Beyond the Boring Bathroom Rug

Popular bathroom designs are all over the board these days: serene and neutral spa style, quaint and country, sleek and modern, artsy and eclectic. So why do so many bathrooms still feature a solid-color rug that came with a matching toilet seat cover?

It doesn't have to be that way, you know. Any number of retailers are selling bath rugs bursting with personality, ready to stand alone in an ordinary bathroom or, in most cases, available as part of an accessory ensemble, like Jenny & Jeff's "Dog Parade," that will link the whole bathroom with a single theme.

Keep in mind, too, that a washable bathroom rug is a great way to disguise less-than-desirable linoleum or tile without ripping up floors or resorting to the bathroom carpeting so unpopular with allergists. If you have a lot of floor to cover, many bathroom rugs come in larger-than-average sizes or you can use more than one or display a couple on top of an oversize sisal rug.