Yes, it’s yet another rambling rug post. What can I say- our old hardwood floors give us splinters (remember this episode when I got one in the badonkadonk while painting?). And rugs are definitely great building blocks for a room – so we lean towards introducing them on the early end whenever possible. And after dragging the ol’ 5 x 8′ yellow rug back out from the guest room for Clara to play on until we got a more appropriate sized rug for large & in charge Karl the Sectional, we finally found something that made us excited enough to whip out our credit card. Yup, we ordered this amazingly textured & bright rug for our living room from The O (yes I mean Overstock – I try to support those strange marketing campaigns where brands like Radio Shack try to relabel themselves as The Shack).
It’s cushy and bold and happy-go-lucky and supersized (just like Big Karl). And it’s family friendly thanks to pure wool materials and the nice soft surface that it’ll create for crawling and sprawling out. The description actually cracks me up. Here’s part of it verbatim: “Trip out on pure, green hand-spun felted New Zealand wool.” Hilarious. We can’t wait to trip out on it. Plus the 5 star reviews about everything from how great the color is to how plush the shag texture is had me at hello (each tuft is apparently as thick as a crayon or a stalk of celery- yes please).
At $424.99 it’s not cheap. At all. At least by our standards. But most things that we hunted down in that large of a size (it’s 8 x 11′) in pure super-thick wool (which is always what we prefer in a casual used-all-the-time living room for reasons of softness, quality, and no nasty off-gassing) were usually in the $600-$1200 range. Like this similar shag from West Elm that’s smaller for $700. So something in the low 400’s with $2.95 shipping (can’t beat Overstock shipping) was actually pretty appealing. Especially since we recently sold our slipcovered sofa from our last living room on craigslist for $600. Our grand total for El Rug came to $427.95.
In the end we just didn’t want to spend $300 on a cheaper rug that we felt “meh” about instead of investing a bit more into something we’d – fingers crossed – love and use for a long time (the color seems like the perfect balance of brightness without being too light and stain-show-off-y). Plus we’re still embarrassingly giddy to have snagged an 8 x 10′ jute rug for the bedroom at under $250 so that sort of created a little imaginary rug credit towards this one in our heads. Psst- Weird. The O must have just raised the price. Here’s a link to the rug now on sale for $499.99, but you can see from our screengrab below that it was $424.99 when we ordered it.
Now for the cleaning plan. Because we’re so not into high maintenance rugs. A friend of mine with three kids and a (giant) dog has a similar shaggy wool rug and she swears it holds up to stains and kiddos like nobody’s business. Crumbs, dirt, and dust supposedly come out with a quick vacuum so that’s definitely doable. And apparently you can subtly trim the long hairy tufts to “lift” a stain if anything catastrophic – like grape juice – happens. And it’s seemingly impossible to detect because I’ve stared at hers in search of the trimmed parts and can’t ever find anything.
As for how we chose the size, we just used green painters tape to tape out the dimensions on the floor of our 25 x 15′ living room to make sure it worked (should’ve snapped a pic of that- boo). And as for the color choice, it just felt like our dark sectional, pewter walls, and gray beams needed a nice bright rug to take the room for Cold Gray City to a Warmer And More Fun City. But we didn’t want something too light that would show off every “oops” moment that’s sure to occur over the next decade plus (thanks to one baby, one dog, and dreams of at least one more wee one of the human kind in a few years).
Now before we get any further I must declare that we’ll probably forever miss our too-small-for-the-sectional Favorite Rug Ever In The History Of The Universe (our old Moorish Tile Rug from Pottery Barn). Gray and yellow is such a sweet combination. We looked for other yellow rugs but they all seemed too thin or too light (or too expensive, therefore too precious for use) and we feared they just wouldn’t hold up to all that impending abuse.
But Old Yeller isn’t dying or anything. Because I totally couldn’t take that. Seriously. I love that rug like family. It’ll just be found hanging out in the guest room where it’s much more appropriately sized (a 5 x 8′ rug paired with a giant sectional like Karl in a cavernous 25′ long room just isn’t the best solution). Anyway, we can’t wait to meet Señor Shag-o when he arrives. Overstock is famous for fast shipping so we hope to share pics in a jiffy (wow, even typing that made me feel like my mom, who also says things like neato and dungarees).
