Yup, that’s how I’d describe our new living room rug. We have a case of happy feet. It’s even more plush and amazing than expected. But before we get to all the juicy rug pics we need to tell you guys how much we love you. The overwhelming support, kindness, and hilarity that you bring into our lives – not only on this morning’s big announcement post, but on the regular – is humbling, inspiring, and completely and utterly amazing. So smooch. I just virtually kissed your face. Oh snap.
Now back to Big Green (since it is St. Patrick’s Day)…
Although it’s so thick that you’d think tumbleweeds of green fuzz would be rolling around the house, we vacuumed it when it arrived and again the next day (just to grab any of those loose fibers that might have pulled out from shipping) and so far so good. No issues with green fluff everywhere or pulled tufts from the vacuum suction. Whew.
At 8 x 11′, it’s definitely a more appropriate size for our giant 25 x 15′ living room (as opposed to our old 5 x 8′ rug that now lives in the guest room). And once we build a big long console table for the back of the sofa (and the sofa comes forward about a foot more onto the rug) it’ll look even more proportionate. In other words, not quite as much rug will show since the sofa will move forward on the rug for a more balanced look once we have that console table built.
And of course once we upgrade to a deeper/bigger media cabinet, hang curtains, and bring in more art, the room will hopefully start to feel more cohesive and make a lot more sense. Because right now it’s just a big gray box with a fuzzy green rectangle on the floor. Haha. But it’ll be fun to see how thing evolve as we layer in all sorts of other stuff over time. Hopefully it’ll fill in nicely. Just think of the rug as a big furry grass-like foundation that we’re laying- er, planting.
Speaking of the fun green color, we’re so psyched about the happy-go-lucky tone. It’s just perfect with the gray sectional, pewter walls, and dark beams. All of a sudden it feels chipper and a lot less cold in there. Like a space that we want to kick off our shoes and settle into. It’s definitely not your mother’s persian rug (or your father’s neutral one) but we’re having a lot more fun taking risks in this house. Even if it means doing things that might not have mass appeal – as long as something speaks strongly to us, we’re in. There’s actually freedom in letting go of the notion that your house should please everyone who walks in the door. It allows you be more true to yourself and your place starts to feel more special. Plus it means that your rooms won’t be in danger of looking like everyone else’s, which isn’t a bad thing either.
We loooved our first house for how soothing and serene it was, but in all honesty, we smile bigger here. Cheesy but true. It’s just such a fun and happy house – even though we’re just getting started and every room is about 80% incomplete. We definitely think Clara has inspired this whole Benjamin Button-ization of our style (read more about that here). Basically we’re loving the looser and less serious approach to making this house a home – and we’re quickly learning that playful pops of color, texture, and pattern can definitely happy up any room. Especially when mixed with neutrals like gray walls/furnishings/beams or white furnishings & a jute rug. Because if everything is a color and a pattern it might get cray-zay.
To tie into this big furry rug baby we’d love to add eight green parson’s chairs to our giant wooden dining room table for some nice whole house cohesion (there’s that “neutral + color = love” combination again). We’ll find those perfect chairs someday…
Oh and when it comes to keeping Kermit clean (we’re loving that reader recommended rug name – don’t Karl & Kermit sound perfect together?), as we mentioned in the post about ordering it, a friend of ours with three kiddos and a big hairy dog has a similar shag rug in her house and she swears it holds up to stains and kids like nobody’s business since crumbs/dust come out with a quick vacuum and you can actually subtly trim the long hairy tufts if anything catastrophic happens to “lift” the stain. So far it’s been amazing (but we obviously haven’t dropped anything major on it yet) so we’ll tell you the truth if we hate it in a month.
You might also notice some new pillows on Karl. We got two of those ruffled purple guys for $16 at HomeGoods. We also brought in our two green pillows from the bedroom just to see how something like that might work with the rug (we think they’re a little too yellow, but not terrible), and tossed three Sue The Napkins over other pillows that we had lying around to see what real Sue The Napkin pillow covers might look like when I get down to business and sew some. The pillow situation will definitely evolve over time though (I love those teal tones in Sue, so blue pillows might make an appearance someday, perhaps in lieu of green ones).
But back to the purple ruffle pillows for a second. The ruffle detail is really fun, but isn’t it amazing that John didn’t veto them? He’s usually so not on The Ruffle Train. I think he likes the idea of spicing things up with bright colors like navy and plum and deep teal so he just did one of those “sure, why not?” things. Love that man. Or maybe he’s just finally catching on that a happy wife = a happy life. Haha.
