Big, gentle and full of heart

Elephants are among the gentlest and most beloved animals in the world, and an elephant rug brings that calm, caring presence into a room. The sweetest design is a mother elephant and her baby, trunks intertwined; there are also rugs cut to the shape of an elephant with its trunk raised high, said to bring good luck, and ornate boho elephants decorated with patterns and tassels. Ours are printed edge to edge on soft velvet, so fine wrinkles and patterns come out beautifully, and every rug goes in the washing machine.

Elephant designs

Design	The look	Best in
Mother and baby	Two elephants, trunks entwined	Nurseries, baby showers
Trunk-up elephant	An elephant with its trunk raised, cut to shape	Entryways, nurseries, kids' rooms
Safari herd	Elephants walking across the savanna at sunset	Living rooms, safari nurseries
Boho elephant	An elephant decorated with ornate patterns	Bedrooms, boho living rooms
Watercolor elephant	Soft, painterly grey and blush tones	Calm nurseries
Cartoon elephant	A round, friendly elephant with big ears	Toddler rooms, playrooms

The mother-and-baby design makes a thoughtful baby shower gift, and it suits a nursery painted in soft gray or sage.

Mother and baby

Elephant mothers are famously devoted. After a pregnancy of nearly 22 months, the longest of any land mammal, a calf is born weighing around 200 pounds, and it stays close to its mother for years, protected by the whole herd. A mother-and-baby elephant rug, trunks gently entwined, is one of the most meaningful nursery designs there is, a symbol of love and protection. In soft grey, blush and cream, it suits any baby's room.

Trunk up for luck

In many traditions, an elephant with its trunk raised is a symbol of good luck, happiness and success. A trunk-up elephant rug, or a rug cut to that shape, makes a cheerful, lucky welcome just inside the front door or a thoughtful gift for a new home. Our shaped rugs come in sizes from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm). Keep an entry rug indoors, out of the weather, and choose Standard: 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², for its grip.

Elephant facts

Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. There are African elephants, the bigger of the two, with their huge, fan-like ears, and Asian elephants, with smaller ears and rounded backs. An elephant's trunk contains tens of thousands of muscles and can pick up a single blade of grass or lift a heavy log. Elephants communicate with deep rumbles, some too low for humans to hear, that can travel for miles, and herds are led by the oldest, wisest female, the matriarch. A safari rug is a great starting point for sharing facts like these with a child.

A safari nursery

Elephants are a favorite for safari nurseries, alongside giraffes, lions and zebras. A soft elephant rug in grey and sand, with gentle greens and warm wood, makes a calm, gender-neutral room. Choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m², for tummy time; once your child is walking on a smooth floor, switch to Standard. For more safari friends, see our giraffe rugs, lion rugs and zebra rugs, and our kids and nursery rugs.

Boho elephants

Ornate elephants, their bodies decorated with intricate patterns, flowers and tassels, have a rich, bohemian feel. A boho elephant rug in terracotta, mustard, teal and cream suits a bedroom with macramé, rattan and plants, or a living room with layered textiles and warm lamps. For more spiritual and patterned designs, see our mandala rugs and zen and spiritual rugs.

Safari herds

A herd of elephants walking across the savanna at sunset, silhouetted against a golden sky, is a calm, cinematic design for a living room or a grown-up bedroom. It brings a sense of space and peace to a room. Pair it with warm wood, leather and natural textures. Our living room rugs page has more layouts.

An elephant never forgets

The saying has some truth to it. Elephants have excellent long-term memories, recognizing family members and friends after years apart and remembering the routes to distant water holes through droughts. Herd matriarchs carry decades of knowledge that helps the whole family survive. An elephant rug carries that sense of wisdom, family and steady care into a room.

A herd down the hallway

A line of elephants walking trunk to tail makes a charming design for a long, narrow space. A custom runner up to 10 ft long, with a herd parading from one end to the other, turns a child's hallway into a little safari. Choose Standard, which stays put as people walk by.

Pairing with furniture

Elephant designs look lovely with natural wood cribs and dressers, woven baskets, linen and soft cotton throws in grey, blush and cream. A few framed safari prints and a leafy plant complete a calm nursery. For a boho room, add rattan, macramé and warm terracotta.

