When I first moved to Chicago my mom and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to procure a few staples to make the all white rectangle of a dorm I was moving into as cozy as possible. In that large haul we bought a rug. It was low-pile, it was 50 bucks, and it was deep purple, for all intents and purposes it was perfect. And through 4 years and 5 moves it served me very well, no matter how many slush covered boots stepped on it and PBR cans spilled on it, it never showed a single stain and it always seemed to go with the hodgepodge interior design of multiple art students.
After I graduated there were a few months of floating. I lived in my friend's foyer and had every intention of moving back to Portland that December, leaving this cold snowy city behind me. So everything that couldn't fit into 7' x 8' space had to go. Everything I couldn't sell I put out in the magic alleyways of Chicago (magic because anything you leave out gets snatched up with in hours, if not minutes, of you putting it there). And so went my purple rug (and dresser and desk and couch and chairs and etc.).
As you can probably tell, I did not move back to Portland. That October I met the love of my life and slowly but surely we've been making our house (i.e. various apartments) a home. Since he was a bachelor living in a warehouse all we had when we moved into an apartment together was a mattress and a couch (neither of which he knew the origin of . . ew). Unfortunately we still have the couch, but there have been many beautiful handcrafted editions made to our space by The Man, and what better to tie them together and cozy up a living room than an area rug. Right? There are so many options that are fun and beautiful and comfy, but none of them ever seemed to be in our too-low-for-any-rug-ever price range.
There are so many patterns and styles that have been coming in and out of popularity in these two years it's hard to catch up, and even harder to sift through them all and find something you truly love and that won't feel outdated in a year or so.
There are linear patterns like stripes and chevrons. I always liked the color of this chevron rug from Urban Outfitters, although considering it almost looks dirty before it's even left the store I don't think it would hold up very well in our high-traffic living room.
The Rand rug from Ikea is just about everywhere. It's a nice off-set black and white striped rug and I definitely thought about it, but because it's a flatwoven rug I'm pretty sure the edges would start to curl after a while.
I like this "Kite Kilim" rug from West Elm , although this pattern doesn't look like the traditional kilim rugs, which are still geometric but have a wider range of colors and patterns within one rug or tapestry. This pattern works if you're going for a more global style . . . which we are not.
High-pile rugs feel so good on your feet, and there are so many kinds to snuggle into. From fluffy shag
To the newly popular Beni Ourain Moroccan rugs
via.
To furry Flokati rugs
But considering how much we love to eat on those tv trays, and the fact that I don't like to vacuum, maybe furry isn't a good idea.
Another trend that I find beautiful but way to expensive, and perhaps too trendy, is over-dyed vintage rugs
About a year ago I almost bought this Denim Jute Rug
It looked nice, with muted blues and browns, subtle but not too boring. Then I went to the store, and no offense to West Elm, but up close it looked awful!! First of all, I have now learned that jute feels terrible. I can only imagine it in a mud room or as a doormat unless you feel like torchering your feet. And denim should stick to being jeans, that's what it's good at, and that's what this rug looked like. As if I had ripped up my jeans and bound it with some itchy thick twine. I'm sorry for the sudden rant but after all that looking I thought I had finally found my rug. So I was back to the drawing board . . .
Until I found Flor
and Flor deserves it's own post.
Another trend that I find beautiful but way to expensive, and perhaps too trendy, is over-dyed vintage rugs
They are so vibrant and unique. The process takes something that was once so traditional and breathes new life into it, making it more contemporary yet still filled with history. It's like a mature way of owning a hot pink rug, and I love it!
About a year ago I almost bought this Denim Jute Rug
Until I found Flor
and Flor deserves it's own post.
How about you? Do you need something cozy under your feet? Are you already set in the rug/carpet department? Do you agree that whoever decided jute rugs belong under bare feet should be seriously punished? Or do you have them all over your house?
Tell me, I want to know!
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