchens, and as bathroom rugs, too.
“There’s a broader movement toward making every room in the home feel layered, and textiles are a big part of that shift,” explains Trish Lynn, founder of Colette Interiors. “A runner is an easy way to introduce warmth and texture to rooms typically filled with fixtures.”
In rooms with the odd splash or spill, opt for durable designs made from jute or washable fibers. These are more forgiving materials than wool or cotton and, for bare feet on chilly mornings, provide a welcome layer of comfort compared to cold tiles.
Designed in partnership with the Livingetc style team and the flooring experts at Hug Rug, this washable runner is ideal for high-traffic hallways as well as kitchens and bathrooms.
4. Shaggy Surfaces
“We want spaces that feel sensory and human,” says Malin Glemme. “A hyper-tactile rug is one of the most effective ways to bring that into a home.”
This year, shaggy textured rugs are more about visual contrast than any sense of retro nostalgia. “People instantly link deep-pile rugs to the 1970s, but this is about a wider shift toward subtle, tactile counterweights to today’s clean-lined furniture,” says Malin Glemme, creative director of Swedish rug brand LAYERED.
This contrast is important — as the space above so adeptly demonstrates, a shaggy rug looks most ‘now’ in rooms that are otherwise ordered, with plenty of sharp edges and smooth surfaces for the almost playful softness to push against.
Beyond looks, a textured rug has sensory impact. “It changes how light behaves in a space, as the deep fibers take in light rather than reflect it. This creates subtle shadows and allows the tone of the rug to change throughout the day,” explains Malin. “Acoustically, the materials absorb sound and make a room feel quieter.”
Crafted using ancient techniques, this rug is soft and strokeable — in fact, it gets our vote as one of the most comfortable designs available to shop now.
5. Palette Setters
“You want a rug that has presence, but without it dominating your space,” says Sophie Debuisson, a Paris-based interior architect.
Starting your color palette from the ground up creates a cohesive look and places your choice of rug front and center in your space. This year, designers are doing this in a subtle, but no less effective, way by opting for styles in a tight palette rather than a kaleidoscopic one.
“In this space, we chose a soft and elegant backdrop, with the rug’s colors subtly introducing the tones and palette of the overall scheme,” explains Sophie Debuisson, who created the living room above. “For this look, the rug must never overpower the other pieces in your space, as you don’t want anything to compete for attention.”
For a contemporary feel rather than a confused one, go for a rug that combines three, or maximum four, shades. Pull out just one or two colors from the design and use these as solid blocks across furniture, upholstery, and window dressings. Echo them on smaller details throughout your space, too.
The soft geometric design of this hand-tufted rug features four trending colors, offering rich inspiration for a layered decorating scheme.
6. Soft Curves
“A round rug is ideal in rooms that don’t conform to a standard linear rectangular floor plan,” says the award-winning Australian designer Greg Natale.
Circular rugs remain an important trend for 2027, with designers now using them as an architectural tool as much as a decorating one. “With so many possibilities now available for shapes, colors, and size customizations, designers use round rugs to redefine the outlines of a space,” explains Greg Natale.
They are a particularly effective choice in rooms with awkward proportions, as curved shapes help to obscure irregularities on a floor plan. “Round rugs make these spaces feel less rigid and more relaxed,” says Greg. “Sinuous forms and soft, fluid contours add a sense of movement and flow.”
Without adding hard-edged corners, round rugs trick the eye and create a perception of a larger room. Maximize this effect by leaving enough open space around the rug; it can only rebalance a room’s shape when you see enough of the floor around it.
With an impressive 2.5m diameter, this round rug is ideal for softening sprawling spaces — plus, if you place it underneath a bed, it will still have serious visual impact.
7. Look-At-Me Borders
“A bordered rug brings a little bit of personality, introducing pattern and color in a relatively restrained way,” says Laura Stephens.
While there’s a degree of simplicity to this year’s rug trends, with looks leaning toward materiality and form rather than OTT maximalism, one style mixes this up just a little. “A bold border really elevates even the plainest rug,” says Laura Stephens, who used a bespoke design in the living space above.
“Graphic motifs, like this one, have an impact and create more of a statement,” the interior designer adds. “Borders work best when the main body of the rug is quite understated, delivering an element of surprise and allowing the rug to feel decorative without becoming a highly patterned statement piece.”
For maximum flexibility, opt for a border rug with a color and style that works with your existing scheme but dials things up just ever so slightly — think about the color wheel. Deep green speaks the same visual language as blue, for example, while a rug with a zesty lemon border would look right at home in a terracotta-hued room.
