Short story: we bought a bedroom rug!
Now for the long story. Because we’re nothing if not wordy and over explain-y. We’ve known that our giant bedroom was in need of a nice big rug to anchor some of the more showstopping pieces, like big ol’ Ed the Bed and our New Year’s Eve ball-esque pendant light from Ikea. And a piddly little 4 x 6′ rug at the foot of the bed with two faux sheepskins on either side of the bed just weren’t doing it for us anymore. Maybe to some people a 16 x 16′ bedroom (which is actually 16 x 21′ if you include the sink nook) isn’t even that big. But to us it’s straight up gargantuan since our last one was just 11 x 12′ box with a tiny closet with no attached bathroom. Speaking of that room, it sported a 6 x 9′ jute rug:
So we knew that our new bedroom would call for at least an 8 x 10. Just to be sure we taped things out on the floor with painters tape (such a good way to visualize rug size before pulling the trigger and buying anything) and agreed that an 8 x 10′ would indeed do the trick. We’re actually planning to place it horizontally under the bed, but we’ll explain more about that in our next post.
But back to the rug hunt. With our sights set on a size, the discussion then turned to what type of rug we wanted. We’re huge fans of natural materials when it comes to rugs (which don’t stink/off-gas, and are naturally durable and usually pretty easy to keep clean). So we pretty quickly narrowed things down to two options: a big white shaggy wool rug (kinda like a giant faux sheepskin) or a nice natural jute rug (of the softer braided varieties). And after a lot of staring at the bedroom and squinting, we decided that both for easy-care and design reasons we were really excited to go for something jute. We had a bunch of them in our last house (still have the big one that was under our bed in our current sunroom and the two that used to live in the old kitchen and third bedroom stacked at the foot of our bed looking too small). We’re fans. They’re so durable and easy to keep clean (even with a dog and a baby). We just shake them out or vacuum every once in a while, and their coloring and natural fibers just seem to hide dirt and even repel stains, thanks to the straw-like material.
Plus jute is notoriously hundreds of dollars cheaper than wool. And you know that kind of thing is definitely a factor for us. And the more we thought about it, the idea of a big white shaggy wool rug sounded nice and plush underfoot, but we worried about stains (anything white that can’t be tossed into the washing machine makes us nervous) and we also thought since Ed the Bed is white that he might pop more when resting on a not-white rug.
Why didn’t we consider something bolder or more patterned? With our loud-ish duvet and a few other not-necessarily-safe choices (like our giant dandelion-ish pendant light, our greeny-yellow curtain panels, and our graphic four-poster-bed) we wanted to allow things like that to be the star, while the rug fell back and worked as a “best supporting actor” of sorts.
Long story short long, we narrowed it down to three surprisingly affordable choices (we’re always thrilled to find 8 x 10 rugs under $350 or so). The first one was from Overstock for $224 with $2.95 shipping:
The second one was from West Elm on sale for $229 with $25 shipping (in “flax”):
And this last one was from Pottery Barn on clearance for $199 plus $25 shipping:
After a lot of deliberation we decided that we were most enamored with the subtle tone-on-tone diamond pattern of the PB one. And it didn’t hurt that the price was the lowest one (although with pricier shipping than Overstock, it pretty much made them even when it came to overall cost). Easy enough right? Decision made.
But then I realized that we have a Pottery Barn in town (not true for West Elm or Overstock) so I called to see if we could pick it up in the store to save shipping (or get it shipped to the store by the site to save that loot). But annoyingly enough it was only listed for that clearance price online and was $249 in stores (still on sale, but not by as much). So there was no way around that shipping fee if wanted the $199 price. Boo.
We decided that in order to save $25 bucks we should just go ahead and order it online (even with the $25 delivery surcharge it came out to $224 and not $249 like the store pick-up price) and that way it would come right to our door instead of having to borrow a bigger car to go get it. But when I got to “online checkout” I saw that unlike buying it at the store, it couldn’t be returned if the color was totally different than what we expected. Which admittedly could be mostly remedied by checking one out in the PB store near us before ordering, but sometimes different “batches” have varied coloring.
