I’ve had a seagrass rug for about four+ years that I bought from Ballard Designs. Here it is in my previous house,
Seagrass is affordable, versatile and durable and I would absolutely recommend it to you. I have kids and pets and only one living area with high traffic. We’ve spilled a lot of different things on this rug including but not limited to; soda, juice, milk, cat vomit, beer etc. But recently seagrass stumbled and then fell because it met with a big dog with an upset stomach.
The seagrass rug was banished to the front porch at 6:00 am one morning with a one way ticket to the trash heap. So we’re left with a very bare and not so cozy wood floor in the living room. We need a new living room rug. And much like Sheet Search, I’ve got some parameters;
- Ideally 100% wool— but to be mindful of cost a jute/wool blend would be nice
- Neutral–the rug needs to versatile enough to bend to any decorative, style or paint color changes that occur in the living room
- Texture–just because its neutral doesn’t mean it has to be entirely lacking in character
- Under $1,000–that may sound crazy to some of you and to others par for the course, I’m looking for something really lasting.
The image that is set in my head is this rug,
BUT, there’s one standard it does not meet– the price. It’s $1,119.00, without taking advantage of any sales or researching a discount possibility. So I set out in to the seemingly infinite universe of rugs and this is what I found.
1. Sorrel Diamond Stripe Rug 2. Jaipur Nostalgia 3. Ballard Designs Beckett Rug 4. Birch Lane Olivia Rug 5. Dash & Albert Honeycomb at Rug Studio 6. Dash & Albert Nevis Jute Rug 7. Jaipur Fables Rug 8. Pottery Barn Daffin Rug 9. One Kings Lane Walt Rug 10. Wayfair Safavieh Dhurrie 11. Serena & Lily Argyle Rug 12. Home Decorators Continental Rug 13. Lulu & Georgia Montouk Striped Rug 14. One Kings Lane Sumner Jute Blend
After doing this search I called an area rug cleaning in Jupiter to ask questions about maintenance. I’m left thinking, do I really want to commit to an expensive rug right now, even if I invested in a vintage Beni Ourain, would I tire of the shag and Moroccan look after a few years? The Momeni rug (#1) is really tempting and it’s 100% wool and gets good reviews.
Obviously I want to know which one you would choose.
#3 and #10 rock my socks. They aren’t trendy looking enough to look dated after a few years.
#4 is my pick, will go a long way with a multitude of design choices and schemes.
Ellen- you’re trying to grab on to a little subtle pattern with 3 & 10. I agree they aren’t obnoxiously trendy.
The dash and albert diamond design is far superior in my mind, and it literally whispers your name to me when I look at it. It’s far superior to any of the rest. I’d avoid the ouhrain inspired designs at this point too, for fear of growing weary. I like #11.
I got my hands on a neutral rug that is beautiful and so far feels indestructible. It’s 100% wool and it came from the 60s from an old couple living up on a hill by a state park in Simi Valley. They got it from a traveler friend back in the day and have lived on it since.
Amazingly enough, It hasn’t been puked on yet at our house. I can’t report on success there, however the previous owner said taker her out and hose her down, she’s seen her share of spills.
I really like all of your selections. I have that Dash and Albert rug in a smaller size and it snags pretty badly. I was super disappointed because I assumed it would be indestructible and I never spend $$ on rugs! After many years with no rug, I finally just found a wool rug on Craigslist and love it so far.
Thank you so much for saying that, I need to hear that. I know I need to bite the bullet and go 100% wool.