I love a cowhide rug. For me they bring the perfect balance of nature and luxury, and come in such an amazing array of colours that they work pretty much anywhere. Formal living room, flanked by sofa and chairs? Check. Rustic cottage with open fire? Check. Modern apartment with contemporary furniture? Check. Cowhides are the all-rounders of the rug world.

But how about cowhide rugs in a dining room? I must admit that I had to think twice about this one. I mean, I always think that a dining table looks better with a rug underneath. There's just something about a dining table floating over a hard floor without a dash of colour and comfort underfoot that feels a little bit unwelcoming. Not to mention clattery. (The sound of chairs scraping over a hard floor has always reminded me of school canteens!) But then I'm not one to talk, as our wooden dining table sits on our wooden floor without a rug at the moment – which is probably way more practical with 3 young children who chuck food everywhere at every mealtime – but bothers me nonetheless.

So I got to thinking about cowhide rugs in dining rooms. As rugs go, cowhides are hugely practical. No need to worry about throwing red wine (or shepherds pie) on them – you can just wipe off spills with a damp cloth et voila, good as new!

What's more, they work whether you like minimal or maximal decorating, as these images demonstrate. Top right shows a cowhide in a very modern and minimalist dining room. This works because the cowhide rug is a single colour, black – it's glossy and textural, but not too visually busy. It also does a great job of offsetting all those straight lines.

But equally, cowhides work in more rustic and maximalist rooms too (like the amazing home of Australian stylist, Kara Rosenlund, top right). I love how the cowhide rug contrasts against the clean white lines of that beautiful Saarinen tulip table and ties in with all the lovely brown and tan natural accents.



Above left, this tan and white cowhide offsets and highlights the black eames chairs perfectly. And right, those lovely dark walls and huge chandelier make a real statement, but the cowhide rug is quietly doing its thing on the floor - adding some important contrast against all the wood from the table, chairs and floor. The bold black and white pattern also draws your eye down as well as up, making the room as a whole more interesting.

So, I think I'm sold. Cowhides and dining rooms do mix. Although I may wait until our youngest is out of a highchair before putting one in our kitchen-diner...