Now we just have to plan our big console table build because we can’t wait to see Karl scooched out (that’s a technical term) about a foot away from the wall. A little less rug should look perfect, plus it means there will finally be a place to put drinks (namely my hot tea every night) and two table lamps for reading (which means no more floor lamp in the doorway). Yipppppeeeeeeeeee! Yes I just wrote that. And yes it has ten “e”s on the end. Can you tell I’m excited? Oh yeah and Karl’s embarrassingly pale legs have got to go. So creepy.
She whips her cellphone back and forth. She whips her cellphone back and forth.
Psst- John’s parents just gave us their old leggy antique dresser which is perfect for our bedroom (it’s been in the family for years and John’s dad actually bought it from a cousin for $100 decades ago). It needs some love but it’s going to look awesome. And it’s f-r-e-e. More pics soon (you can see a “they-scooped-us” pic of it here thanks to the Washington Post).
Is the colour more “true” in these pics or on the washington posts site pics? The ones on that site seem a lot more grassy green.
In real life it’s brighter than The Post pics, like it looks here (although maybe it’s actually a tad less bright than these pics now that I’m staring at it in person). It’s more of a soft lime than a gray green (it sort of looks sage-y in the Post pics, but it’s more vibrant and less gray in person). Actually the video of Clara is kind of accurate (maybe a little soft). It’s like a happy avocado color.
xo,
s
Ooh perfect, love the dresser too.
I was wondering the same thing about the guest room pics where the walls seemed more blue than teal. Interesting to see what different cameras and lighting do to the same colour.
It is interesting – and one of the reasons it sometimes takes us a while to get our photos to be as true to life as we can get. When the sun is shining directly into the guest room in the morning it can sometimes look a bit more navy-ish (that’s when the Post took the photos), but once the light softens throughout the day you definitely see the teal come out. But I guess that’s just the fun part about paint colors: they change throughout the day as the light changes!
-John
Whoa! I haven’t checked in for awhile and was just blown away by the progress you’ve made on your living room! If I was Clara or Burger, I’d be rolling around on that plush green rug all the live long day! It looks great in there–cozy and family-friendly but still incredibly stylish.
I feel it fitting that you posted about your green rug on St Patrick’s Day. It looks great!
Also- YAY Sue is a pillow! I think I remember mentioning that a while back, though I suggested using the placemats.
Haha I so didn’t even realize they weren’t real pillows. Need. More. Coffe.
Waddya mean, it’s not a REAL pillow? Is it imaginary?? Jeez, I must need more coffee too! I saw the pic with the new pillows and thought WOW! Now that is just what Karl needs!
Sandra- If I read it right, Sherry said she just draped the napkins over pillows, to see what they’d look like.
Haha, yup! Guilty as charged!
xo,
s
I freakin love this new Sue Sylvester napkin-inspired color theme. It just keep gettin better! then ‘nubs’ of the rug are a lot thicker than I expected.
I love that its not just Sue the napkin…its Sue Sylvester the napkin :0)
Oh yes, we can’t forget the root of the inspiration! Haha.
xo,
s
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
LOVE IT!!!! I wasn’t sure about it the other day, but it’s gorgeous in your room. And I love the new pillows. Your LR is really coming together. Much more homey looking now and pulled together. Rugs always make such great additions to rooms.
I also see that they scooped you on the new hallway picture frames. L.O.V.E. I.T!!!!! Gorgeous! Wish I had a hallway like yours where I could do this. Maybe I could do this in our entryway (we have a Hi-Ranch so it has that split staircase that is wide open to our LR). Oh you have given me an idea. :D
Love the new rug and pillows! Sue the Napkin should become Sue the Pillow…
Oh migration!!! I love how cohesive everything looks and congrats on the book/newspaper deal : )
what a perfect post for St. Patrick’s day?! Ha!
congrats on the book and being in the newspaper! :) woooo!
and cute video of clara.
Love, Love, LOVE IT! And I was cracking up at the Clara vid because my 10 month old is doing that exact same thing with his tounge right now!
*Sigh* Love the rug! I have had pale gray walls and a deeper gray couch in my living room for years. We have a lot of blue and green accents. I would LOVE that rug, but my husband would so not go for it. I’m beyond jealous.
But I know what you mean about pleasing yourself. We have a lot of color in our house and I know it’s not for everyone, but we love it. My dining room and kitchen have pear green walls and it makes me smile every day!
Just creeped the washington post photos and I loooove the new art wall! Also, when did you wash the turquoise paint off the swag light in the living room? I liked it but I can see if maybe not going as nicely now that the room is coming together more. Love love love! So excited for your book :) congrats guys!
