Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Blogiversary 6: Rugs Under The Rug

We’ve shared a few behind the scenes posts about how we take on side gigs, like this one about how our lighting collection came together, and this one and this one about our experiences with writing a book. So we thought it would be interesting to share a side gig that didn’t work out, despite putting lots of behind-the-scenes hours into it. You know we like to share the good, the bad, and the ugly – so why hide something that ended up being a big ol’ bust when we can tell you guys about it?

Without naming names, a very nice company that makes wool/cotton rugs approached us and said “Let’s do a Young House Love rug collection!” It was right about the time that we had started working on our lighting collection, so it felt like a natural extension to that project. Part of the reason we jumped at the lighting opportunity was that Shades of Light shared our vision for affordability. They liked the idea of working with us to create lights that were priced at $99 and under, which made the process more challenging (some nice-but-too-expensive designs got canned along the way) but keeping to our budget-minded roots meant that the whole project felt right for us. We were essentially designing things that we, as a customer, would buy (and did buy!).

Rugs Lighting Collection

We were also excited by the prospect of getting to design some cool yet affordable rugs made from nice natural materials (like cotton and wool, which we prefer in our own home) and the rug company was on board with that vision too. So across many months of emails, calls, and even through shipping samples back and forth, we collaborated with their designers and manufacturers to turn ideas into renderings… and eventually into real rugs! Check out how little Clara was during that initial part of the sampling process. There’s a nice arm tatt going on here, too.

Rugs4 Pixelated

We were really excited about how they were coming together. After establishing initial patterns, most of our work was in tweaking the color schemes and adjusting the scale. And the manufacturer was doing a great job of turning them into high quality, flatweave cotton rugs that we’d love to have in our own home. But the one thing that we were having trouble seeing eye-to-eye on was the price.

You know we’re always looking for a deal (some may even call us cheap… okay, we call ourselves cheap) so finding a good score on a rug is in our blood. In fact, we realized during this process that we’re not sure we’ve ever paid full price for a rug. So as the pricing on our designs started to come back significantly higher than we expected, it was like a metaphorical record scratch. If I could beatbox I’d make the noise and put it right here in the post. Oh heck, let’s just give it the ol’ college try. Yeerrrrrreeeeech. How was that?

Rugs In Our House2

The point is, we just kept asking ourselves how we could possibly ask people to pay a price that we wouldn’t consider ourselves. So after a couple of stressful phone calls and restless nights, we and the company came to the agreement that it wasn’t a good fit. There wasn’t much wiggle room in the prices, without compromising quality (nothing either of us wanted to do), and we just felt that it would be disingenuous to put our names on something that was outside of our own price range.

The good news is that the company was still able to move forward with producing and selling the rugs for the price they wanted, so the designs weren’t wasted (although I’m not sure if they’ve hit market yet or not). And it wasn’t a waste for us either. We learned a lot from the design process and we came out the other end with a clearer sense of the most important things for us to iron out whenever we collaborate (namely, quality and price point) – things that we’ll know to pin down a lot earlier in the process next time.

I think one obvious thing we’ve learned from this blogging journey of ours is how hard you’re driven to work when you work for yourself (the amount of effort that you put in can directly correlate with how much money you make for groceries that month) but we’ve also had to learn not to ever let the prospect of money talk louder than our gut instincts. If it feels wrong, we just have to gracefully bow out – even if it means we put in months of work and won’t make a dime if we walk away. It sure is a better option than putting our names on something that just doesn’t seem to fit (and feeling like big ol’ rug phonies).

So that’s the story of one side gig that never saw the light of day. Have you guys ever worked on something for a while and then realized it just didn’t mesh up with your initial intention of the project? How did it all go down?

Comments

  1. Carrie says

    This is what I love about you guys! It could have been so easy to get caught up in the excitement and let your convictions slide. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  2. Maureen says

    Oh hell. This would have been awesome! I am on the hunt continuously for a 6×9 that is in my budget. And if you guys had rugs? I would have been so excited! But thank you for staying true to who you are.

