We Tested (and Rated!) All the Rugs at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Your Space and Needs

Rugs are one of the most challenging decor essentials to shop for online. With that in mind, we’re seeking to answer one of the top questions we get from readers: “Are Pottery Barn rugs really worth it?” And further: What are the best Pottery Barn rugs?

Most big home purchases — like sofas and sectionals, dining tables, and coffee tables — aren’t all that easy to commit to sight unseen either, but that’s why we’re here. As your Personal Shopper, we’re visiting the showrooms and stores of your favorite home brands to put all the hard-to-online-shop-for items to the test, from sofas to — you guessed it — rugs.

We stepped on all the Pottery Barn rugs in the brand’s New York City locations, and now we’re reporting our honest opinions about them all to help you learn how to buy a rug. Without further ado, read on to find out which Pottery Barn rug is best for you.

As one of the premier spots across the country to shop for home decor, Pottery Barn is a reliable retailer. It’s a brand that, overall, has demonstrated its capacity to stay on top of trends and remained true to its best-selling classics and Americana roots.

Beyond this, Pottery Barn has its Design Crew, a team of interior design experts across the country, to help with all things planning, logistics, and aesthetics for the home. Not only can you take your pick from virtual, storefront, or in-home meetings with crew members, but they will also listen to your every desire when it comes to your dream space — whether it’s one room or your entire home — and develop custom renderings.

Oh, and they’ll do it for free. Yep, free. No need to purchase anything, either (though, yes, you’re probably going to want to).

Lastly, Pottery Barn has an entire collection of high-performance rugs. Although this doesn’t mean they’re machine washable — all of the rugs below are recommended to be spot or professionally cleaned — it means the materials and weaves they’re made of are resistant to staining, wear, and tear. In short, blotting away stains is foolproof with the performance rugs, making them great family- and pet-friendly options.

The range of rugs carried by Pottery Barn is not limited to this list. Visit the website for more options.

We judged the Pottery Barn rugs we found in-store based on the following five criteria to find the best rugs for your preferences.

Keep in mind: We’ve focused our testing on the rugs’ visual and tangible elements, serving as your eyes and hands in-store rather than simply providing specifications that can be found online. Although we’ve supplemented our criteria with a few of these distinguishing details, such as materials (Is it easy to clean? Is it known to last?) and dimensions, we are primarily reporting which Pottery Barn rugs are worth it — for whom, where, and why — with interior design and lifestyle functionality as our priorities.

• Aesthetic: What decor scheme or mood does it best suit? Does it have bold lines, patterns, or colors? Does it play nice with other decor elements or does it steal the show?

• Feel: Is the surface soft to the touch? Or is it roughly textured?

• Fluff Factor: What is the rug’s pile height? Is it tufted with long threads or otherwise voluminous? Is the rug flat or thin — in other words, tightly woven with minimal volume?

• Versatility: Does it work indoors and outdoors? Can it be layered? Is it reversible? Does it come in a wide range of colors and sizes?

Keep in mind: The Pottery Barn rugs we tested in-store are spot-clean only. Those within the performance collection are, as the name suggests, more resilient to spot cleaning (thanks to their materials). Additionally, while many of the rugs have backings that are resistant to movement, none of the rugs are touted as non-slip. Pottery Barn recommends purchasing a rug pad separately.

Every Pottery Barn rug was tested by Best List Writer, Kendall Cornish and Shopping Writer, Nikol Slatinska. Kendall has been writing for Apartment Therapy since 2021 and Nikol has since 2022. The two of them tested and reviewed hundreds of products across categories for our Best List and Personal Shopper series to help readers find the best pieces for their homes — making them experts on home decor and furniture.

Kendall and Nikol visited several Pottery Barn locations in NYC to evaluate the brand’s rugs on their aesthetic, feel, fluff factor, and versatility.

What Impressed Us: Created by a team of craftswomen represented by the “Made by Her” project, which teaches artisans new skills, the Capitola rug beautifully represents the hard work that went into it. This rug boasts a low-pile height and latex-coated underside, which make it a safer option in terms of reducing the risk of tripping. Including that it’s a statement piece, this rug is definitely our pick for living and sitting rooms. Get ready for the compliments.

Specifications:

• Materials: 100% wool
• Sizes: 3’x5′, 4’x6′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 2.5’x9′, 2.5’x12′, 6′ round, 8′ round, 8′ square, 10′ square
• Colors: Available in 6 color options

What impressed us: Even though the Demitria rug was tucked away under a dining table in the store, there’s no way to hide its prominent Turkish-inspired pattern. It’s available in tan, green, and black color schemes, but we were pretty taken with the cool blue version we saw.

The thin rug’s hand-knotted construction is quite scratchy, but you’ll rarely find soft rugs to be the most durable. The piped edges are a nice touch, and although a rug pad is recommended, we didn’t find that this pick curled up at the corners the way some other rugs did. The wide size range is also something to note.

