Contemporary Rugs & Modern Rugs
Add a minimalist touch to your home with our range of modern and contemporary rugs
Bring luxury into your home with our range of contemporary and modern rugs.
Influenced by modern art, modern and contemporary rugs are popular for their diversity of colours and uses in your home. Modern rugs are typically associated with minimalism and clean, elegant patterns that keep your room feeling simple and classy.
Our range of contemporary rugs has been thoughtfully handpicked with stylish designs and patterns for your living space. Choose from our dynamic selection of rugs featuring stark contrasts and bold colours to complement a variety of architectural, geometric and free-form styles.
Find the perfect piece of modern floor art to create an abstract and eye-catching centrepiece for your bedroom. Or keep things clean and elegant with a chic, minimalist geometric pattern for your light and airy living space.
Modern rugs, mid-century modern rugs and contemporary rugs — what’s the difference?
The words “modern” and “contemporary” are often used interchangeably when describing a particular style of rug. However, while there are a lot of similarities between them, there are several key differences between modern styles and contemporary styles.
Modern
Modern design has its roots in the 1920s to 1950s period. It’s closely associated with the similar-sounding mid-century modern style of decor that also became popular during this era. Modern design is all about using minimalism to complete your space.
Modern styles tend to focus on clean lines, open spaces and symmetry to create a clean, balanced feeling within a room. Rugs that use black and white patterns are a popular choice when adopting the modern style, though patterns and splashes of colour can still be used when adhering to modern design.
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern design is different to modern design in a few key ways. The mid-century modern style can be seen as the louder, more vibrant cousin of modern design and was born out of the flourish of creativity that began with the end of World War II. It incorporates more colour into its decor than modern styles.
The idea behind the mid-century modern design was to create a style that looked to the future. Its popularity from 1945 to 1965 means that mid-century modernism now has a slightly retro feel to it.
However, the two design themes share enough similarities that they often overlap. Think of the modern aesthetic as an umbrella term that covers mid-century modern decor.
Contemporary
Contemporary rugs are essentially a sub-genre of modern rugs and follow similar principles to typical modern styling. However, much like the name implies, the characteristics of contemporary rugs have changed over time depending on what is currently in fashion at the moment.
The reason for contemporary rugs and modern rugs being lumped together is that modern designs are currently in fashion, meaning that contemporary designs draw most of their influence from modernism. Contemporary rugs are informed by modernism rather than mimicking it, hence the different categories.
Current contemporary design trends incorporate minimalism, geometric patterns and cool hues as part of a less-is-more approach to decor. Whereas mid-century modern is more distinct, it can be difficult to immediately spot the differences between a modern rug and a contemporary rug.
So, which style is right for your home?
While modern, mid-century modern and contemporary styles are all different, they still belong under the same umbrella. All three use minimalism in different ways and are focused on shapes and geometrical patterns to create meaning within a space.
Which style you choose will mostly come down to your preference for colour. If you enjoy colours with a slightly retro, art-pop feel, you’ll probably choose a mid-century modern rug. For example, our Sky Modern Rug incorporates a swirl pattern against a striking red backdrop to add a bold statement to your minimalist decor. Mid-century modern is popular for stylists who want to add a statement piece to their space.
If you’re more of a less-is-more type of designer, modern and contemporary rugs are the best choice for your space. Don’t focus too much on the distinction between modern and contemporary decor when choosing your next rug — many rug providers use the terms modern and contemporary interchangeably.
For a clean, minimalist modern rug, we recommend opting for a geometric pattern that uses monochromatic colours. Our Bonnie Modern Black Trellis Rug is a great choice for this style. This style is ideal for creating a sleek, professional atmosphere in your space.
Abstract patterns are also an excellent fit for modern and contemporary decors. Our Alex Contemporary Abstract Rug is an ideal choice if you want an abstract rug that still feels minimalist. Or, go bold with our Danny Contemporary Abstract Rug, available in four convenient sizes to help you add a statement piece to your living room or dining area.
We offer a range of sizes and materials to help you find contemporary rugs that are perfect for any space
Our modern rugs are available in a wide variety of colours, sizes and materials to suit any style or budget. Whether you’re after a small rug for your bedroom, a medium-sized rug for your lounge or dining room or a large area rug to fill a vast space we have modern and contemporary rugs to suit your purpose.