Anyway, now that we have our living room rug pinned down (which will tie into our $5 art) we can start thinking about curtains and lamps for the console table that we’re planning to build for behind Karl. Plenty of light & dark gray + bold color + lots of texture + some pattern sounds like a good time to us. Have you guys ordered from The O lately?
Leah says
I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this, but in my own desperate search for the Pottery Barn Moorish Tile Rug (cursing myself for noting getting it back in ’08!) I found that Pottery Barn was SUED because some lady said that PB “stole” her design. That is why they aren’t going to be selling it any more– ever. Which makes me think, if it’s “moorish”, didn’t *she* steal the design from the Moors? lol! RIP, PBMTR :(
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! That stinks! I keep hoping that someday it’ll be back! So scandalous!
xo,
s
kelly-lynn says
Love the rug! I was actually just on The O searching for an area rug before I came over to YHL :) Glad you found something.
Do you plan on adding a coffee table to this room?
Just wondering :)
YoungHouseLove says
We’re planning to stick with our soft Clara-safe ottoman for now, but we’ll be building a console table for behind the sofa, which will create a spot to put down drinks, books, remotes, and even two lamps for reading. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kiran says
I just browsed through your post on finished guest bedroom and I love how it looks. The rug definitely goes well with that bold blue :) Of course, Clara is super cute peeking from under the chair!
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
very cute! can’t wait to see it for real!
Barbara says
I think I found a similar (although WAY more expensive) rug at a place called Arhaus in Annapolis, MD. Most fantastic rug. Ever. Hubs and I walked around barefoot in the store until they closed and felt like we got a foot massage. Good choice :-)
CC says
I haven’t had good luck with Overstock, so I don’t buy from them anymore. I bought several down comforters from them with the feathers sewn into baffles, only there were no feathers sewn into the middle squares – they were all along the edges. I didn’t really notice until I’d already used them so I didn’t return them, but what a disappointment. I ordered some books from them that had seriously tattered covers too. And I ordered some DVDs from them that were never shipped. It’s like TJ Maxx except you don’t get to pick through the stuff for the best one!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh what a bummer! One thing we do to try to avoid disappointment is to study all the reviews from people who actually bought the same item (overstock posts the good and the bad reviews, which are really helpful). From color inconsistencies to quality issues, it’s usually mentioned by many if something isn’t fabulous. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lara says
I just found out from a co-worker that o.co (same products as overstock.com) doesn’t charge shipping. Not sure how that works but I’ll take it!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Great tip!
xo,
s
Shayna says
So this is mildly related, where did the yellow rug from your living room come from? I lurrrrve it!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the Moorish Tile Rug from Pottery Barn. They no longer sell it, but maybe try eBay?
xo,
s
Alli says
Love all the colors!
I feel like you should have a silhouette of Clara in one of those frames over the sofa. Maybe in a slightly darker color than the square it’s in for a little added oomph. :)
Amy says
We just scored an equally loud – but fun zebra chair from the O for our guest bedroom. Way outside the comfort zone but so happy we did!
http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/2011/01/24/we-promised-more-color/
Alexa says
We just bought two great rugs off Overstock last month and are really happy. Both New Zeland Wool for under $250; a 13 foot runner and a matching rug for the entry way. I will say that they did ex-gas, so they lived in the garage for a week until the smell went away.
Hilary @ My So-Called Home says
I bought slipcovers on The O for my 2 wingback chairs in our living room that worked out perfectly, shipped quickly, and fit great! You can see them in our living room here:
http://mysocalledhome.blogspot.com/p/tour.html
Emy says
430 bucks is sure not cheap, but it’s still a deal compared to what Overstock charges for that same rug in Canada : 635$ !!! FIY, at this moment, Canadian dollar is at almost the same rate as US dollar… It should be between 442 and 515 bucks, depending if you take the 430 or 500$ price. Great rug btw ! Hope Clara and Burger have hours of fun on it ;-)
candace @ thecandace.com says
A perfect choice – I can’t wait to see it in your space and chummin’ with Karl. Rugs are incredibly intimidating (so I have been procrastinating on buying one) but your recommendation of taping it out on the floor is a great idea!