Specifications:

• Materials: 100% wool hand-knotted in India
• Sizes: 3’x5′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 12’x18′, 2.5’x9′, 2.5’x12′, 8′ square
• Colors: Available in 4 color options

What Impressed Us: Available in an ivory color we well as three other light neutrals, all colors of the Prism rug offer a subtle (but powerful) light reflectivity that brightens up a whole space rather than weighing it down. For rooms with bulky furniture, like bedrooms with headboards, side tables, and dressers, a little extra glow can make a huge difference in the way it feels to be in (or even look at) a space. Don’t let the polyester material throw you off — it’s a soft rug underfoot.

Specifications:

• Material: 50% polyester and 50% recycled polyester
• Sizes: 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 8′ square
• Colors: Available in 4 color options

What Impressed Us: The Haven is unfazed by all the usual rug-ruining suspects, from shoes to pets, thanks to its strong braided jute weave and cotton and latex-coated backing. It’s designed to withstand all the activity that goes on in high traffic areas like hallways, entryways, and kitchens — wherever that zone is in your home.

Use it as the bottom layer under other rugs to protect those exterior edges, which have higher foot traffic and tend to fall victim to uneven darkening over time.

Specifications:

• Material: 100% braided jute
• Sizes: 5’x8′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 6′ round, 8′ round
• Colors: Available in 3 color options

What Impressed Us: While jute lends durability, the inclusion of wool in the Chunky Natural Wool/Jute rug‘s weave is a warm and welcoming element in terms of both the look and feel. It’s reversible, has a consistent pattern throughout, and is a blend of neutral tones, so it’s ideal for layering indoors. While soft enough to be a top layer, its texture allows it to hold fast to rugs as a bottom or middle layer and complement the details of rugs with bolder designs, allowing them to shine.

Specifications:

• Material: 60% jute and 40% wool bouclé weave
• Sizes: 3’x5′, 4’x6′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 12’x18′, 2.5’x9′, 2.5’x12′, 6′ round, 8′ square
• Colors: Available in 6 color options

What Impressed Us: Ideal for those areas that have a lot of activity, the lightweight Kian rug works both indoors and out. It’s handwoven from recycled (single-use!) plastic fibers, so it has great traction and clings easily to concrete or other outdoor flooring.

Because of the dimension given by the multiple hues and 4 inches of fringe on either end, it looks more like a stylish indoor rug than one that’s prepared to weather the outdoors. So, why not use it in areas that count as both, like patios and porches?

Specifications:

• Material: 100% recycled polyester from single-use plastic
• Sizes: 2’x3′, 3’x5′, 4’x6′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 2.5’x9′, 2.5’x12′
• Colors: Available in 5 color options

What impressed us: The Reeva rug is one of Pottery Barn’s newest offerings. We viewed it in a subtle beige and light blue colorway. It also sports a faded, vintage-inspired finish, though these features fail to hide the rug’s intricate floral pattern. The rug is thin and low pile, but you might find its fibers to shed a bit at first. After a couple of passes with your vacuum, however, the Reeva will feel like it’s been in your home for years. 

Specifications:

• Material: 52% wool and 48% viscose
• Sizes: 3’x5′, 4’x6′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 12’x18′, 2.5’x9′, 2.5’x12′, 6′ round, 8′ round, 10′ round, 8′ square
• Colors: Available in 8 color options

What impressed us: You might not think it, but Pottery Barn does carry one-of-a-kind pieces, and the Nicolette rug is a prime example. That’s because each one is handmade using a traditional hand-knotting technique, which takes up to four weeks to complete. This is even more impressive up close, as you can see all the tiny, individual knots that make up the rug’s beautiful geometric motif.

The Nicolette comes in six vibrant colorways and is of medium softness. As a result, it’s versatile and durable enough to go in just about any area of the home.

Specifications:

• Materials: 100% wool hand-knotted in India
• Sizes: 3’x5′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 12’x18′, 2.5’x6′, 2.5’x9′, 2.5’x12′, 6′ round, 8′ square
• Colors: Available in 6 color options

What Impressed Us: Surprisingly soft for being made of polyester, the Microplush shag rug is another performance option. That’s right — Pottery Barn decided to be the hero and make a shag rug that’s actually easy to vacuum and keep stain-free.

Although its backing isn’t 100% non-slip, it does have a latex backing, making it a more durable and flexible rug overall. For kids’ rooms, it’s a no-brainer. Super cozy, clingy, and durable, it’s one that’ll get (and be able to withstand) playtime activities as well as napping and shedding pets. Oh, and did I mention how deliciously soft it is?

Specifications:

• Materials: 100% recycled polyester
• Sizes: 4’x6′, 5’x8′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′, 9’x12′, 10’x14′, 12’x18′, 2.5’x12′, 8′ square
• Colors: Available in 3 color options