Designed for style and practicality, our contemporary rugs are tailored to modern priorities – a piece of floor art that will add a pop of personality to your space while being easy to clean and maintain and that won’t break the bank.
Browse our modern and contemporary rugs to find your next piece of floor art today!
Find the right rug size for your space
We’ve tailored our range to provide a selection of convenient size options that are ideal for any room. We always recommend taking extra care to find a rug that will not only fit in your room but will also flatter and enrich the area.
- Small rugs — Our small rugs are a great way to feature small pieces of furniture in your home, such as sideboards, coffee tables or bookshelves. They measure between 150 x 80cm and 170 x 120cm, making them ideal for transitional areas such as entrances and exits that often feel sparse or unfinished.
- Medium rugs — Medium rugs are ideal for living rooms, small bedrooms and home offices. This is a popular size for children’s bedrooms or small play areas, with our selection of kid's rugs featuring educational prints to give your little ones hours of fun. Our medium rugs measure 230 x 160cm.
- Large rugs — Suitable for larger living rooms, dining rooms and master bedrooms, large rugs are the go-to choice for adding a statement piece to your room. Our large rugs measure 290 x 200 cm and are especially popular when adding a rug to a 6-8 seater dining table.
- Extra-large rugs — Extra-large modern rugs are a great choice for large dining areas, entertaining rooms and spacious living rooms. They’re also a great idea for placing on your deck as modern rugs look great on wooden surfaces. However, this will depend on the material of the rug and the rain protection available on your deck.
Our extra-large rugs measure 330 x 240 cm. While an extra-large rug may fit your required space, it’s also important to leave enough space between the rug and the surrounding walls if possible. We recommend keeping at least 15cm of space between your extra-large rug and the wall.
We want to help you make the best decision when choosing a new rug for your home. For our full-size rug buying guide, check out our full summary of the best rug sizes for each type of room to help you find the best fit for your room.
Adding a new rug to your home? Check out our styling tips for our range of rug sizes
There are many factors to consider when adding a new rug to your home. While we always recommend experimenting with your decor, we’ve put together a handful of tips that will help you make the right decisions when styling your new rug.
- Rugs with patterns — Purchasing a patterned rug is a great way to tie your room together or add a statement piece to your space. When buying a patterned modern rug, remember to take note of any surrounding furniture that will cover up part of the rug.
For example, if placing a rug under a coffee table, remember that the middle portion of the rug’s design will be covered depending on the angle you’re looking at it from. If you’re after a rug for your bedroom, make sure your bed, dresser or bedside tables aren’t covering up too much of the rug.
- Rugs for your bed — Placing a rug under your bed in a master bedroom is a tried and true decor trend, but it’s important to make sure both sides of your bed have an equal amount of rug poking out from underneath. If the rug isn’t equal on both sides, it can create an unbalanced feeling to your space. We recommend measuring your bed to find its best position on top of your rug.
- Hallway rugs — Hallway rugs, also known as carpet runners, require a certain amount of space between the edge of the rug and the wall. We recommend keeping at least a 10cm gap between the rug and the wall, otherwise, the rug may look too big for your hallway.
- Rugs for your tables — Adding a rug underneath your coffee table or dining table can help draw attention to your furniture. Ensure the legs of your table can all fit on the surface of the rug and leave space between the edge of the table and the edge of the rug. Ideally, there should be enough space for you to walk around the table’s circumference.
- Rug shapes — There’s a lot of debate about whether your rug should be the same shape as your furniture. Some stylists prefer adding a round rug to a round coffee table, as this can create a harmonious, balanced appearance to the space. These are great for contemporary and traditional decors.
However, you may prefer to do the opposite depending on your personal style. Mid-century modern styles use contrasting shapes to create a more dynamic living area, such as placing a round rug in front of a rectangular couch. Eclectic stylists also combine contrasting rug and furniture shapes.
Our synthetic contemporary rugs offer superior durability, so you can keep your rug looking fresher for longer
Our modern and contemporary rugs are made with high-quality synthetic materials, making them ideal for a range of settings and living spaces. Synthetic rugs are known for their durability and for being easy to clean, making them an ideal material for most modern homes. They also start at a lower price point than other rug materials like wool or cowhide.
Our synthetic rugs are made with either frieze polypropylene or heat-set polypropylene material. Frieze polypropylene is essentially a shinier variant of polypropylene, which is used depending on the texture and colours of your rug.
