It just occurred to us that we’ve introduced a woven item to nearly every room in our home. And we don’t play favorites. We love everything from jute rugs…
… and seagrass carpets…
…to textured baskets of all sizes.
Even the bamboo blinds that appear in more than a few of our rooms have a textured woven feel, whether they’re framing a window…
… or hiding the clutter in our laundry nook…
Perhaps the reason we adore all things woven are the soft neutral tones that seem to work in every space. Maybe its the calm, spa feel that they bring- reminding us of an exotic bungalow in Fiji. Perhaps it’s the timelessness of the texture that’s kinda rustic and kinda worldly but still super current and oh so now (not to mention oh so easy to keep clean). Or maybe it’s the added visual interest- the subtle depth and pattern that they add to a space.
Whatever it is, we’re hooked, as demonstrated by the ottoman we recently snagged (on sale of course) for our third bedroom:
Our fabulous new water hyacinth ottoman (with a removable top for storage) was a steal at just $29 thanks to a big sale at Michael’s (it was 40% off). Of course we love the certain “je ne sais quoi” that it adds to our cozy third bedroom. And we love the fact that it’s so versatile (it would look just a good in the den or even the sunroom). Gotta love the magic of the weave.
It’s also a good time to note that in moving around a few things for our bedroom’s recent mini-makeover (stay tuned!!!) we removed the big mirror that used to lean against the wall that you see above, so we decided to rehang our entire photo collage (which used to hang on a less visible wall in the room). We love that our feature wall is now in full view- it seemed kinda silly to have it on such an obscure wall anyway (you had to walk all the way into the room and turn around to see it).
And before you ask, it was totally worth making all those holes again (and puttying and painting all the old ones). The best thing about an asymmetrical display like this is that nothing really has to be lined up at all. In fact, we like this slightly-more-haphazard arrangement better than the more painstakingly planned original version that existed on the opposite wall. Hurrah for our third bedroom’s summer sprucing! Now all we need is a rug…
What about you guys? Do you have any items, patterns, colors or themes that reocurr throughout your home? Do tell.
I’m so jealous that you have a “third” bedroom :) I wish we had more space than just our teeny tiny one bedroom.
I love your photo collage and ottoman! I’d love to try doing something like that with the old postcards we’ve collected.
Love it! What is the rule of thumb for determining rug size for sitting, dining, and bedroom areas?
I love woven natural fibers too! We were thinking of getting a sisal or jute rug for our bedroom but it would have to go over carpet right now and we’re afraid that the weight of a bed on the top would break the fibers on top of that cushy surface. I’m also in love with the woven bench that PB has for the end of our bed. We’re huge nature lovers so we like to bring in natural elements wherever we can.
Oh, and I’ve been to Fiji and the only woven things that were very common were the floor mats. And in Fiji they are called bures not bungalows (that’s Tahiti). : ) See for yourself: http://tinyurl.com/47eymg
I’m totally with you! I’ve noticed your use of “weave” in all your pictures, because I love it too. It’s a love of texture that I appreciate. It sets it apart from other elements in the room. Love all your pictures!! I said love three times. :-)
I love the look of your rugs, but I am barefoot a lot. Don’t they hurt your feet??
Hey everyone,
Glad you like our weaves. Tee hee. As for Elizabeth’s rug question, the dining room rule is that the rug needs to be big enough for all the chairs to be pulled out without any of their legs being off the rug. There’s no hard and fast living room rule other than the rug should be longer than the length of the couch (which should sit on the rug with its front two legs only). We like at least a 5×8 in a seating area with a normal sized couch since most couches aren’t quite 8 feet long. The bedroom rug is all about the floorplan, but most people like for the rug to extend at least a few feet on either side of the bed so there’s something soft underfoot in the am. A good rule of thumb is allowing around 2 feet of rug overhang on either side of the bed and also at the foot of the bed for a balanced appearance. Our bedroom rug is 6×9 and seems to work well with our queen sized bed. Hope that helps!
Teresa, as for your barefoot query, we’re also barefoot people. The jute rug in the den is a really soft jute which almost feels like walking on a cable knit sweater (it’s very dense and soft) while our bedroom seagrass rug is a much more textured weave that feels more like braided straw underfoot. Luckily feet are actually quite padded so it still feels more like a massage than anything else, but it wouldn’t be described as soft and fluffy. The lesson: every woven is different so there are super soft weaves and super crunchy ones meant for sunrooms and outdoor patios. It’s best to feel ’em (or request a sample) before you buy. Happy rug hunting!
xo,
Sherry
Love all the weave!! I’m totally inspired to incorporate some into my own home. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas!
Looking at the photos of our home, I’ve realized we have movie and travel mementos everywhere (even in our spice rack!).
I have a post request, just in case you run out of ideas (which for now I consider impossible, but here it is): Could you talk about picture arrangements, like the one in your third bedroom? We thought of mixing a few different frames for one of our living room walls, but still want it to look nice and not like a madman’s job. Some advice?
I have Lobster Red on the walls in both the living room and in the kitchen, as an accent. Since the two rooms are next to each other, I like how the color connects the two.
I’m just wondering what color you painted your den? Did you have to use a special paint on the brick? I love it!! Looks awesome!
Hey Gord,
The color in our Den is Glidden’s Wishes (with the fireplace wall accented subtly with Glidden’s Water Chestnut). You can find a full paintcolor breakdown of our house here.
And no special paint was required, we just used regular flat, latex interior paint. Although our brick was quite porous so it took a few gallons for even a tiny room. Good luck!
-John
Ah, guess I should have done a site search first! Found it! *blush*
Nice weaving!