Take to the floor: The best rugs and wood flooring for your space, plus expert tips on how to clean them

Irish Independent

30-05-2025

In Irish homes, the overwhelming fashion is for hard floors and rugs, usually large enough that the front feet of the furniture can rest upon it.
'A lot of people would love to have a cream-coloured rug, but they're put off by the thought of maintenance,' says Clare Walsh of Kukoon Rugs.
The Newry-based rug store is run by Walsh and her brother Paul Vallely. They sell accessibly priced rugs of their own design, made by their partner company in Turkey.
Their solution to the maintenance conundrum was to introduce a range of machine-washable rugs. 'They were an instant success. People understood the concept straight away.'
Their first generation of flatwoven washable rugs, which are still available, are made of recycled cotton (80pc) and polyester (20pc) with a jute backing. They're printed with vintage patterns, often resembling a traditional Persian rug, and cost €285 for a 2 x 3m rug. 'Some people love a flatwoven rug,' Walsh says. 'But they're not for everyone.'
Their next iteration, the Everyday Collection (€225 for a 2 x 3m rug) is also machine washable to 30 degrees and made of recycled cotton with chenille (30 pc). Chenille is a tufted yarn that can be made from a range of materials. In this instance, it's cotton and polyester.
Walsh felt the rugs were still too flat. Working with their partners in Turkey, Kukoon evolved a range of soft washable rugs (€325 for a 2 x 3m rug). These too are printed but, with a 12mm pile, are soft to the touch. They look and feel like a low-pile carpet.
The Soft Collection is 57pc recycled cotton and 43pc chenille with a recycled cotton backing. 'It's a balancing act between sustainability and cost,' Walsh admits. 'The only way to make the rugs softer, while keeping the prices low, was to increase the amount of chenille. If a more sustainable rug is more expensive, people still choose the cheaper option.'
While all these products are machine washable to 30 degrees, a large rug would require a very large washing machine.
'Most people don't intend to put them in the washing machine but they're not afraid to take out the scrubbing brush. Because they know they can clean the rug easily, people are ordering them in lighter colours and using them under the dining table or in the kitchen.'
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Kukoon has more washable rugs in the pipeline, including a fluffy rug, a loop-pile textured rug, and one made from imitation jute.
'We like developing products that don't already exist,' Walsh says. 'It always takes longer than my optimistic brain thinks it will, but we like to be the first!'
For those with a little more to spend, you can't beat a wool rug. 'There's a misconception that synthetics are more durable,' says Phoebe Holland of Rugs.ie. Witness the generations of Persian rugs which have outlived their owners to sell as antiques.
Rugs.ie was founded by her parents, Brendan and Dominique Holland, in 1994. Back then, Holland's Wood Floors and Rugs was a small family business with a shop on Cork's MacCurtain Street.
'Local people still call us Holland's,' says Phoebe, who left her corporate career to join the family business 10 years ago. 'We had to modernise. I saw the potential in that and my father trusted me to do it.'
Now, Rugs.ie has a strong online presence (the clue's in the name) and a large store in Douglas, Co Cork.
Most rugs at Rugs.ie are made of wool, all of which is responsibly sourced. And while no pure wool rug is machine washable, all can be spot cleaned.
'Don't use chemicals,' Holland says. 'Dabbing with Woolite and warm water will get rid of most stains.' When choosing a rug, Holland recommends using the company's online visualiser. 'Rugs are difficult to pick and people struggle with sizing. It needs to look balanced in the space.'
In terms of style, Holland has noticed a resurgence of interest in traditional Persian and Turkish rugs: 'Part of that is nostalgia. People remember these rugs from their grannies' homes. Now, so many modern houses have hard edges, a traditional rug is a great way to add a sense of history.'
A hand-knotted Persian rug is a big investment. They can cost as much as €10,000 for a 160 x 230cm rug. 'We also sell a range of reworked vintage Persian rugs,' she explains.
These vintage pieces have lain unsold in storage units for decades, often because the colours and patterns weren't fashionable. Now, they've been upcycled.
'Some of them have been sun-bleached, or shaved in parts, or given touches of modern colour. But they're still hand-made and they're still Persian.' Prices for a 200 x 300cm reworked Persian vintage rug range from €1,100 to €2,000.
'It's a shame to cover up a beautiful wood floor with a rug!' says John Flannery of Havwoods, a company that supplies and fits wood flooring. 'You should look at the floor first. The rug is a flexible option. It will change many more times than the floor will.'
While wood flooring is famously timeless, he's noticed a trend for dark wood floors in contemporary homes. 'We've two projects where the wood floors are matte black!'
Plank floors are in demand, especially in large spaces with planks as wide as the budget will allow. 'The wider the plank, the more expensive they get,' he says.
Other layouts, including chevron and herringbone floors are also becoming popular. 'Modern herringbone uses longer pieces of wood so it doesn't look like a school floor.'
Wood flooring from Havwoods starts at €105 per metre for a plank floor and €120 per metre for a herringbone pattern, both including installation. 'Always order from a company that offers a full supply and fit service. That way you have a warranty for the installation as well as the floor.'
Flannery's other recommendation is to clean a wood floor using only a spray mop and a pH-neutral cleaner: 'You won't find the cleaner in the supermarket but any reputable flooring outlet will sell it.'
Beware of products marketed as pH-friendly, as these may contain lemon juice. 'They smell nice but they'll erode your floor,' he warns. 'Lemon juice destroys wood floors.'