But that wasn’t the game changer. This little red sentence was:
Whaaaa? It’s early March. I’ve heard of three weeks of waiting, but three months? That’s a quarter of a year. I’ll probably have at least ten more gray hairs by then. And Clara could be walking. And Burger will be at least 2 dog years older. Plus they had them in stock at the PB store near us (we called and they actually had two). And those are 100% returnable. And there wouldn’t be any shipping costs. Or waiting 3+ months for it.
So we decided that paying $25 more was worth the instant gratification, borrowed John’s sister’s SUV, and drove out to Pottery Barn to make it ours for $249. No shipping and no waiting required. It still felt like a darn good price for a giant 8 x 10 rug, especially considering the original price was upwards of 300 and it has that cool subtle diamond pattern going on that makes it feel a lot more special than the average jute rug.
Now it’s home, half rolled out on the floor. And it’s so soft! Approximately 50 times softer than the one that we used to have in the bedroom. Woot. We also think it all went down the way it was supposed to because we questioned whether the Overstock rug was too orange (you can never tell if it’s their pics or not) or if the West Elm one was too cool looking (it almost looked painted in the pictures) and the PB one is juuust right with our warm wide plank floors now that we’ve got it home. Pics to come!
Hurray!!!!! You guys are getting it SO TOGETHER!!! Wise choices make wise shoppers!!! Bravo and Brilliant. Love the rug,and yes, I have one too. It is out in my sunroom and I love it!!! You will love.
Can’t wait for the pictures.
Last thing, could that baby Clara be any cuter in that IKEA video. You should be so proud. She is a definite KEEPER!!
B.
So glad to hear you have one and love it! Woot.
xo,
s
Did they have any more in stock? I need one for my kitchen. I’ll rush right over after work if you give me good news.
:-)
There was one left in 8×10 last we checked (at the PB here in Richmond).
xo,
s
Love this! Been looking for a nice jute rug, will be impatiently waiting for the pics. Looks great!
It’s a good thing you pulled the trigger because that link already shows that the rug is no longer available online!
i think rug shopping is my least faavorite… when you spend that much money on something you want to love it forever and it’s not like you toss a few throw pillows on it to change it up in a year or too. love how things our shaping up in there! you guys are brave showing your ‘in progress’.. :)
I love both rugs and have seen them both in person. In fact, we used to have the first one, and can personally speak very highly of it; and would order it again (it goes in and out of stock often too). You would have been happy with either. Can’t wait to see what it looks like in the room.
Sometimes it seems we are living parallel lives. I also just moved and I am shopping for a natural fiber rug. I have been trying to figure out the difference between sisal, seagrass and jute. Can you help?
Also I am looking for the apple green dining room chairs, however I want the legs to be medium brown and I am not having any luck finding them.
If that’s not enough, I was shopping last night at good old TJxx, and saw the same lamp you guys bought in green (the one with the holes), but they had it in grey-blue. Very pretty but I don’t have any place to put it so I passed. But yes, how’s that for parallel lives!
It probably differs from product to product, but braided jute always feels softer (than regular jute, sisal, or seagrass). I think they’re all similar straw-like woven fibers. Anyone have more info?
xo,
s
I bought two of these Sophia chairs from World Market (which also has a great selection of natural fiber rugs) when thet went on sale for $99 each and then used a 25% off coupon, making them only $75 each!
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807664
Awesome deal! Congrats!
xo,
s
Jute is the softest, but should also be used in the most low traffic areas. Sisal is the hardest but also the toughest and can be used in high traffic areas with minimal wear and tear, which is why it is typically more expensive. Jute is also the easiest to clean any wet stains, with sisal being the hardest. Hope this helps!!!
On a side note, I recently bought a 9×12 seagrass rug at Green Front in Farmville, Va for $159. They don’t have a huge selection, but if you are there on the right day you can find a steal!
So interesting! Never knew that about the differences between sisal and jute! As for Green Front- it’s so awesome. And what an amazing price for such a huge rug!
xo,
s
Sounds great! I need to find one for my bedroom, it has really bold walls so I really need a jute rug to pull it back a little and to make it a little more natural.
I am going to to try and go to the pottery barn near me to take a look.
Congrats!
Totally thought there was a WE @ Short Pump (my old stompin’ grounds) – googled and just saw that they closed a year ago. Boo!
