Boot Rooms and Back Doors: Rugs That Can Handle a British Winter

The front door gets the attention, but in most British homes it is the back door that does the work. From October to March it is where wellies come off, dogs come in from the field, shopping bags are dropped and school coats are flung. A boot room, utility room or side entrance takes more punishment than any other floor in the house, and the rug you put there has to earn its place. The good news is that practical no longer means plain or dreary. With the right choice, the most functional corner of the house can be one of the most charming.

What a back-door rug has to cope with

Before you think about colour or pattern, be honest about what the rug will face. Most boot rooms and utility spaces share the same conditions:

• Wet and mud carried in on boots, paws and wheels, often several times a day.
• Grit, which acts like sandpaper on fibres if it is left to work its way down into the pile.
• Hard, cold floors such as quarry tiles, flagstones or vinyl, where a rug can slide and where a little warmth underfoot is welcome.
• Doors that open over the rug, so thickness matters as much as size.

With those in mind, the choice usually narrows to two families of rug: indoor/outdoor designs and machine-washable designs.

Indoor/outdoor rugs: the natural boot-room choice

Rugs designed to live outside are, unsurprisingly, very good at coping with what comes in from outside. The Morris & Co, Sanderson and Scion indoor/outdoor ranges made by Brink & Campman are tufted from yarn spun from recycled PET bottles, which makes them weather resistant, colourfast and easy to clean. They have a low loop pile of around 5 mm, so they sit neatly under most doors, and they are suitable for use both indoors and out.

What makes them special for a boot room is the design. You can have a William Morris pattern by the back door without worrying about it. Blackthorn in the deep green Tump colourway, a millefleurs meadow designed by John Henry Dearle in 1892, is the kind of rug that makes a utility room feel like part of a country house rather than an afterthought. Browse the full selection in our outdoor rugs collection, or see the wider Morris & Co range.

Machine-washable rugs: the family favourite

If your back door sees muddy paws more than muddy boots, a rug you can put through the washing machine is hard to beat. We carry two washable ranges:

• Liberty has a soft, low velvet-feel pile of around 4 mm and a non-slip backing, which helps on smooth tiled floors. Explore the Liberty collection.
• Lux Washable has a low faux rabbit fur pile of around 7 mm, a stain-guarded finish and a rubber backing. See the Lux Washable collection.

Both are machine made for indoor use and recommended for areas with moderate foot traffic. Always follow the care label: the Lux range, for example, is washed cold and line dried, and larger sizes need a larger-capacity machine. We look at the pros and cons in more depth in Washable Rugs: Are They Worth It?

Getting the size and shape right

Measure the door swing first. If a door opens across the rug, check the clearance before you buy. A low pile is almost always the right answer here.

Think in runners. Many boot rooms and side passages are long and narrow, and a runner covers the whole walking line from the door to the kitchen. Our runner rugs are a good starting point, and our guide to choosing the right hallway runner covers proportions and placement.

Leave a border of floor. A strip of tile or stone around the rug makes it easier to sweep and stops it looking wall-to-wall.

Colour and pattern that forgive

Pale plain rugs and back doors are not friends. Mid-tones, deep greens, rusts, inky blues and busy all-over patterns disguise the day-to-day traffic far better. Traditional designs are particularly forgiving because the eye reads the pattern rather than the marks. A boot room is also a lovely place to be a little braver than you would be in the sitting room: a strong botanical or a bold stripe can set the tone for the whole house.

A simple winter routine

• Shake or vacuum often. Removing grit before it settles is the single best thing you can do for any rug.
• Let wet rugs dry fully before folding or putting anything heavy on them.
• Keep a coarse mat outside the door to catch the worst of the mud before it reaches your rug.
• Treat spills quickly. Our guide to removing common rug stains covers the usual culprits.

A decorator's note

The back door is often the first thing family and close friends see, so it deserves a little thought. A good boot-room rug should make coming in from the cold feel like a welcome rather than a chore. If you would like help choosing a size or a design that suits your space, send us a photograph and a few measurements and our team will gladly make some suggestions.