What are the benefits of polypropylene material?
Polypropylene rugs are more durable than most other rugs as their synthetic fibres are more equipped to handle everyday foot traffic, especially in a busy household. Polypropylene is also known for being colourfast, meaning that your rug will keep its original colours and textures for years.
If you’re concerned about stains, polypropylene is also more resistant to water than most other rugs and doesn’t absorb liquids. This makes cleaning up spills a breeze and is part of the reason for their popularity in homes with large families and small children.
However, their durability doesn’t come at the expense of comfort. Polypropylene rugs are soft to the touch and an ideal choice for bare-foot homes, as they have a similar look and feel to most natural fibres.
When adding a modern rug to your home, a synthetic polypropylene rug is a versatile option that provides added convenience to your lifestyle. For areas with less foot traffic like bedrooms or dining areas, we offer a range of luxurious cowhide, wool and silk rugs to add to your home.
Want to mix things up? Here’s how to add a modern rug to your traditional decor
While it may sound unconventional, combining two home decor themes within one space has become a trendy styling technique in recent years. Two of the most compatible styles for mixing are modern and traditional decor themes.
Traditional decor is known for mixing sophistication and warmth, creating a welcoming environment that feels classic, elegant and timeless in its construction. When people think of traditional rugs, they often picture rugs with border patterns and geometric medallion designs. These rugs also evoke styles from history, such as European regality and Oriental patterns.
Modern decor is more focused on using minimalism to create an airy, sophisticated space. Think clean, straight lines, empty space and a lack of clutter, which is often tied together with white, grey or black walls.
Traditionally styled homes
If you have a traditionally styled home but would like to branch out with your next rug, several of our modern rugs already match the aesthetic of traditional decor. For example, the geometric pattern and neutral grey colour of our Bonnie Modern Trellis Rug would fit with most traditional styles. Our David Transitional Rug features a medallion pattern design that is common across traditional rugs. Its faded colour adds a modern touch to the conventional medallion pattern, creating a bridge between both styles.
When choosing a rug that will suit modern or traditional styles, first assess which style your room is closest to. If your room features a lot of traditional decors such as ornate wooden tables or historical European sofas, try experimenting with a minimalist modern rug to balance it out.
A bold contemporary rug like our Aria Black Modern Rug would be too much of a contrast to a traditionally themed room. However, our Kelly Geometric Rug features a geometric pattern to provide a modern feel, but its neutral colour scheme won’t clash with your existing furniture. The latter rug will enhance the existing theme without looking out of place.
Modern homes
If your home decor skews more modern, a traditional rug is a great way to mix things up within your space. Traditional rugs offer a timeless, welcoming feeling that can help balance the minimalism within a modern setting. These rugs are particularly effective when you’re looking for a statement piece within your contemporary home.
The light grey of our Alfred Traditional Floral Rug is a safe but effective choice for a minimalist aesthetic, especially if your home features black or white walls. Whereas most greys are created with cooler hues, this shade of grey will create a warmer feeling within your space. This feeling is enhanced by the beige border pattern and its integration of intricate floral designs, making this rug an ideal centrepiece that won’t offset your minimalistic aesthetic.
For a bolder option, we recommend our Alfred Traditional Medallion Rug. The deeper blues are contrasted with lighter shades and a faded design, creating a more striking colour scheme that still feels modern in its construction.
Traditional rugs have also become increasingly popular in modern kitchens. Not only will a rug add an additional textural layer to your sleek tiles and countertops, but they’re also a great way of adding character to an organised space. Traditional rugs that feature geometric patterns and borders are especially good for this.
Our Josephine Traditional Rug hues close enough to black that it won’t upset your monochromatic kitchen, but its pattern includes subtle flecks of brown, blue, beige and yellow to add colour to the space.
For even more colour, try our Alder Traditional Medallion Rug. This rug embodies all the characteristics of a classic traditional rug, from its border patterns to its central medallion design. The rug is available in two colour variants, olive and terracotta, depending on how much warmth you’re looking to add to your kitchen.
FAQs about modern rugs
- Why are modern rugs so popular?
Modern rugs have become one of the most popular types of rugs today due to the rise of open-plan living, which is heavily influenced by minimalism. Most newly constructed modern homes are adopting open floor plans to create light, airy rooms that appear more spacious, especially with added natural light.