Love the rug, though – the pattern is even reminiscent of the one in your old bedroom! ;-)
I know, so sad! They are sorely missed.
xo,
s
It pays to read the fine print. Good for you for catching those ‘little’ disclaimers. susan
Love the PB rug! It’s awesome! I also love the light blue bedding from your old house. Any idea what that design might be called? I’m sure the exact one isn’t in stock anymore, but I’d like to search for something similar.
We wish we knew the name. Just know that we got it at West Elm about 3 years ago. Maybe it’s called “geometric” or something?
xo,
s
I work at Pottery Barn and we will typically match the online prices. You should definitely call and see if they’ll make the adjustment for you.
Often times PB will have promotional prices online that are not reflected in the pricing at the actual store. Instead of “losing” the sale to the online store the store manager will, in most cases, match the online price (not to mention what you save on shipping and surchages).
P.S. I have the Jute Boulce rug from WE in red maple and it’s a fantastic rug!
Thanks! I’ll definitely call and give it another go!
xo,
s
good problem solving skills! i would love a rug for the bedroom, but it’s right by the door where the doggies run in and out. i’d have to wash that sucker daily to get the pawstains out!
I have the Overstock rug…it’s gorgeous (not orange) and soft! Keep that in mind if you need another one!
I have it too and the color is orange in the photos but in reality it is more reminiscient of the PB rug photo.
We also have that rug from Overstock. It’s really soft, definitely not orange at all, and we love it!
I am playing a similar game myself at the moment with a desk (that looks like a cabinet) on sale at World Market.
Do I order it online and pay a $40 oversized shipping fee?
OR
Do I borrow my dad’s truck and drive 20 miles to the store to pick it up instead?
Gas is not cheap my friends and the convenience of having it on my doorstep is tempting…but ultimately I’ll probably drive there this afternoon because I like the idea of meeting it in-person before I purchase.
Good choice! I’m trying to decide if I should throw down a rug in my “office” area, but the problem is there’s carpeting already. However I feel like it needs a little definition. Any thoughts?
The office area can be seen here:
http://mysocalledhome.blogspot.com/2011/02/from-unique-to-chic_25.html
We love rug on rug! Go for it!
xo,
s
I’ve had that diamond jute rug in my PB.com cart for weeks, but we finally found a wool rug (PB Katherine pattern) on eBay in a 9×12 for our living room for only $485 with free shipping (for a 101 lb. rug!), so we went with that for the color, pattern, soft hooked wool, and the unbeatable price-for-size! An 8×10 was the minimum we could handle, but a 9×12 was ideal, though hard to find. Congrats on the jute – glad you love it! I love the pattern and may have to find another room in the house to justify purchasing that rug for!!
We bought a nice, chunky jute rug for our new home from Ikea for 149.00 (in Canada). It was actually very similar to the one you both just purchased but it had one major drawback – when we took it home and unrolled it…it smelled! I love the look of jute rugs and was really sad to have to return it. I am assuming this is not a typical issue with jute since you have so many beautiful ones featured on your blog, but I wonder what would make this particular one smell so bad? Any readers have a similar problem? I’m assuming moisture was trapped in the rug as it was wrapped really tightly in plastic.
That’s so strange! Ours is odorless. I mean if you put your nose in it’s it’s sort of a subtle straw smell, but not anything noticeable even a foot away from it. Maybe it was treated with something? Or somehow had some moisture in it? Anyone have ideas?
xo,
s
I’ve been wondering the same thing about my jute rug and came to this post to see if anyone had thoughts. It smells very… natural. Like hay. It’s a strong smell though. I just unrolled the rug and am hoping the smell fades with time. I do wonder if it was because it was stored in plastic.
So far ours is pretty odorless. Anyone else?
xo,
s
Love it! I agree that it’s the perfect in between color. Can’t wait to see it in action!
Good pick among the three choices! I would pick the PB rug too for its texture and subtle pattern. It definitely looked way more expensive than it really is given the sale. The Overstock jute rug looked way too orange, like you said and the West Elm rug looked a little flimsy to anchor your bed. Can’t wait to see the rug under your bed. Oh, I love the Clara vid you posted earlier. She is sooooo cute!