    Reply

  3. SuperCutePetContest says

    Thanks for keeping it real for us! I know that if you put your name on something you would stand by it. So if it wouldn’t work for you, I’m sure it wouldn’t work for me. Thanks for keeping true to yourselves!

    Reply

  4. Monica says

    Bummer indeed! I think another lesson, sadly, could be that high quality rugs just are not cheap to produce! And that budget-conscious rug shoppers just have to look for floor samples/flash sales etc. It’s great that you recognized this wasn’t a fit for you, but it is sad.

    Were there particular aspects of the rug production process where the costs just weren’t flexible? Materials, labor? I imagine the pricing had a lot of factors.

    Love your work- your site is a joy to read.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think part of the issue was that certain companies have higher profit margin standards, so they have to sell something at a certain price to “hit” a certain profit margin, plus we would be getting a small percentage to cut into that so the price ends up getting bumped up again. Somehow Shades of Light was amazing at figuring out ways to cut costs without compromising quality (for example, they took a lower percentage to fit our percentage into the pie without inflating things) but some companies aren’t always able to do that. And I also agree that there’s probably no better price than an outlet/clearanced rug, so those are pretty impossible to beat! We were just trying to be in range sort of one level above that, but it felt a little more like a longer reach.

      xo
      s

  5. Katrina says

    I’m still learning to trust my gut at work and be confident in defending my position when I disagree with the “higher ups”! Kudos to you for sticking with your beliefs and finding the positive in the situation – it promises good things for your future!

    Reply

  6. Ashleigh says

    Great story and lesson learned.

    Based on the pics, it looks like you received large samples. Will you be dusplaying them in your home or doing something else with them?

    Reply

  7. Ani says

    Glad y’all went with your gut! I once got my dream job in my (then) dream city. It looked great on paper but after some
    Number crunching (it was in a pricey city) I realized it didn’t feel right. Fast forward several years later and I am in a much better place professionally and overall. Holding out was certainly worth it but the “dream job” experience taught me priceless lessons!! All that said- something better that fits and makes you pinch yourself to make sure it’s real will come along and you’ll be a pro at making decisions! Keep on rockin!

    Reply

  9. Dawn says

    Thanks for keeping it budget friendly. In these economic times our family can’t realistically afford paying for a pricey rug when that same money could more importantly feed our family for a few weeks :) Keep up the great work!

    Reply

  10. Kara says

    I think it’s awesome that you stuck to your values! I’m a cheapo when it comes to rugs, too.. which is probably why the floor in our master bedroom is still bare after a year. I just haven’t found something I love at the price I want to pay.

    I’m curious about the price range of these rugs. What is the most you’d pay for a decent quality 8×10?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think $599 is the most we’ve paid (it was for a 10 x 14″ but it’s a cotton rug, not wool – the one in our bedroom) but I think if I was in love with something at West Elm or something and it was $699 I might do that. Over $1000 feels too scary for us I think.

      xo
      s

  11. Julie says

    You two are so great for sharing this story and ultimately walking away from something on principal. I so admire that and it is what makes you so special! On the flip side, it would have been awesome to see a rug line from you as I’m currently shopping for several area rugs and just not willing to spend a fortune!! The cost can just be crazy.

    Reply

  12. Jane says

    I know I would have loved your rug designs so I appreciate that you didn’t put something out there in that price range. We (being all of your readers) would have loved them so much that we would have bought them and had no $$ left to feed ourselves!

    Did you at least get to keep the rug samples that little Clara was climbing on?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They all got shipped back to the manufacturer after each round of feedback (at first they were small samples and at the very end they were full sized). Such an interesting process to see though!

      xo
      s

  13. Alexandra says

    Oh man I’d have loved to just see your designs! Kinda like you can look but don’t touch! :-P

    What did you end up doing with all those rugs they sent to you?

    Reply

  14. saltgrain says

    Sure, we have been involved with several projects.

    We used to run a dinner cruise operation and a lot of times we would have people want to book and use the boat in ways we were not comfortable.. or they would say they wanted one thing.. then try to change it up at the last minute.