Because of this, modern and contemporary rugs are a great fit for the open-plan, minimalist aesthetic. Their clean designs and neutral colours reduce the visual noise that can overwhelm a space.
Our range includes transitional modern rugs that are used to clearly delineate space within an open plan room. This is a great way to create multiple distinct areas within one large room and is often used to mark where a living area ends and a kitchen or dining area begins. Because of their minimalist patterns, it’s easy to find two modern rugs that complement each other and enhance the overall feeling of a space.
- Are synthetic rugs good for people with allergies?
All rugs collect dirt and allergens that can affect the air quality of your home over time. However, some rugs are better than others for people who are susceptible to allergies. In general, synthetic rugs are a safe choice if you’re looking for a rug that won’t shed or produce too many allergens. Our range of polypropylene modern rugs are generally made with low piles, meaning they collect less dust and bacteria than other rugs.
The best way to reduce the number of allergens produced by your rugs is to clean them regularly. This is where polypropylene rugs are useful, as their synthetic texture makes it quicker and easier to remove dust and bacteria between the rug’s fibres.
- What’s the best way to clean my rug?
Our range of modern rugs is made with durable polypropylene that is known for being easy to clean. However, like all rugs, even synthetic materials will require regular cleaning to retain their colour and soft texture.
Vacuuming – We recommend vacuuming your contemporary rug at least twice per week, though more frequent cleaning may be required if your rug is placed in an area with high foot traffic.
Shaking — If you have a buildup of dirt or sand on your rug, it’s best to take it outside and shake it to dislodge as much matter as possible. We recommend doing this before vacuuming to ensure as much dirt is removed as possible.
Removing liquids — One of the benefits of synthetic rugs is that they are resistant to liquids, meaning that spills are less likely to leave stains if cleaned quickly. This is one of the main reasons that many people with small kids or large families opt for synthetic over other, more luxurious materials. When cleaning a liquid stain from your rug, start by blotting the rug with a spare rag or paper towel. It’s important to make sure that you don’t rub the area, as this can push the stain further into the rug fibres. For stubborn liquid stains, try mixing a solution of one part vinegar and one part water. Spray your solution onto the stain before blotting it again. Repeat this process until the stain is removed.
Professional cleaning — The best way to get the longest life out of your rug is to have it professionally cleaned. The exact time required between professional cleanings will vary from rug to rug. Outdoor rugs or rugs kept in high traffic areas will require more regular professional cleaning than rugs in your bedroom or study. As a general rule, we recommend getting your rugs professionally cleaned at least once per year. You can increase this quantity depending on your rug’s condition.
- Do you sell anti-slip pads for rugs?
We do! An anti-slip pad is the best way to keep your rugs from moving around, saving you time and effort from having to constantly readjust their position. Anti-slip pads are a great option for families with small children, as they reduce the risk of injuries caused by slipping. They also reduce the risk of your rugs curling in at the corners, which can create a tripping hazard and warp the shape of your rug.
We recommend all our customers buy anti-slip pads with their rugs. To add one to your order, simply find the Select Pad menu on any of our product pages, choose the correct size for your rug and add the rug to your cart.
- How long will it take for my rug to dispatch?
We always aim to get your rug shipped to you as soon as possible. The delivery time for your order will depend on your location and can be impacted by factors such as holiday trading, severe weather conditions and postal delays.
To get an accurate estimate for your order, head over to the Shipping Calculator tab on our product pages. Here, you can enter the quantity of each product that you need and your suburb. This will give you an estimated time of arrival for your order. Our Shipping Calculator will also provide you with an estimated delivery cost for your order.
- Do you accept returns on your range?
We want all of our customers to be satisfied with their choice of rug from our extensive range. We accept returns on your order within 30 days of making your purchase. All returns must be unused and in their original packaging. For valid returns, we’ll provide you with a refund of the purchase price to your original payment method.
Shop contemporary rugs online today with Rug.com.au and receive free shipping when you spend over $300
At Rug.com.au, it's never been simpler to buy modern rugs online.
If you're looking for a quick, affordable solution, we have rugs under $100 that don't compromise on style. You can decorate your home and create a stylish talking point for your guests without the price tag. We've carefully handpicked contemporary rugs from all over the world, so you're sure to find the perfect floor art style for your home decor.
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