Tiffany says
Love this rug!
XOXO,
http://outfitidentifier.com/
Kate says
I love the new rug, and having been on a rug search of my own recently, know that it’s quite the accomplishment to find something that fits most (if not all) the things you’re looking for. Out of curiosity, do you know anything about the Flor tiles? Have you used them at all? I was thinking about creating my own color-block area rug using them, but don’t really know much about quality, durability, care, etc…
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! We had Flor tiles in our old basement (everything down there conveyed to the new owners) but they were super durable and even held up to muddy shoes. I would head to their website or order a catalog to read about which ones work best in which circumstances (some are meant for kitchens, high traffic, kids, etc). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sara @ House Bella says
I’ve actually never ordered from Overstock! I am always scared that I’ll hate it (especially something as big as a rug) and that the shipping would be too expensive to return. I’m a big chicken.
KatieV says
To answer your question, yes! I just got a new queen mattress in January from The O and looove it. It had over 700 good reviews and the price was definitely right. :)
Relevant Notes says
I am absolutely and totally in love with that color!
Shelley says
Confession: this weekend I found myself subconsciously sorting my 2-year-olds Pip-Squeak markers per Sue the Napkin.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, love it! I would totally do that too.
xo,
s
Heather says
This has nothing to do with this post but I was looking at bed frames from Ikea and know that you recently purchased your bed frame from Ikea and was wondering what slatted bed base you purchased? Would you recommend it?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We got the slightly curved one that’s supposed to be a bit better (maybe $15 more or something?). We love it! Hope that’s enough info to go on, we don’t remember the name!
xo,
s
Kristen says
I’m loving this green color! Our bedroom color scheme is mainly gray with green and white accents. Can’t wait to see how you bring in more of the green!
Sarah K says
I want to suggest naming the rug “Kermit”!
YoungHouseLove says
Best. Name. Ever.
Done.
Plus Karl & Kermit sound awesome together!
xo,
s
kalibrooke says
just got my Silhouette from the O. (sidenote: i’m originally from Maryland, and if anyone’s seen the 30 Rock with the O spoof ad with the MD accent in full effect, it’s awesome…)
Allie B. says
First of all, the rug is gorgeous. I love a good rug. And second, a little unsolicited parenting advice that may make your life easier on a number of counts…if you don’t want to worry about getting juice on the carpet…when you wean Clara there is no rule that you have to give her juice ever! When I weaned my son I just began giving him water and milk (partly because juice costs an arm and a leg, partly because it is full of sugar and partly because I knew if I bought juice I would drink it all!). Kids will drink water if it what you offer them…you don’t need to cut it with juice as many parents think. Our pediatrician LOVES us for never introducing juice and I have never had to figure out how to clean it out of my furniture or rugs. Win win!
(And now, at age 5, my son won’t even drink juice. When it is offered at school or at a friend’s house he politely asks for water.)
Good luck, and have fun with that gorgeous rug! The new house looks smashing so far.
Bethany says
I just ordered deep blue velvet curtains from “The O.” They haven’t come yet and I’m waiting with baited breath to see if they’ll be the shade of blue I want … i hope so i hope so i hope so!! :)
Kelly says
Have you looked at Upromise yet for Clara? You could’ve earned 3% towards Clara’s college fund and gotten some free shipping to boot! Not that free shipping is a huge savings, it’s better than nothing.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I signed up but promptly forgot to order through them. I also forgot about eBates and didn’t even google around for an Overstock coupon. I blame mommy brain. Or a brain fart. Here’s hoping I don’t space out again next time!
xo,
s
diana says
Congrats! One of the best combination of colours: grey + green, equally energetic as grey + yellow!
I don’t know if anyone mentioned; overstock is selling for this destination (somewhere in Europe) at the price of 565.53 euros (before shipping), which means 790.18 $. AND it’s out of stock! So!