    Oh.. there is also the commercial fishing operations we have owned. You think you have all the contingencies worked out then gas prices double, you discover you can’t find any help that aren’t addicted to drugs, alcohol or on parole! Oh.. and the state puts you out of business forcing you to relocate your business 1500 miles from home to supply people who end up misrepresenting everything they ever told you and you have to live apart from your spouse for months at a time. Yeah.. we pulled the plug on that after 4 years.. never again!

    Reply

  15. Dina says

    Have you guys considered licensing at all? Is that how your lighting agreement is set up? Like your book, you’d make royalties, and you could include quality and price parameters in your contract. Your publisher must have those connections? I handle stuff like this at work (I for a clothing company, this isn’t a pitch!) and think the YHL name could be a great license. You could have your own housewares/accessories like throw pillows, storage ottomans, and ceramic animals, and then expand it to kid stuff and pet stuff as a total YHL lifestyle brand. And if you went with a larger licensing company, they would be able to use their giant scale to leverage prices lower while maintaining quality to your standards. I’m sure I’d buy something. Just sayin.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Woah, that sounds big leagues! We haven’t considered that yet just because we have no idea how it works, but thanks for the info! Definitely sounds like giant but potentially very fun project! Maybe after we finish our book manuscript we can start thinking about something like that.

      xo
      s

    • Dina says

      It would eat up some of your time, but not as much as you’d think. A large licensing company has in-house teams for design, sales, marketing, production, logistics, etc. Your contract would specify things like retail price ranges for each item, quality standards, royalty rates, and minimum quantities that the licensor would be required to sell for a guaranteed minimum income level. For each season you’d give them input/inspiration, they’d design everything, and then you’d have approval rights. Getting started definitely isn’t an overnight process, and the timing would be awesome now… It might work out to launch products at the same time as your next book. It would be awesome! I can already see my Sherry-Big-Dangly-Earrings and my John-Recreates-Sherry’s-Broken-Greyhound-Statue!

  16. Jenny says

    This post is exactly why I read your blog every. single. day. Integrity is hard to come by in this internet-world anymore. You must have some damn proud parents as well :)

    Reply

  17. ashley jensen says

    I was a professional cake decorator for 8 years and I was tired of working 10-14 hour days, only Sunday off and one other day during the week (that wasn’t always guaranteed depending on the season), and missing out on so much with my husband and our daughter who was 2 at the tiem. I finally decided to leave (which was so scary!)and toook a pay cut when I started an office job with normal type hours (Mon-Fri 8-5). Within about a month my husband told me that he could see how much happier and less stressed I was. We could plan weekend trips or I could take a day off or call in sick without feeling horrible about it. Though that year after I left the bakery I decorated cakes on the side for a year to see if I could transition into that on my own but it just wasn’t worth it. I still do cakes occasionally but only for friends and family. So as much as I love decorating cakes, I love my family and my time with them more.

    Reply

  18. Alicia Llanas says

    I dont comment , but i read you every day, or like today read 6 posts in a row ;)

    congratulations on your blogiversary! this is my first blogiversary “with you” find you through one link at pinterest about your old-house kitchen and couldnt leave

    love the writting, love the pictures, love your ideas, love how easy it looks to do everything … hope one day i can paint a wall lol

    Greetings from México!

