Rugs are an important part of interior design — the foundation of a room in more ways than one. “Classical decorators typically start with a rug and then design the rest of the space based on the rug material, pattern and colors,” explains designer Hillary Littlejohn, owner of Dallas-based HLS Design. “A rug used in this way cohesively connects all the design concepts.”

For Kim Armstrong, owner of Kim Armstrong Interior Design, a rug acts as an anchor, visually pulling furniture together. “A rug is a huge design element in a room, and it is one that should not be left out,” she advises. But rugs can be extremely pricey, especially if you’re considering fabrics such as wool and silk or favor an antique Oriental rug. You can spend into six figures if you really want to (check out these one-of-a-kind rugs from Perigold), and the most expensive rug ever fetched nearly $34 million at auction, per Architectural Digest.

Fortunately, there are relatively afforable rugs, and even designers turn to these versions. “You may just need a rug to act as a support role for all the other layers in the room,” says Armstrong, adding that this presents a great opportunity to use a less expensive floor covering.

Designer Alison Kirkpatrick, owner of Lane Living Design, often offers a moderately priced rug when the client has small children or pets. “A budget-friendly rug doesn’t sting as much when you need to replace it,” she says. “Life happens with kids and pets, and a rug may need to be swapped out. But if you combine splurge-worthy pieces with cost-effective rugs, it will result in a chic and functional space.”

Another perk of a buying from a retail store rather than a showroom is the shorter lead time. Littlejohn notes that nowadays clients are accustomed to ordering online goods and services and getting their desires met quickly. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to persuade clients to wait,” she says. She’s added a few retailers to her design sources, especially those that allow her and her clients to look and touch the product, which is important with a rug.

If you’re on the hunt for a stylish, more affordable floor covering, you’re in the right place. We asked Littlejohn, Armstrong and Kirkpatrick to share the budget-friendly options they’ve used to create a gorgeous room from the ground up.

Serena & Lily Tybee rug

“This washed-patterned, hand-knotted rug adds dimension to the space,” says Littlejohn of a bedroom she designed. With the white walls, the room needed visual interest beyond the artwork, and the Serena & Lily Tybee rug offers a hint of color and pattern. The quality of the polyester-fiber rug holds up to more expensive versions, Littlejohn adds, and the soft touch is perfect for a bedroom. As of press time, the Tybee rug is on sale, ranging from $2,198 for the 8-by-10 rug to $3,998 for the 11-by-14 size.

Sisal Rugs Direct Aurora rug

“This is a fantastic seagrass sisal,” says Littlejohn about the Aurora rug from Sisal Rugs Direct. “It’s a tightly woven wool rug that works in every environment.” The designer notes that a rug adds more than a design element. “A rug can add a kinesthetic awareness of the space you are in,” she says. “Whether a rug is merino, silk, wool or cotton, it adds a beautiful texture.” The Aurora rug’s plush combination of sisal and wool is a cozy touch to a living space or bedroom. The 8-by-10 version is currently priced at $1,897.60.

Pottery Barn Alton rug

“In this living room, durability was important,” says Armstrong, so she searched for an indoor-outdoor rug. “The room has a modern-organic-meets-sophisticated vibe, so I wanted a rug that wasn’t too busy. The rug needed to let the other elements in the room stand out.”

She was drawn to the Alton outdoor rug from Pottery Barn, which has black woven into a textural stripe pattern. “I liked that it pulled the black accents [from the room] into the rug, and I liked the movement that the tonal texture added.” Armstrong also notes that the rug comes in large sizes, which was important to achieve the correct scale for the room. It is made of recycled polyester fibers sourced from plastic bottles. Pottery Barn has the Alton on clearance at press time, priced at $348.99 for the 8-by-10 rug and $448.99 for the 9-by-12 size.

Ballard Designs Jesse rug

In this bedroom, Armstrong used a mix of design elements: wallpaper, custom drapes, a custom lampshade and a custom pillow. “A budget-friendly rug made sense in this room to finish off the last layer,” she says.

The Jesse printed jute rug from Ballard Designs balances out the mix of patterns and doesn’t compete with an already-busy palette. It is on sale as of publishing, with prices between $62.30 for a runner and $349.30 for the 8-by-10 size.

West Elm jute boucle rug

In this dining room, Armstrong wanted something simple, textural and neutral to balance out the strong color and pattern emanating from the upholstery, painting and walls. “Since this room is not used very often, durability was not a driving force on the design decision,” she explains. “The aesthetic, price and size were bigger factors in helping me to decide.” She chose West Elm’s jute boucle rug, which pulls the room together without clashing with the bold, colorful elements. The rug is currently priced between $49 for a 2-by-3 style to $1,099 for the 11-by-14 version.

Rugs.com Paragon rug

In this beach house, Kirkpatrick loved the idea of designing the room with an Oriental pattern. But instead of using up her entire budget on a real Oushak, she found a dupe in the aqua Paragon style from Rugs.com.

“This rug plays on [the Oushak] trend without breaking the bank,” Kirkpatrick shares. “It’s also very soft and has a darker palette, which will hide more wear and tear while adding a nice pop to the space.”

The Paragon rug is presently on sale between $29 for the approximately 2-by-3 size up to $369 for the 10-by-14 size. It comes in various shapes as well.

Joss & Main Hopkins rug

“This rug is so soft,” explains Kirkpatrick. “It’s nice when you get of bed and have the soft texture to land on.” And not only that, the hand-tufted wool and polyester Hopkins rug from Joss & Main offers a beautiful warm tone, which was exactly what Kirkpatrick needed to finish the space.

“When designing a bedroom with a lot of windows and natural light, a design trick is to warm up the space with a darker-hued rug,” she says.

The Hopkins style is priced at $329 for an approximately 5-by-7 rug and $699 for the 8-by-10 version.

Birch Lane Linsly rug

“This rug is an amazing neutral,” says Kirkpatrick of the geometric Linsly style from Birch Lane. “In this space, we needed something to lighten the palette and anchor the room. It adds a layer of interest to the entire design scheme but doesn’t take over the space.”

The budget-friendly nature of this rug — as of press time, it’s on sale for $65 for a 2-by-3 size up to $1,049 for an 11-by-15 rug — is an important factor in a high-traffic space like this family room, says Kirkpatrick. “With stylish, cost-effective rugs like this one, you have the flexibility to upgrade or replace it.”

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