The Best Big, Affordable Rugs (That Look Expensive)

Not to get too graphic, but our living room feels naked without a big, sexy rug. You could have the swaggiest living room in the wild, wild west (so, Bushwick), with an Eames chair cocked just so and the sunlight reflecting off of your Alvar Aalto vase into your postmodern wiggle mirror, and still be a wanton, vibe-depraved rube if there’s nary a shag rug to greet your guests’ toes. It is, quite simply, the first layer of the home decor cake. The rest [lights tomato candle] is icing.

“But how am I going to know where to buy affordable rugs?” you may ask, standing on some Landlord Special linoleum or a creaky, Pilgrim-core wood floor. SAD. This isn’t Jamestown. You don’t have to be a martyr for tall hats and buckled shoes, or whatever those bros were up to (John Wick > John Smith). You just have to have a couple hundred dollars, and the willingness to feel the (rug) burn.

The following home and decor sites are some of the best places to find big-ass rugs (that look expensive) at cheap prices, from Amazon to Wayfair and all the in-between vendors with names so forthright (B-Day club mic shout-out to Rugs USA) that they almost feel like a trick—but, there’s no petty sorcery here, traveler—just affordable Moroccan-style rugs, nine-foot long MCM rugs, and vintage-inspired styles for under $200 that can keep your bed from sliding around during sex (true story) and add effortless, unyielding warmth to your Hobbit hole. 

We’ll try and put this in the most Arthurian language possible: AllModern is one of five noble in-house brands stewarded by Wayfair and, as such, it is a goldmine of affordable, modern furniture and home decor, including these rugs. Find us spread-eagle on the Fleckenstein with a glass of red wine, or hosting a Church of Satan-sponsored mixer on the blood-red Zuma. 

There sure are a lot of must-have items on Amazon. But did you know that the online shopping behemoth has some truly bougie rugs? This massive tropicana rug looks like it should be in Oprah’s Montecito estate, and yet, here it is covering up the hole in our heart humble condo floor. Amazon reviewers write that it’s “exactly as pictured,” and praise the fact that it’s also machine washable.  

Another hot tip? Go for texture. Flat rugs are rad, but bringing one with a more intriguing weave pattern home can make your guests think you make way more money than you do, or possess an airline-related credit card. Case in point: this rug from a high-rated brand called nuLOOM, which has a 4.6-star average rating from over 3,400 reviews, and a geometric pattern that says, “I’m really good at sex and solving Rubik’s Cubes.”

Trust us when we say it is not only hard, but damn near impossible to find a high-rated seven-foot long rug that costs under $700—let alone one that costs about a hundred bucks. This vintage-inspired rug has a 4.4-star average rating from over 6,300 reviews, and will be able to evolve with all of your shifting aesthetic moods, from brooding Edwardian library scholar to breezy Japandi decor fan. Cop it while it’s 56% off.

Boutique Rugs is still having an Easter sale, which means you can take home this handsome, 12-by-nine-foot Megaladon of an area rug for over $800 off, or a cheery checkered number for nearly $400 off. The site is also home to affordable washable rugs, jute rugs, outdoor rugs, and decorative poufs, which are very handy for uninvited unexpected dinner guests.  

For one of a kind area rugs, Etsy is king. I like to shop the eclectic Moroccan styles, and this seller in particular has always sent rugs to my New York City address shockingly fast. As in, “arrives-in-5-days” fast. If I didn’t already have a massive area rug from this vendor, I would smash the order button on this colorful number, which looks like a medieval manuscript drawing. 

You can browse Revival’s rug offerings by size, which helps narrow down the search for your dream floor dressing. This textured rug is not only washable, but just the right shade of deep, mossy green to pair with your terracotta-colored couch. 

No one is a bigger patriot than Rugs USA, which has made accessibility to affordable, chic rugs an issue of national importance. You can also browse the site’s offerings by not only size but shape, and take home a round six-by-seven-foot vintage-inspired rug for just over $100, or a massive 10-by-14-foot rug for a couple hundred dollars.

Overstock.com is still going strong, and has some impressive area rugs that look like they rolled out of a resort from The White Lotus. Find us sipping an Aperol Spritz such as this Italian-inspired, nine-by-12-foot long wool rug.  

We love Wayfair so much that we’ve written an entire VICE guide to shopping the site, which is filled with everything from Design Toscano dragon tables to ~personality rugs~ such as this hooked wool rug, which offers a smorgasbord of fruits to brighten up your kitchen.  

If you’re into 1970s Scandi design, the site also offers an impressive dupe for authentic Swedish rya rugs, which can cost into the thousands of dollars. This red area rug is just begging for a sunset lamp.

Now, free those toes and enjoy the fruits of your shag rug labor.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.