    Reply

  20. Cathy says

    You guys are so awesome for sticking with with what feels right to you. This post made me think of a question re: budgeting/frugality: do you find that what you are willing to pay for particular items changes with your income, or are there certain price points that you can’t bring yourself to exceed as a matter of philosophy/principle, even if the higher priced item is more or less the same percentage of your income as the lower priced version would have been in the past? (So in either hypothetical, you’re living well within your means.) E.g. I can’t really see myself ever paying $500 for a table lamp even if it that cost was the same relative to my income as the $50-100 (max) table lamps I buy now. Seems like there’s no right or wrong answer (and the answer might vary depending on the item in question!), but it’s kind of interesting to think about whether “budget-mindedness” is a fluid and income-dependent concept, or whether it’s something more fixed.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Such an interesting question! I’d love to see a poll on this to see how others feel. I think you’re right about certain things (ex: even if I was Oprah I don’t think I’d pay $500 for a table lamp, although I might like to get them for under $60 now and could bump that up to $150 if I was Moneybags Petersik). I think you’re right that when your income changes you technically could inflate your “comfort level costs” to match it, but I’d bet that some people would just have a cap for certain things, no matter how wealthy they are. Like “I don’t care if I’m a millionaire, I’d never pay over $100 for a pillow.”

      xo
      s

    • Robin says

      I agree – great question! I think most items I would have a range if I was moneybags Robin. From $10 up to $100 for a pillow but more income means I can buy MORE things, not more expensive things… but that’s just me.

    • bfish says

      Yep, you should definitely do a survey on this! Probably everybody would have different things that they might splurge on, and other items that they’d never consider spending a lot of money on, regardless of their income. Perhaps some folks hold the line on every single purchase but I suspect many of us don’t!

  23. GreenInOC says

    Integrity. Obviously you guys have it in spades!

    The quote, “the happiest people make the best of everything”, certainly seems to apply!

    Reply

  24. Emily @ Life on Food says

    Rugs are ridiculously expensive for the most part. I am always on the hunt for a sale since I cannot bring myself to pay full price. It stinks that a lot of time went into the project with nothing in the end to show for it. Of course you learned a lot. I wish I knew what the rugs are that you helped design.

    Reply

  25. Meredith says

    Glad you got that experience, but sorry about the money! I’m always wary of buying wool rugs, especially ones that say “hand-woven.” I picture 5 year old girls in other countries doing the hand weaving and I can’t bear it. Any idea on how or where these rugs were manufactured? Maybe if they were USA/adult made, that was partly why they were more expensive? I could be totally off base, just curious.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They were made in India, where a ton of other major retailers make their rugs as well (West Elm does theirs there too, which comforted us since they really focus on employing people who get a fair wage and are of age, etc). We learned that hardly anyone in the rug game makes them in the US since they would be priced pretty far out of most people’s budgets. It was definitely an interesting thing to learn while making lighting here in VA, right in their back room about 10 minutes from our house! It’s amazing how some industries are almost entirely overseas while others are right here.

      xo
      s

    • GreenInOC says

      @Meredith, I hear ya! I understand that the “RugMark” (2009 and prior), now “GoodWeave” label ensures that slave/forced/child labor was not used to make the rug.

      Here’s a YouTube video from RugMark/GoodWeave:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PvQSOO8yd8

      I watched a very disturbing but illuminating documentary years ago, “Slavery: A Global Investigation”. It’s well worth your time and now it’s free (it’s on the bottom left):

      https://www.freetheslaves.net/sslpage.aspx?pid=657

  27. Mel V. says

    Sorry to hear it didn’t work out, but thanks for sharing the story! I appreciate the stories of stuff that didn’t work even more than the ones that did.

    If you can still tell us which rugs they are when they become available, I’d love to get a look at your design work. Even if the prices are not what you were hoping for!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, thanks Mel! Unfortunately we don’t want to name the company (don’t ever want them to feel like we’re pointing fingers) so we can’t share which rugs they are, but we haven’t seen them in production yet or anything. Maybe they’re in rug pergatory?

      xo
      s

  28. chelsea says

    it seems crazy to me that you can put in the work and help with the design and not get compensated or credited with the product. yes it was a learning experience, but it still seems odd that they can go ahead with a product that you helped create.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The agreement was that we’d only get a percentage of the sale of each rug if they came out with our names on them and we promoted them as our designs, so when we took that off the table we knew we weren’t going to earn anything from them. It was our choice to opt out, so we can see how it made sense that we wouldn’t get paid.

