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How to Choose a Brown Rug by Shade and Weave
Start with two questions: how dark should the rug be, and will people walk on it barefoot? Many of the darkest brown pieces here are goat hair kilims, which are firm and hard-wearing. For a dark rug beside a bed or under a sofa where you sit barefoot, look at the darker Oushak, overdyed and Moroccan pile rugs instead.
This collection includes striped goat hair kilims woven decades ago, floral kilims from Moldova, Oushak rugs with a soft wool pile, patchwork rugs built from overdyed sections and cotton-and-wool dhurries from India in brown and ivory. Two rugs listed as brown can differ in shade, thickness and feel, so it helps to narrow the choice by tone first and by weave second.
Dark Chocolate, Walnut or Camel: Brown Tones in This Collection
Dark chocolate and espresso
Many of the darkest pieces are striped goat hair kilims, often with thin red, cream or blue bands. A smaller group of dark Oushak, overdyed and Moroccan pile rugs gives the same depth with a softer surface.
Walnut and tobacco
Mid browns with gold, rust or rose motifs, found in Oushak rugs, Moldovan floral kilims and many wool kilims. They sit easily on oak floors and next to leather and warm wood.
Taupe and grey-brown
Muted, washed browns, mostly in patchwork rugs and some dhurries. They are easier to pair with grey, white and black than warmer browns.
Light brown and camel
Camel and sand fields, including Aubusson flatweaves with terracotta borders and lighter Oushak and kilim pieces.
Brown with cream or ivory: Several dhurries use a two-tone brown and ivory pattern, from wide stripes to geometric grids. If you want a brown and cream or brown and beige rug, start with those. Pile rugs also have a nap direction, so a photo taken from one end can look lighter or darker than the same rug seen from the other end. Judge each rug from its full photo set.
Kilim, Oushak or Patchwork: Compare the Weave
The way a brown rug is made decides how thick it is, how it feels underfoot and which room it suits best.
Goat hair kilims
Goat hair is a very hard-wearing fiber, and also a coarse, stiff one: these flatweaves feel firm and can prickle bare feet. That makes them a strong choice for hallways, entryways and rooms where shoes are worn, rather than beside a bed. Most are roughly 30 to 70 years old. Browse more in kilim rugs.
Wool and Moldovan kilims
Flatwoven wool kilims in brown with geometric bands, plus floral kilims made in Moldova with large rose motifs on dark brown grounds. Compare the floral pieces in Moldovan rose kilim rugs.
Oushak rugs
Wool pile on a cotton foundation, about 0.3 in (8 mm) thick, with soft floral and allover designs in walnut, gold and sand. Most are hand-knotted; a few are hand-loomed and thinner. See every color in Oushak rugs.
Patchwork and overdyed rugs
Overdyed rugs are older wool rugs given a new color treatment. Patchwork rugs join sections of older rugs, often overdyed, into a new layout. Patchwork edges are overlocked, so they have no fringe. Explore patchwork rugs and overdyed rugs.
Dhurries
Flatwoven rugs made in India from cotton and wool, about 0.25 in (6 mm) thick, with brown and ivory stripes and geometric patterns. They are light enough to move and lie flat, which suits bedrooms and rooms that change often.
Aubusson flatweaves
Thin flatwoven rugs with a camel or sand field and a patterned terracotta border, suited to formal living and dining rooms. See more in Aubusson and needlepoint rugs.
Rooms, Sizes and Brown Runners
Most brown area rugs here fall between 6x9 and 9x12, a range that covers bedrooms, dining rooms and most living room seating groups. For a dining table, a flatwoven kilim or dhurrie lets chairs slide in and out easily; choose a size that keeps the chairs on the rug when they are pulled out. For a bedroom, choose a pile rug or a dhurrie over a goat hair kilim. For an entry or a busy living room where shoes stay on, goat hair kilims are the most hard-wearing choice.
Brown runners come in two groups. Narrow runners about 2 to 3 feet wide, mostly patchwork, Oushak and wool pile pieces, suit standard hallways. Wider goat hair kilim runners about 4 to 5 feet across and 10 to 12 feet long can cover a wide corridor or sit beside a long bed. Compare runners in every color in runner rugs.
Size note: Always check the exact product measurements before ordering. Handmade and vintage rugs can vary slightly from standard size names.
Common Brown Rug Questions
Are all brown rugs in this collection wool and hand-knotted?
No. Most Oushak rugs are hand-knotted wool pile, and a few are hand-loomed. The kilims are flatwoven in wool or goat hair, and the dhurries are woven from cotton and wool. The material and construction of each rug are listed on its product page.
Is a goat hair kilim comfortable to walk on barefoot?
Not usually. Goat hair is coarse and stiff, so it can prickle bare feet. It suits hallways, entryways and rooms where shoes are worn. For a soft brown rug, choose an Oushak, overdyed or Moroccan pile rug.
Are these brown rugs vintage?
Many are. The goat hair, cicim and Moldovan kilims, patchwork and overdyed rugs are roughly 30 to 80 years old. Most Oushak rugs and dhurries are 10 to 20 years old, and a few pieces are newer. Each product page lists the approximate age of that rug.
Should a brown rug be darker or lighter than my floor?
On pale oak or light tile, a dark chocolate or walnut rug gives the room a clear anchor. On dark wood, a camel rug or a brown and ivory dhurrie keeps the rug from disappearing into the floor.
Do I need a rug pad?
The kilims, dhurries and Aubusson flatweaves have no pile and are about 0.16 to 0.24 in (4 to 6 mm) thick. A rug pad adds cushioning and helps keep them in place on hard floors, especially on runners.
How should I clean a brown rug?
Every rug in this collection, including the dhurries and the flatwoven kilims, should be cleaned by a professional rug cleaner. Handmade rugs should not go in a washing machine.
Will the rug look the same as in the photos?
The photos show the exact rug you receive. Brown can look warmer in daylight and deeper in the evening, and pile rugs can look lighter or darker depending on the direction you see them from, so compare the full-rug image with the close-ups.
Related Rug Collections
If you want a lighter neutral, compare beige and ivory rugs. For warmer, redder tones, browse red and burgundy rugs or orange rugs, and for a darker base, black rugs. To search every color by room size, start with area rugs or large area rugs.
