Eight Fabulous Eco Area Rugs

Repurposed and upcycled objects (think: flip-flops, plastic bottles) can be transformed into chic rugs.

You've vowed to follow as many green mantras as possible in your abode -- Great! So shouldn't your feet walk on an eco-friendly surface too?

In other words, what's the point of investing in low- or no-VOC paints for the walls and buying furniture sourced from FSC-certified woods if the foundation underneath is a product laden with chemicals? Most carpeting, flooring and tile options are far from green -- and the expense to create and transport many of the same products can be anything but eco-friendly.

But you can make a big difference with a green area rug. They're more feasible – and affordable – than going with a more expensive option such as laying down bamboo flooring. Plus, you can easily swap these rugs out between various rooms for a new look, or take them along should you have to move. Here are some of our favorite finds, a mix of rugs incorporating recycled fabric, plastic bottles and packing materials.

This rug, which costs under $100 ($99.95, Crate & Barrel), is recycled and hand-loomed. Remnants of cotton fabric are woven together on a loom, and the vivid colors in the two 5-foot by 8-foot rug designs (think: pumpkin, blue and reds; or springtime greens) can't be beat.

Ever wonder what happens to the soda bottles you have diligently been recycling all these years? Here is one place they go: into this all-weather, 6-foot by 6-foot recycled rug ($89, Real Goods). Choose from cranberry or silver in what the company calls a "French Quarter" pattern, and what we call sophisticated.

I always think it's a shame that when rugs wear out they are tossed into the trash, then die a slow death in a heap at the city dump. FLOR (starting at $9.99 a tile) has a fabulous solution, which is to collect these returned rugs and turn them into brand-new rugs. It's called the Return & Recycle program. Each of these 19.7-inch square FLOR tiles – you put them together to make a rug the size you'd like – is made with up to 80% recycled content. Design and color options range from stripes to a photo-satellite view of a neighborhood, and even solid neutrals. In some cases you buy the tiles in a kit where there are enough to build a rug's pattern.

In light, neutral colors, this Recycled Sunrise Rug ($125, Vivaterra) could transform any room. Made from recycled plastic, the 6-foot by 9-foot is striped and simple, but oh so beautiful and inspiring.

The nice thing about this 5-foot by 8-foot rug is that it can go indoors or outdoors. Reclaimed Flowering Vine Oriental Rug ($95, Vivaterra) is made from plastic bottles and packing materials...all that refuse we scratch our heads about and want to find a cure for. This, we think, is it.

It's never too early to think about spring, and a rug outside your front door, right? Recycled flip-flops (sourced from manufacturers of flip-flop sandals) transform into a 3-foot by 5-foot area rug ($80, Home Infatuation). The foam, rubber scraps are threaded together with galvanized steel wire.


In addition to the above national retailers, I've found two indie crafters who have upcycled waste into beautiful rugs.


Emily Kircher takes discarded fabrics and crochets them into 24-inch, circular rugs with really fun colors, like this orange and avocado combination ($40) or mocha and vanilla (also $40).

Emerald green pool-table felt morphs into a faux sheepskin rug ($30) courtesy of Auckland crafter luxfordst, who has a shop on Etsy. The rug measures 30 inches by 23 inches.