Sadly it was making the room look like it had a blueish tint in pics, so it had to go. But happily it only took about 20 seconds to remove it with a wet rag. Whew.
xo,
s
Was totally coming here to comment on the new art wall, too! It looks great!!
Ditto! I also love the new wall art–it totally works with the room and Karl. I especially love the new mirror!Everything is coming together marvelously!
Also, I just noticed the paper star lamp today on your ‘we’re digging’ list–awesome! I actually just bought my sister a similar one as a gift, in similar colors but more of a peacock pattern. (Haven’t given it to her yet, but I think she’s gonna love it!)
I think you guys should totally work one in some how…haha, maybe to replace that aforementioned light? :)
Love Karl, Kermit and Sue! I think Sue is the mother, because she is the glue that pulls everything together. Looks so awesome, fun, clean and crisp. How do ya’ll manage to hit every good adjective? I love that the inspiration peace is a quirky napkin, Martha would probably have a fit, and that’s a good thing.
Love love love! Forget Ed the bed I would want to take a nap on that rug. The room is coming together fabulously. Clara is adorbs as usual.
Great job with the new rug. I like the color it adds.
But the best part is definitely Clara’s video. No wonder you smile bigger in this house!
Here cell phone whipping is almost as funny as her tounge-wagging.
It’s a fun life you live. And it’s fun to be invited inside. Thanks!
Love you guys. You are totally the “most desirable to stalk” for me. (Don’t worry, I have neither the time, nor the money to commit to any kind of serious stalking at the moment)
Haha, I’d give you comment of the day but I already dished that out. Comment of the afternoon? Done.
xo,
s
on a related note, have you ever had any stalkers? have people living in the richmond area ever found/come to your house?
Not once. Can you believe that? We do have a pretty insane alarm system just in case though. Haha. And a ferocious dog of course…
xo,
s
The first thing I thought when I looked at your pics was “isn’t that Sue the napkin? In Pillow form?” LOL!
Love it! I’m pretty sure Clara has the biggest and cutest smile ever.
I totally agree! Such an adorable and happy baby! Love the video!
Love the rug! I really like how it ties everything together – bold yet subdued at the same time. Not sure that makes sense, but it does to me. The rug color is energizing, yet all the other colors in the room work together so it’s not frenzied. Ok, I don’t know how else to explain so I’ll stop. What matters most is that YOU love it!
I love the new rug! Makes me want to lay down and take a nap on it!
very cool. The color is refreshing.
I LOVE it! The rug and the cushions and the art with the handsome Karl are so perfect together. If I had my own place (in student housing at the moment) it’s exactly the kind of colour scheme I’d go for.
Wow.. I love it! And I love Sue the napkin as pillows. Definitely keep them. They look so good with the artwork and the purple pillows.
OMG the ram head reflection in the mirror in this picture!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/blogging-young-house-love/2011/03/16/ABW65og_gallery.html#photo=9
Creepiest Petersik house picture ever!!! :-)
Hahaha, I love that ram.
xo,
s
Haha, I love that pic! It’s all geometric shapes and then there’s a little ram head peeking in. It reminds me of this weird Amish folklore book I was obsessed with as a kid…supposedly if you looked into a mirror at night, you’d see “the devil’s rump.” OK, so maybe Ramsy isn’t the devil and this isn’t his rump…but he DOES have horns!! :)
Looks great – I think that if the other colors in the room were different, that green rug would look out of place, but the art behind it plus the colors on the couch totally bring it out and make it look quite “trendy.”
Random Clara question: Does she usually go from ecstatically happy to very deep and contemplative? It cracks me up watching those dramatic facial expressions!
Oh yes, she’s a very dramatic child. Haha.
xo,
s
i’m looking for a rug for our living room (we just got our first home!), and I always wonder where to put the rug —should it be completely underneath the couch and then protrude? should it start at the end of the couch, the middle of the couch… should it not even touch the couch? as you can see, i tend to over-think these types of things…
as a side note, love the green rug and all, but your daughter is seriously the cutest
We think putting it in a bunch of places and seeing what works best is the way to go. Just eye it! Oh and taking photos of each option can help you “see” them more easily. Just look for the best photo of the room and that’s most likely where the rug should live!
xo,
s
I’m loving it all! Congratulations, by the way. You guys are awesome. Awesome. And Clara, she’s just the bees knees. Love that excited tongue wagging!