      xo
      s

  29. Tricia | 724 South House says

    Too bad that it didn’t work out. I bet they were going to be great rugs! Perhaps another company will contact you after this and you’ll be able to collaborate with them. Do you think we’ll ever get to see your original rug designs?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m not sure if they’ll ever see the light of day (they said they might move forward with making them without our names, but we haven’t seen them, so maybe they’re in the rug rabbit hole!).

      xo
      s

  30. Kate says

    You know what? Major kudos to you guys for not seeming bitter about the outcome and for chalking it up to a learning experience! What a fantastic example to set for your fans and for Clara!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I totally think it would thrill us to know our little babies are still leaving the nest, although we haven’t seen them so we wonder if they’re not going to be made after all! Maybe it just takes some time or they’re restructuring them to change them a little?

      xo
      s

  32. Kimberley says

    It’s so nice to see people maintain their ethics and integrity in a world where its so easy to get swayed by money. It’s also nice to see that we can count on the fact that if you did produce a new product, that it will be affordable! I see a decent priced rug line in the future. :)

    Reply

  33. Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says

    Good for you for following your instincts on this one! Had to be hard to walk away after all that time and energy.

    Rugs are tricky, since high quality ones are often super expensive!! I’m with you guys, sale racks and HomeGoods are where I score most of our floor coverings! ;) Would have love to see the collection y’all put together though!

    Reply

  34. Kelly says

    Reason number 2,599,014 that I love you guys! Thanks for having integrity and realizing that life is about more than making bank. Keep on keeping on!

    Reply

  35. Rebecca says

    Super big kudos to you! Just add to the stack of why we all follow you! I would bet in the future you will have readers guessing on new designs released by a rug company……I’m marking my word, although you most likely would not be able to confirm or deny the claims :)
    Unfortunately my precious dog is not quite precious when she ONLY relieves herself on any rug in my house, so we are all hardwood here (it’s just so sad for me….to longingly look at any rugs….so close, yet so far away…….)

    Reply

  36. Laura says

    I’ve had that happen with a paint colour actually in our new place. I sWoRe it looks amazing in the store and on our test patch, but in bitter quantity my living room now looks like an easter egg. Pretty, but perhaps not what i was going for. However, my husband loves its, sooooo i promise to keep my chin up and i’m hoping it will grow on me. Plus, i’m sure iwth a few accessories and a gallery wall it’s all gonna pull through and fool me right?! :S
    xoxox.

    Reply

  37. Pat S says

    I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it so I sent you an email with the subject “About reasonably priced rugs” to offer the solution I found.

    I love the rugs you are using but I really wanted something a little different for maintence purposes, so I hope you will check out my email.

    Reply

  39. jeannette says

    yup. integrity.
    i’ve been thinking, as a lifelong addict of shelter and ladies’ magazines, about how the internet has replaced them for me. the reno blogs like yours, and the authenticity of the voices of the writers, have completely replaced shelter mags for me. it’s like getting all my TV off streaming internet — there are way fewer ads, and a much larger sense that the content is not driven, shaped and conceived by the need to flog product. your editorial content is superior in that sense to even the classic old *house and garden* of the 1970s. i appreciate it.

    Reply

  40. Debby says

    I can certainly agree that money is not the highest priority when it comes to doing work that you can enjoy, and be proud of.

    I took on a freelance book project and could have earned a nice paycheck, but after much soul-searching, I finally accepted it was not a good fit. I returned the materials to the author. It felt so good to have that burden off of my shoulders.

    Reply

  41. suzy b says

    So proud of you guys for keeping it real & knowing what your readers would spend on a rug collection. I love the fact that you walked away realizing it wasn’t the right fit. So happy I found your blog 3 yrs ago. You really inspire all ages. You keep me & my decorating ideas young, fresh & colorful….in the 50+ bracket. YHL is a winner!!!

    Reply

  42. Theresa says

    As much as I would LOVE a high quality rug designed by your guys I am really glad you pulled out of the whole thing. You are so true-to-heart and it’s pretty awesome. P.s. I probably wouldn’t ever pay full price for a rug either ha!