Jessie from http://www.mixandchic.com
Love that rug!!
It’s so hard to make these decisions! We are looking for new curtains and a rug for our bedroom, I am paralyzed by indecision!!
I’ve been searching high and low for a bedroom rug too and now I might have to make a trip to my local PB to see what they have. I’ve always been leary of jute in a bedroom because it’s not always soft, but I will definitely check it out now. I have a black lab and two dark tabby kitties, so I too appreciate an easy-to-clean rug. Thanks for the post!
Homedecorators.com has a great selection of jute and natural fiber rugs. I’ve bought 2 smaller rugs and been very happy with them.
Love the rug! Side note…what color paint is on your walls? It is beautiful!
That’s Carolina Inn Club Aqua by Valspar. We love it!
xo,
s
I think you made the right choice. I have seen that one and it is great. And, also, the style that West Elm had, although beautiful, leaves a spot if you ever have to spot clean. It must remove the dye or something. So, once again, SCORE!
Congrats on the new rug! You guys always find such great deals…any advice for decorating newbies? I always feel overwhelmed over prices, which is one of the many reasons I love your blog- so many great ideas.
I like the contrast of the pics of your old house and new house in today’s posts…reminiscing and exciting at the same time…look how far you’ve come! Both houses are simply amazing.
P.S. Do I spy a Burger lump in that last bedroom pic?
Haha, yes that’s totally a Burger lump. That crazy dog. As for decorating advice for newbies, we’re huge fans of taking things one step at a time. Looking for a rug and curtains and a table while deciding on paint color and art can be so overwhelming- but taking things one day at a time and getting one thing at a time can help it feel more do-able. Oh and sites like nextag.com are good for price comparisons (enter “8 x 10 jute rug” to see what they’re going for on a bunch of different sites). I do that as well as check out all of my usual favorites. Good luck!
xo,
s
Way to leave us hanging on the final pics :) I’m sure it will be worth the wait!!
I am glad you didn’t get the one from Overstock. We have it in our living room in that size, and it sheds horribly. Little pieces of it get on anything that comes in contact with it. Hope you enjoy the PB rug!
I LOVE that rug. I have another PB jute rug and can’t believe how soft it is! I’ve been eyeing the one you just purchased too, but am waiting to see how it works with the pale gray I am eyeing for my room.
Great choice! I’m sure Ed the Bed will love it too!
BTW- my husband is always saying: “To make a short story long….”
Haha, love it. I’m surprised John hasn’t said that after each of my rambling stories to friends and family. I’m a talker. What can I say. Haha.
xo,
s
Good choice! We had that West Elm rug in the walnut color for 2.5 years and it shed NASTY jute fibers in quantities you wouldn’t believe! The corners also frayed and fibers throughout came undone, even with relatively low traffic (no shoes in the house!) and very gentle care. Looks like you dodged a bullet there! We finally chucked the thing and found a gorgeous peruvian wool rug on floor model clearance at a local furniture store. With a coupon added to the sale price, the 8×11 beauty ended up costing us $269 marked down from a whopping $1200! (We credit YHL for the bargain-hunting inspiration!) Thanks for all your great money-saving tips, and enjoy that new rug!
I have that same rug. Try taking back your reciept with the online clearance price. I did that and they gave me money back for the difference. Only thing, I couldn’t return it anymore; but, that didn’t matter because I already had it at home and knew I liked it. It’s worth a try.
Love it! We’ll definitely give that a try!
xo,
s
I really love the quality of Pottery Barn, even though my style is more West Elm – They make really nice rugs. I especially love PB kids – I did my daughter’s room and bathroom in an Ikea/PB kids combo. The Linens, Towels and Shower curtains are made like 100 times better then anything I ever bought at Target or Ikea.
I can’t wait to see the rug in the bedroom.
I love a jute rug! We have several :)
What a beautiful rug! A bedroom rug of similar color and style is next up on my list to complete our bedroom makeover.