Congratulations, I love it and can’t wait to see it in person. And it’s Kermit, of course, and the room will be the double key (Karl and Kermit).
Blair says
So, I’m a Spanish teacher, and I am also weird and crazy. Anyway, the first time you threw out “Señior,” I let it go. Here it is again, though, and it is kinda causing me to twitch. There’s no i in the word. Señor/Señora/Señorita – the letter ñ is kinda like a regular n with a y sound after it. Not that you’re asking for a Spanish grammar lesson, but like I said – I was twitching a little bit. Juuuuuust a little bit.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re right! I think you even corrected us once (or someone else did!) because I remember fixing it once a while back and it still slipped my mind. Haha. Maybe I’ll learn this time! Off to change it…
xo,
s
r8chel says
I’d be nervous about spending that much on such a non-neutral color, but I think the green rug will definitely brighten up the room!
Annette says
You Guys, does Habitat have shops in the US?
Because on their German Homepage, I stumbled across this lamp that reminded me a lot of Sue, the Napkin:
http://www.habitat.de/evelyn-medium-lampshade/wohnzimmer//fcp-product/965666
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh fun! Not sure if they do. Off to check…
xo,
s
Amy says
Very excited to see this rug. Looks like you got a lot of bang for your buck. Also impressed that you two seem to read every comment you get! Kuddos to that :)
Barb says
Sherry:
The color of this rug is what makes it so yummy! The rug looks so soft and comfortable! Brilliant choice…. Great shopping! Can’t wait to see it in your home.
B.
Amy says
But where did you get the yellow and white rug? MODG has it too, and I am green with envy of the bloggers with such cool rugs!!! Was is West Elm?
YoungHouseLove says
It was Pottery Barn a while back but they no longer sell it. Maybe try ebay? It’s called The Moorish Tile Rug. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lauren says
for your sofa table, you should look at the “simple rustic modern console” at knock off wood. I just made one and it was reasonably simple. Also, if most of it’s going to be hidden behind your sofa, there’s no point in buying anything super fancy or expensive. Although knowing you guys you’ve already made something and are just keeping us in mad suspense.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nope we haven’t even picked up supplies yet. But I’m dying to because I balance my hot tea on my lap every night while it cools off and I can’t wait to have somewhere to rest it! Thanks for the Knock Off Wood recommendation. We’ll have to check that one out!
xo,
s
Cha Cha says
I love the green rug, perfect place for that sweet baby to play. Can’t wait to see pictures.
Cha Cha
Reidunn says
Hi,
I’ve read your blog for awhile, but never commented before.
The reason I’m now writing is that I have to tell you about a chair I saw when I went to Ikea the other day. It reminded me of your blog and the kind of chair you’ve been wanting for your dining table.
It’s an upholstered chair called Henriksdal, and it has a green cover almost like the ones you have posted about.
Your rug looks great by the way!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh thanks so much for the tip! We’ll have to check it out the next time we’re at Ikea!
xo,
s
Diane says
Love the rug! On a side note, have you guys seen the new bee embroidered bedding bedding and pillows at Pottery Barn? I thought of you both when I saw them in the catalog. I know that you both love a good bee motif :)
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet! You know I love it. Especially the pillows!
xo,
s
Jennifer B. says
Found a typo. “our old Moorish Tile Rug from Potter Barn”
Jennifer B.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! Off to fix it! I must have been channeling Harry Potter. Haha.
xo,
s
Cecilly Martinez says
The hubs just bought me a beautiful diamond bracelet for V-day from The O!
Beth @ BISSELL says
Hey guys! I’ve been blog-stalking you again. (Okay, I do it every day.) I LOVE the new rug, but please don’t cut it to get out a stain. Ever. Okay? I know you have the semi-new policy of not accepting free stuff from companies, but what about free advice? If you ever stain any of your rugs, I’m happy to run your stain challenge over to our team of chemists for a fix :-) Deal?
Also, I’m DYING to see what you end up doing with the wood paneling in the kitchen. Our basement has a similar look from the previous owners and I have no idea what to do with it. I’ve redecorated every room in the house except for that one, and am just stumped, so check everyday for a kitchen update! Can’t wait!