    Reply

  45. mollie d says

    Seriously, thank you for not being a-holes and getting sucked into selling things you yourself wouldn’t buy. With a family, money can always be put to use, so kudos to you for being able to turn it it down.

    Reply

  46. Ali Burtt says

    I doubt I would have questioned it if you had gone ahead with the project. I just would have waited for a sale or shopped for a similar, less expensive look if I liked what I was seeing. But it sounds like you guys made the right decision in the end based on the other comments I’m seeing here. Still, too bad we don’t get to see them!

    Reply

  47. katalina says

    The good news is that the company was still able to move forward with producing and selling the rugs for the price they wanted, so the designs weren’t wasted (although I’m not sure if they’ve hit market yet or not)sorry if this is a repeat comment but did you have a contract? I know they are always one-sided.

    I am in the design business and there is a kill fee if they don’t use the designs for your time.

    and if they are still going to use your designs without paying you–a very nice company? That is stealing your designs… without any compensation??!!

    On the tax end you could write it off .

    I am thinking a new tax lawyer that knows the creative business as well that would deduct your office and supplies– I have never heard of uncle sam owning your office if you sell your house!

    thats my 2 cents. I appreciate your dignity and it would be lovely if another company could work with you on rug designs that were not produced in
    china but the idea that this company can still sell your designs really irritates me!

    I am a very early reader and really love this blog– only blog I read daily.
    I think there would be a market for more expensive rugs that don’t shed like a hot pink chihuahu. and us folks could buy the entry rug if we could not afford it or a percentage goes to Burger’s college fund or animal shelter!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Katalina! We didn’t have the contract worked out until very late in the game (essentially when we were walking away) so we had never come to any agreement on a kill fee or anything. We only had a verbal agreement for a cut of sales if we promoted them after they came out, so the design process was never discussed as being a paid part of the job. Definitely another lesson learned! Have a contract before any designing starts.

      xo
      s

    • Diana says

      The “uncle Sam owning their house” thing would be if YHL took a deduction on their tax return for depreciation on the office part of their house. Essentially deducting a portion of the purchase price of the house over the years they use it as an office. Then there are recapture rules for when you do sell your house or if it is converted to a personal (non-office) space, would have to pay the govt back for the benefit received from the deduction.

      I get really excited when my past public accounting life makes me feel smart…

  48. Laura L. says

    You guys are awesome, completely awesome! I am so glad that you stuck to your guns and declined to put your name on a product that you yourself wouldn’t buy. Not only are you guys a fantastically adorable couple with great taste, you also are honest and true to yourselves. That’s exactly why I LOVE your blog and keep coming back! Keep at it Petersiks! :-)

    Reply

  49. Annie says

    That’s cool you had that experience as licensees because I’m sure it won’t be your last! It’s going to be interesting to see what comes your way especially after the Oprah exposure. (Fingers still crossed that you and Roo get your own talk show…or maybe variety show!)

    Your work has always felt so homegrown and genuine. Do you have a 10 year plan (do those even exist?) or a bigger vision, or do you decide your direction as you grow?

    I hope you don’t become too big…like Jay and Bey and Blue…start only photographing the back of Clara’s head to protect her identity :))

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Annie! We always say hat we never knew we’d be here six years ago, so we have no idea where we’ll be in six more! Our hope is just to still be DIYing since that’s what we love, which seems pretty attainable since even if blogging as a job ends we can still do it for fun on nights and weekends.

      xo
      s

  50. Julianne says

    What a bummer that it didn’t all work out, but an amazing learning opportunity. I was a little surprised to read that you walked away without anything. Curious about this part of the manufacturing process….if they do go ahead, or have already sold some of the products you designed, is there usually no financial obligation for using your ideas? I always pictured that companies who sell things all the time under their own label, usually pay someone in the shadows for their ideas, no?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think it has to do with what you agree upon going into it. Now we have learned to work out those details in a contact before any designing begins, but in this instance we just talked about getting a percentage of sales on the rugs we promoted after they came out, so there was never any talk of a design fee.

      xo
      s

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