Also, I have a bit of a design related ethnical dilemma and was hoping you could offer some insight. I tend toward a more natural, environmentally friendly lifestyle and I feel strongly about supporting local and independent businesses whenever I can. Up until this point, it hasn’t been a difficult task. However, I’m finding that furnishing and decorating my house requires a delicate balance between shopping at larger, more cost efficient retailers (ie. big box stores, chain stores, etc.) and supporting local, independently owned businesses that charge but offer more ethical products. How do you find a balance?
P.S. My fiancé and I hung our bedroom curtains “high and wide” yesterday, as per your recommendation, and we are thrilled with the result!
Such a good question! We do as much as we can to keep the balance. We know we can’t afford to buy everything locally or handmade (especially when it comes to larger furnishings) but we love thrift store and craigslist and other ways to give local furniture a second life! We also donate as much as we can to organizations like The Habitat For Humanity ReStore (like old fans, bi-fold doors, medicine cabinets) so they get to live on in anther person’s home. We also love supporting local vendors like small boutiques, fabric stores, specialty shops, hardware stores, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Isn’t that annoying! A year ago last Feb., I tried to buy this: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/coco-dot-nursery-bedding/
Our little girl was due May 17 so I figured I was really ahead of things, but when I went to check-out it told me it wouldn’t be available until JUNE 24 or so! I went ahead and purchased it after a few days of deliberating, hoping that it would arrive sooner than PB predicted…but, it didn’t. We had to purchase other cheap-o bedding for the interim time between.
It’s a good thing you opted not to wait. 3 months is too long!
I’ve been debating putting a rug in our bedroom as well. I just haven’t found the “one” yet. Sigh.
Perfect choice!! What did you do with the rug that was in the old master?
That’s in the sunroom- it’s miraculously the perfect size and dog-friendly since Burger runs in and out from that room to the back patio.
xo,
s
I think you made the right choice, I have the jute rug from west elm and it isn’t holding up so well. the ends have started to unravel. Sad face because I usually love west elm.
I have the Overstock rug and love it! It’s not orange at all.
The Pottery Barn rug looks like a good choice too, but for anyone curious about the Overstock rug, know that it’s a great purchase!
Looooong time reader and have never commented but I guess now is a good time to break my silence since I’ve been on the hunt for a jute rug for my living room (I actually have the one you mentioned from overstock short-listed) and have a quick question about the rug in your old bedroom. I know it’s the rug “strips” from World Market that you connect together, which seems like it would have been a good solution for your new mega-sized master since you could have just added some strips to make it larger. Was a there a reason you decided not to go that route? Just wondering because I’ve been considering those strips but was curious about the quality and thought maybe you had some insight.
PS – I actually bumped into you guys in the showroom of the Woodbridge Ikea the day after Thanksgiving… literally, I turned around and almost walked right into Sherry. It took me a second to realize it was you, and before I could say anything you had disappeared in the Ikea maze. I spend waaaaay too much time at that Ikea so maybe I’ll bump into you again :)
Hey Katie,
Too funny that you saw us at Ikea – we wish we had a chance to chat you up! As for those rug strips, they no longer sell them at our World Market, so it sadly wasn’t something we could build upon. The good news is that it happily lives in our sunroom, where it’s the perfect size (and it’s great since Burger runs in from outside through there and it holds up really well).
xo,
s
Glad you still have it and love it, sad that they no longer carry it! I guess they might not be an option after all… I’ll have to check out my local World Market to see if they still carry them. Thanks!
All that and you are going to make it into two posts by not posting pictures?
Our bad. We didn’t have time to shoot it in the room (it’s still partially rolled) but wanted to keep it real-time and share all the rug hinting details asap. Soon!
xo,
s
Considered that rug for our living room and loved the feel, it was soooo soft!! Fantastic choice. Was going to let you know that you can “purchase” (aka rent) a rug swatch from PB for $25 in case you ever want to test drive any of their rugs without the hassle of hauling the full size thing home (and back if it doesn’t work out). They credit the $25 back when you return the swatch, and it’s helped me a ton when trying out patterned rugs…the colors can look so different once you get them home.
