Rugs are Rough

2.16.2011
So we'd thought we had come to a decision, and I'd been thinking a lot about how the IKEA Stockholm Rand rug was going to look in our space. It definitely has more of a modern edge to it than most striped rugs, and while I like modern style I still want my home to feel cozy and comfortable.

One idea I'd been tossing around is layering another rug on top of it to break up the stark black and white pattern a bit. Layering rugs seems to be a big trend right now, and while I'm not a huge trend follower, I do really like the idea.

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I think the look I'm most drawn to is a more organically shaped rug like a sheepskin or cow hide on top of a larger rectangular rug with a geometric pattern. I'm not sure how I feel about using real animal hides though, so I thought I'd probably either buy or attempt to create a faux version a la Young House Love.

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Another option would be a smaller more colorful rug, like a runner. I think this look would be a bit more difficult to pull off. I love this image where a larger 'rug' was created by layering many small rugs:


I'm not sure how practical this would be with a baby who will soon be learning to walk, but it is certainly a fun look! (And don't you love the gorgeous crocheted blanket and lovely green bed?)


As it turns out I didn't have to worry about it, because when we made it down to IKEA and checked out the rug in person that we weren't big fans. It's much more tan/beige in person and is INCREDIBLY scratchy and rough. I mean I knew it wouldn't be a soft rug as it is flatwoven, but I didn't expect this level of roughness. We still considered it but in the end just couldn't imagine our sweet baby's soft skin on such a sandpapery surface. After our long hunt it was incredibly disappointing, but before we threw in the towel we decided to take a look around. First we checked out the Jorun - another favorite online.
Although I liked this rug I had decided against it because it looked very dark gray online - almost black. It turns out in person it is actually more of a charcoal gray - much lighter than I expected, BUT it was just as rough as the Rand rug. Even more discouraged, we searched a little further desperately hoping to find something, anything that we liked. Just when we were about to give up the search entirely, we spied the Kajsa striped rug.


I hadn't considered this rug as (at least on my monitor) it looks very very beige, but in person it's actually a much cleaner gray than I expected. We were worried with its larger size that it may be too wide for the space, but for the price we figured we'd give it a shot. After snatching up the last one in the store, we drove it home, rolled it out, aannnnd...it just barely fit. Now that we've lived with it for a few days, we're really loving it - it's soft, graphic but not too stark, inexpensive, and a surprisingly perfect fit for our small space. I find it incredibly ironic that after all of that research and debate we bought something on such a whim, but maybe sometimes that may be the best way to do it after all. Stay tuned for photos!




 

6 comments:

  1. I have also been debating for such a long time about various rugs for our living room - especially now that our little girl is getting more mobile - and like you, also would like to see the rug in person before purchasing. Glad you were able to find "the one".

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  2. I love these rug posts. We were looking at the same rug (the rand) for our living room and have the same issue with a baby who is now mobile. I like the rug you chose - what size is it? We're looking for an 8x10 or larger...

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  3. I'm trying to find an area rug for my son's room, and it has to be just right: size, color, and most of all texture. Who wants to lie on a scratchy, itchy rug?

    We're hitting IKEA this weekend.

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  4. Just wanted to add- Ikea has added a faux fur version of the sheepskin rug that Young House Love made. So you don't have to DIY them anymore.

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  5. Just wanted to add- Ikea has added a faux fur version of the sheepskin rug that Young House Love made. So you don't have to DIY them anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm trying to find an area rug for my son's room, and it has to be just right: size, color, and most of all texture. Who wants to lie on a scratchy, itchy rug?

    We're hitting IKEA this weekend.

    ReplyDelete

 

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