Bedrooms

A realistic elephant portrait, wrinkles and wise eyes in fine detail, or a sunset herd suits a grown-up bedroom with warm wood and natural textiles. For the softest feel underfoot, choose Premium. Our bedroom rugs page has more layouts.

Twins and siblings

For twins or siblings, a mother elephant with two calves is a sweet, meaningful design, or two smaller elephant-shaped rugs, one beside each crib or bed.

Baby showers and gifts

An elephant rug makes a thoughtful baby shower gift: gentle, washable and full of meaning. A custom mother-and-baby design with the baby's name and birth date becomes a keepsake. A trunk-up elephant also makes a thoughtful housewarming or good-luck gift.

Bathrooms

A little elephant rug by a kids' bathroom vanity is a sweet touch, perhaps one spraying water from its trunk. It's a printed velvet rug, not a quick-drying bath mat, so keep it by the vanity or the door, out of the splash zone, and choose Standard for its grip on tiles.

Kids' rooms and playrooms

For older children, a cartoon elephant with big ears makes a friendly bedroom rug, and a safari scene makes a great play rug for toy animals. On a hard floor, choose Standard so the rug stays put. Our kids play rugs page has more ideas.

Colors

Elephant designs look lovely in soft greys, blush pink, mint, sand and cream for nurseries; in warm terracotta, mustard and teal for boho rooms; and in golden sunset tones for safari scenes. A grey elephant on cream is the most versatile, suiting almost any nursery.

Protecting elephants

Both African and Asian elephants face serious threats in the wild, and African elephants are now listed as endangered. An elephant rug can be a gentle way to talk with children about protecting wildlife, and our designs are always printed on velvet, never made from any part of an animal. For more animal designs, see our animal rugs.

Round elephant rugs

A round rug with a curled-up baby elephant, an elephant face with its ears filling the circle or a herd walking around the edge is a soft, friendly shape for a reading corner or a nursery. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Our round rugs page shows each size in a room.

Playful elephant shapes

Beyond the classic trunk-up pose, elephants make wonderful shaped rugs in other playful positions too: a baby elephant sitting with its ears spread wide, or an elephant balancing on a ball like a circus act from an old picture book. Each one is cut to its outline and printed in soft, friendly colors.

Your own elephant

Want an elephant with your baby's name, a design in your nursery's colors or a rug from a photo of elephants on a trip? Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or cut it to shape. Custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned, so please check names and spelling before ordering.

Standard or Premium

Standard is best for entryways, playrooms and anywhere with a hard or slippery floor, because its non-slip back stays put. Premium is softer and warmer, best in nurseries and bedrooms. Both are printed the same way, so soft greys stay gentle, and both go in the washing machine.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across, and elephant-shaped rugs from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm). Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so your elephant stays soft, gentle and bright, wash after wash, year after year.

African and Asian elephants

There are three kinds of elephant today. The African bush elephant, the largest land animal on Earth, roams the savannas of eastern and southern Africa. The smaller African forest elephant lives in the dense rainforests of central and western Africa and has straighter, downward-pointing tusks. The Asian elephant, found from India to Southeast Asia, is smaller again, with a rounded back and two domes on its head.

The easiest way to tell them apart is the ears. African elephants have huge ears that help them cool off in the heat, and people often say they're shaped a little like the African continent. Asian elephants have smaller, rounder ears. Tusks differ too: both male and female African elephants usually have them, while in Asian elephants only some males grow large tusks.

Those differences can make an elephant rug more personal. A savanna scene with African bush elephants under acacia trees suits a safari nursery, while an Asian elephant decorated in painted patterns, as at festivals in India, brings rich color to a boho bedroom. For a child who loves facts, a rug comparing the three, side by side, with their ears, tusks and homes, doubles as a lesson.

Elephants are also famous for their families. Herds are led by an older female, the matriarch, who remembers water holes and routes across vast distances. A rug of a matriarch leading her herd, from the biggest elephant to the smallest calf, makes a gentle family portrait for a nursery or a gift for a new grandmother.

Whichever elephant you choose, soft grays, warm sand and muted greens keep the room calm and natural, a quiet backdrop for one of the gentlest giants on Earth.

For conservation-minded families, an elephant rug can also start a conversation about protecting them in the wild.