Designed in collaboration with Tekla Evelina Severin, this sky blue rug has a casual, easygoing look that is instantly elevated by its bold burgundy border.
8. Heritage Revisited
“We’re using rugs where the form is old, but the attitude is entirely new for right now,” says interior designer Alicia Meireles.
Traditional designs including kilims, Oushak rugs, and Persian rugs may be timeless, but we’re noticing a subtle shift in the way they are being used. Rather than the heavy reds and dark blues these carpets are typically seen in, a brighter, even slightly acidic, palette is beginning to emerge.
“Heritage rugs have always been popular, but what’s shifted is the confidence to re-color them,” explains Alicia Meireles from OWN London. “A traditional design in its original tones can read as period, but push it into something saturated and it suddenly feels a bit subversive.”
Designing across high-end residential, commercial and hospitality projects, Alicia brings a focus on handmade details and artisan craftsmanship to all her spaces. Before joining the team at OWN, she worked in a number of studios including Soho Home.
This also allows very traditional patterns to work in contemporary spaces, bringing warmth and a sense of character even alongside sculptural forms and sleek, minimal finishes. “A bolder palette stops these rugs feeling nostalgic and instead makes them feel thoroughly modern,” adds Alicia.
Inspired by traditional designs, this rug is available in four thoroughly modern colorways. We prefer this Sage Green and Red version as it most brightens up the motif.
9. Folksy Prints
“There’s a looseness and spontaneity to this new generation of patterned rugs,” says Zara Bolingbroke-Kent.
Patterned rugs have been given a homespun makeover, with ‘perfectly imperfect’ weaves and rustic motifs rather than digitally printed designs. “We’re moving toward rugs that feel more expressive, rather than perfectly drawn or overly decorative,” explains Bombay Sprout’s Zara Bolingbroke-Kent.
“These patterns work best on a natural material like jute, where the irregularities in the material create texture, variation, and movement,” the designer adds. “You’re not looking at a perfectly flat, clinical surface, there’s a lovely quality of something that could have been picked up on your travels and brought home.”
To stop floral, botanical, and other folksy patterns feeling twee, opt for a large-scale pattern over a ditsy one. Balance the artisan qualities of this type of rug with simple furniture and luxe accessories — don’t layer lots of pattern elsewhere, as this sense of contrast is key to a contemporary look.
The blocky florals on this jute rug are in a pleasingly expressive style, making it more of a confident decorating choice compared to ditsier designs.
10. Room-Within-a-Room Sizing
“Oversized rugs tap into our desire for open-plan rooms to feel less cavernous and more intimate,” suggests Sophie Pringle.
Interior designers have always used rugs for zoning, but this rug trend goes beyond differentiating open-concept spaces. Instead, it is about using larger designs to create rooms-within-a-room. “Rugs are now defining the footprint of entire areas, giving a sense of intimacy and purpose within much larger spaces,” says Sophie Pringle, founder of Pringle & Pringle.
Essentially, furniture is now sitting entirely on top of rugs rather than simply skirting their edges. “This holds spaces together, rather than making individual pieces feel like they’re floating,” the designer explains. “It creates more of a psychological boundary, without any awkward barriers and still keeping all of the benefits of open-plan living.”
If you’re in the market for a new rug, go for a bigger design than you might instinctively choose. To find the perfect size before ordering, use masking tape to mark out how much floor coverage you actually need. Whether for a living, dining, or work zone, make sure the rug has enough space to hold all of your furniture, plus a little breathing room to spare.
Available in three sizes, opt for this design in its 2mx3m format to create a room within a room. This is large enough to anchor a compact sofa, two armchairs, and a coffee table.
FAQs
Which Rug Styles Should We Ditch in 2027?
Now you know the rug trends worth investing in; what about the looks to step away from? Again, we’re suggesting you steer clear of maximalist designs featuring lots of competing colors and patterns — these distract the eye and tend to dominate a room before you’ve even looked up from the floor.
At trade fairs and in designer showrooms, we’re noticing fewer rigidly geometric designs — while a stripe is forever timeless, there’s less symmetry in patterns overall, and checkerboard designs are giving way to looser forms, like plaid rugs.
Finally, bigger seems to be better in 2027. Make your rug choice more deliberate by avoiding designs that are too small — this year, sizing up is better than sizing down.
Whether you’re looking for a design featuring a pattern with rhythm or would prefer a timeless rug style, there’s never been a better time to invest in a floor covering. In fact, the rug trends for 2027 embrace different colors, patterns, and textures in a fairly versatile way, meaning they’re sure to endure.
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