YoungHouseLove says
We love to share info about getting rid of stains (like how we lifted this nasty berry stain from our white granite counters) so if our rug gets doused in something that freaks us out, we’ll definitely shoot you an email to see what you recommend and share that info for anyone else out there with the same issue! As for our kitchen- we’re saving our pennies and our energy… but we can’t wait to tackle it! It’s definitely going to be the biggest (and probably the longest and hardest) makeover of the entire house. But you know we love a challenge! Haha.
xo,
s
Gina @ Temporary Nest says
I was on there today!! my boyfriend and I just started house hunting together this past weekend (EEK! EXCITING!) and I’ve started fantasizing about lighting fixtures for the dining room. Who knows why that was the first thing I thought about… but I was scouring The O for some awesome modern pendants and chandy’s!
I’m not sure he knows exactly what he’s in for…. haha :)
Gina @ Temporary Nest says
Oh yeah and that rug is amazing! I cant wait to see it with Karl!! YES! its going to be awesome!! <3
Joy says
I have always enjoyed reading your blog on a regular basis, but I have to say that your choices are so much more interesting now that you are embracing color! I would always look at photos of your first house and think to myself, “Beautiful…but where’s the color?”
You guys are always a source of inspiration, and now I can personally identify with your style more. Thanks for everything!
MelissaG says
Wow! You guys are on a role with the big purchases! What I wouldn’t give to be able to decorate and furnish my new house this quickly…great rug!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Melissa! We did a lot of saving before the move since we knew we had some pretty big things to get (and craigslisting both of our old sofas helped too). Slowly but surely…
xo,
s
Melissa says
How much do you love that charcoal gray has become such the go to color and when you think about it….everything goes with it! But two years ago, we would not have thought of designing a living room around a great color scheme like lime green and our new neutral friend charcoal!! I love the direction that design is going in…. not just your typicals anymore. Can’t wait to see the end result! I really love your blog!
Andy says
On topic: We got our wedding bands from the O!
Off topic: Are y’all going to teach Clara sign language soon? She seems to dexterous enough to do very well at it quickly.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Andy,
Do you mean baby signing or actual sign language? She’s actually really vocal so she can say things like “uh-oh”, “da-da”, “mama”, “doggie”, “milk”, “hungry”, “sleepy” – not perfectly enunciated, but we definitely know what she means. But we’d love to teach her actual sign language (and a foreign language- I work french words in and John mentions spanish things) just since they’re such fun things to know!
xo,
s
Andy says
Actual ASL. Adding the French & Spanish too is a great idea! I’m picturing post-its with the word ‘chair’ in english, french, spanish, and the sign on a chair in each room of the house at some point in the future.
diana says
The foreign language(s)=cool! My children are bilingual, and it’s so amazing to see how, from the very beginning, their brain developed in multiple layers. I remember my first born at about three, speaking to me in Romanian, continuing the phrase in French with his father and finishing it in English with his teacher. All in one phrase!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing!
xo,
s
paddington says
everytime i look at the lovely house pic at the top of your site, i wish it would change with the seasons…
Bethany says
I have a theory that overstock is trying to get you to equate them with the fabulousness of Oprah. Since she is “the O”. Even on the commercial the woman is wearing a very large O necklace, and “O.co”. Yup, they want you to associate them with the queen of all media/whatever she likes sells.
That’s just my theory, but I’m also a bit Oprah obsessed.
And I have no theories about “The Shack”.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I also have no theories about The Shack and am obsessed with Oprah. So sad it’s her farewell season. We don’t even get Own here (well we do, but we have to pay extra and I’m too cheap). Sad face.
xo.
s
Original_Ann says
I love Overstock! The first rug I’d ever purchased turned out not to be grey but dark-dark carbon/almost black! Overstock arranged to pick up the 9×12 rug without charge!! Bought 2 others since. Such fast delivery and as others have mentioned, ALWAYS a coupon or rebate to be found. I personally like the bonus world points my credit card company gives me when I purchase from them.
Can’t wait to see your pictures – the color is beautiful AND smart! :)