That’s too funny! Checking it out like a library book – I love it.
xo,
s
sherry,
thank god for your blog. seriously. i have been undertaking some mini renos on my own..and have made a HORRIBLE mess! lmao. i commented the other day re: painting cabinetry. haven’t tackled that yet. instead, i decided it would be a good idea to paint my knotty pine window sills. omg. can i ask something..i believe you said that you painted your wooden window sills in your last house? did it work out well for you? i have extremely thick and heavy pine window sills..and i’m wondering if it might be *too* much white, should i carry on with this job. do you, by any chance, have any relatively close up pictures of your last painted window sills?
We did it and we love it! But it’s definitely a personal preference thing. Hmm, as for close up pics of the sills, maybe try this post: https://www.younghouselove.com/easy-breezy-beautiful/
It’s not super close, but there are lots of window shots. Once you add curtains or blinds or something they’ll probably look amazing! Good luck.
xo,
s
ahhhhhh! so scary! maybe it just looks horrible because all i have done so far is the primer..lol. we have crank open windows, and i can’t for the life of me get around the crank knob without making a huge mess :)
That’s probably it! Primer is stark and doesn’t look even like paint. Plus it’s an adjustment, so tomorrow you’ll probably walk in and love it. Sometimes it takes the eyes a day or two to process the change and see that it’s a good one! Happens to us all the time!
xo,
s
ahem. the plot thickens.
definitely need advice for this one.
i have (what i think are…) aluminum clad, wooden windows. the house is 17 years old. the window sills (that you have a marvelous view of from my living room couch) are a laquered knotty pine.
they are crank windows (you crank them open with that ugly little crank thing that sticks out from the sill). so…there i was, cranking out the window today to air it out..i stuck my head out the window, enjoying the sun..looked down..and i noticed that the bottom corner of the window pane was starting to blacken. the window panes that OPEN don’t appear to have that shiny lacquered honey stain. maybe they did at one time and it has worn off. who knows.
naturally, i freaked out, because we had problems with significant water damage in our last house.
so…i went flying around the house checking every single window by cranking them all open and thoroughly examining the panes.
and…as luck would have it..at least half of them had some blackening.
now, we’re not talking A LOT of blackening..but…some. the areas of blackening weren’t soggy – but i could scrape small bits off with my finger nails.
so…i called a window guy in. he said you need to sand off all the blackened parts, prime it with oil primer and then paint it. or…stain it. whichever you prefer. he said that the primer or stain acts as a barrier to rain and will help prevent any further deteroriation.
or…you can replace your windows. but he said there is absolutely no evidence that i need to do that at the present time.
so…then i thought…whoa…this is WAY too big of a task to take on. so i asked him how much he charged to sand and paint all the window panes, inside and out, blackened areas removed, etc:
$1000. for all of the windows, of course. but still…$1000. that’s a lot of moolah.
so…is this something i should take on alone? i mean, it doesn’t *sound* like a big deal – priming and painting window panes, inside and out. i just wasn’t expecting to see the slight water damage.
i’m freaking out! help!
You can do it! That’s definitely within any average person’s skill set. And he’s absolutely right, just sanding, priming, and painting will do the trick. You’re actually lucky you caught it early! Good luck with everything.
xo,
s
I have the Overstock rug in my living room and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! It’s not orange-y at all. The picture online is very deceiving.
I can’t wait to see the pictures! I am with you. I would not have wanted to wait either. Totally worth $25!
Great choice, and great deal on the PB rug!
Deciding on rugs is so hard! I had given myself the same options a few months back: 8×10 jute or 8×10 shaggy wool. I looked at that same one on overstock that you showed, but also was worried about the orange-ness(?)… Plus I wasn’t sure if I wanted to replace a jute rug with a jute rug (just seemed kinda boring!). So I ended up finding a chocolate shaggy wool rug from Tuesday Morning, marked $199 from an original price of $1137 (I actually looked up retail online, the “was” price was legit)! Score, right? Well now, my giant furry rug sheds like crazy and no amount of vacuuming gets rid of the fuzzies that get tracked all over my house. Next time I know to go with plain ol’ jute!
am i the only one that gets a little happy/misty when i see pictures of your old house (twice today!)? weird, i know. :)
I totally do too!
xo,
s
I do, too!
Mainly because I’m exhausted lately yet still trying to finish things around my own house and I can’t imagine starting over again and leaving such a pefectly finished space as your old house.
I totally understand your need for more space though.