Not all rugs were born to be kitchen rugs. I'd argue that most are actually quite terrible for the job, although I'm sure there's someone out there who just loves to squish their white sheepskin rug under their feet while they cook bolognese. Whoever that freak is, I hope you're having fun.

For everybody else, a good kitchen rug will follow a particular set of criteria. First and foremost it should be washable, because the kitchen is a dirty place. I'm not saying you, the rug-curious reader looking at this, is necessarily a messy little pig in the kitchen; I'm just saying it's a high traffic area, and you'll want a rug that can withstand a substantial battering and a wayward splatter or two. The second—and maybe more subjective criteria—is that it should be interesting.…