I think the rug looks great! I’m really enjoying the new, bolder colors you’re using with this house.
it screams SPRING! love the color love the texture
Wow the room looks so cozy and inviting!! I love it and I love the way the whole room is coming together!! I can’t wait for the before and afters once the room is finished! Thanks for sharing your awesome house with us :)
The room looks great! Just wondering: what, if anything, are you planning with the space between the couch and the window (on the side where the desk is)?
Eventually we’d love to make that a play space for Clara – and future kid(s) – with storage for toys and maybe even a play kitchen…
xo,
s
Oooh a play kitchen would be perfect for that space! I envision a diy version of something like this: http://www.babygadget.net/2006/09/iwc_mister_wood_kitchen.php
That is adorable! Love it.
xo,
s
Karl’s legs are quite like mine. And it’s supposed to be 75 and sunny tomorrow. Eeek to the thought of shorts season…
I recently bought some Merete curtains from Ikea in teal, they also have an eggplant-y color. If you’re aiming for solid curtains, they’re an affordable $19.99/pair! :)
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00120979
That’s a price I can live with! Off to check them out!
xo,
s
I have those curtains – love them!
Wow, the room looks wonderful and your new rug looks “foot fantastic!”
BTW, Clara is such a doll. I loved the way she wiggled her tongue around whilst whipping her phone. :)
Looks fantastic! That color is amazing.
I was so excited to see Sue pillows! You had me fooled with the fold over – it’s kind of like a comb over, but much more believable! Your color scheme is so energetic. I’ve started making a quilt with a crazy mix of bright colors. I decided that my daughter’s toys are all so boldly colored I should just go with it and incorporate some more color into the family room. Can’t wait to see what you come up with for curtains!
BTW – not that you didn’t know this, but Clara is stinkin’ cute. And I’m pretty sure you both are hating being parents ;)
It’s true. It’s such a hardship to have such a cute baby. Woe is me. Haha.
xo,
s
It looks great! It’s no my favorite color in the world…loved the yellow one…but the rug itself looks delicious… I wanna roll over on it…
2 words, Scotch Guard!!! It has been a life saver over the years with 2 boys!!
i love how bright and happy the room is! perfect for a sophisticated family with a young one to entertain.
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day :)
That absolutely is the perfect color for karl and the room. I bet he is happy too!
Love the color of the rug but the texture is throwing me off. What I love most are those pillows. LOVE!!
I’ve been following this whole transformation in your new place and I love the pops of color! I loved your old house, but I agree with you when you said your current place make you smile a little more. I’m totally obsessed with neutrals + eccentric accessories + pops of bright color. I never knew how to decorate like this w/o having it look too crazy so these posts have helped me understand what pieces to keep classic or neutral and which ones to keep colorful, young and fun.
keep up the fab design! even my husband has been getting into the blog now since it is more colorful–literally.
Love the rug! You guys are very inspiring- I am so afraid of color, you guys always pull it off so well! Congrats on all of your sucess- and that video-how cute is she?
It’s amazing how differently the colors read in the Washington Post photos. It almost looks like a different house!
Isn’t that funny! Different cameras and settings definitely can change things! We just try to shoot ours as accurately as possible, but the Wash Post people have style, so they make choices other than “accurate” when they set the camera lens I think!
xo,
s
LOVE the green rug.
Could Clara get ANY cuter? For real.
So fun! I’m sure Clara loves it.
I am SUPER excited to see more pictures of the new dresser, btw. And that wall. You guys know which one I’m talking about. Any plans to share soon??
Oh yeah didja see our post last night about that wall (scroll back three posts)? So excited to reveal more – even though the Post scooped us, haha.
xo,
s
Hilarious that you mention John didn’t veto the purple frills. Just last week I walked into our place with the identical Homegoods purchase, but in a super friendly green shade. My hubs looked at me like I was crazy; seeing as how he thinks pillows should function for napping ONLY. Lucky for me, he learned the happy wife mantra since day one, and also loved the price tag :) Great purchase..and I think they’re fairly cozy too!
I can’t wait until you build the console table behind the couch! It is my most anticipated project that you have mentioned. I think it’s such a great idea kid-friendly idea so that you can have a round/soft ottoman instead of a coffee table.
I’ll be curious to see how deep you make the table, and how you plan to utilize the storage under it since the couch will be in the way.
Looks AWE-SOME guys! Funny coincidence that Sue the napkin got a shout out over at Design Dump today: http://mydesigndump.blogspot.com/ She even mentioned making the napkin into a pillow!! I love both of your blogs so I guess it’s fitting that great creative minds think alike! :)
Love it!!!
xo,
s