Ready for Guests: Preparing Your Home With Rugs Before the Busy Season

The months ahead are the busiest of the year for most homes. Half-term visits, birthdays, dinner parties and, before long, the festive season all bring more people through the door, and more wet shoes, spilled drinks and moved furniture with them. October is the ideal time to look at your rugs with fresh eyes and get the house ready.

Start at the front door

The entrance takes the most punishment in autumn and winter. A hard-wearing rug or runner inside the door catches grit and water before it reaches the rest of the house, and gives guests a warm first impression.

• Choose a durable, low-pile or flatweave design that is easy to vacuum. Our hallway rugs and runners are made for this.
• Darker or patterned designs disguise the inevitable mud.
• Always use an underlay on hard floors so the rug stays put when people are coming and going. See Rug Underlays: The Layer Nobody Sees.

For more on this, read the best rugs for high-traffic areas.

The dining room

If you are hosting meals, check that your dining rug is large enough for chairs to be pulled out without catching the edge. As a rule, allow around 60 to 75 cm beyond the table on every side. Our dining room rug guide covers sizing in detail. A patterned or mid-tone rug is far more forgiving of spills than a pale plain one. Browse our dining room rugs.

The living room

When furniture is rearranged for a party, rugs can end up exposed at the edges or bunched up. Before guests arrive:

• Rotate the rug if one end has faded or worn more than the other.
• Vacuum thoroughly, including underneath, to lift grit that wears the pile.
• Check corners are lying flat; see our guide to fixing curling corners.

The spare room

Guest bedrooms are often the least furnished rooms in the house, with bare floors that feel cold first thing in the morning. A soft rug beside or under the bed makes a guest room feel instantly more welcoming. Our bedroom rugs include plenty of comfortable options.

Be ready for spills

Red wine, coffee, gravy and candle wax are the classic hazards of the season. Keep clean white cloths and a gentle cleaner to hand, blot rather than rub, and act quickly. Our guide to removing the most common rug stains covers what to do for each. For homes that entertain often, a machine-washable rug takes the worry away entirely.

Order in good time

If you are planning to add or replace a rug before a particular occasion, order early. Stock rugs arrive quickly, but made-to-order and larger designer pieces take longer, and it is worth allowing a new rug a few days to relax and settle once it is unrolled. Check the delivery information on each product page, and contact us if you have a date in mind.

A decorator's note

Guests remember how a home feels more than how it looks: warm underfoot, quiet, comfortable. A well-placed rug does much of that work. If you would like help choosing something before the season gets busy, our team is always happy to advise.