Tag: Rugs

Black and Blue

This post is sponsored by Loloi.

Ever borrow something from a friend, and then after seeing how good it looks on you, you wish you didn’t have to give it back? That’s kind of the situation here, except it’s my house that’s wearing the borrowed item. A rug, in this case. And a couple of pillows.

I’d been seeing Loloi popping up in the design world a lot lately, and when they reached out about a potential partnership, we decided that it would be fun to feature one of their rugs by styling it in my home. I chose one of my favorites (JO-10 in indigo/blue, from their new Journey collection) and it was on its way here.

Loloi has rugs in a huge variety of styles. I almost went with their Sahara rug, but I thought it would be fun to try out something with a more saturated color palette. The blue is so beautiful, isn’t it? I wasn’t sure how it would play against my sofa, but it’s working. Oh, yes it is.

Since everything was sent on loan to be photographed, it will be on its way back to Loloi soon and I’ll be sad to see it go. The floors are bare throughout most of the first floor right now and I’d forgotten how nice it is to have a soft, plush rug underfoot, let alone one so pretty. I find myself standing in the doorway, checking out the room the way you might put on something new and check yourself out in the mirror. Lookin’ good, room.

The pillows by Loloi will be in stores soon, and I think that at the very least I’m going to need to get one of those multicolored pillows for keeps. The rugs are available now though, in retailers across the nation and online through sites like Wayfair and Rugs Direct.

So fun to see the room dressed a bit differently, and rugs always have the power to really change a room. What do you think? Are you liking the black and blue together in the room as much as I am?

March 12, 2015
Negotiating at the Souk

It’s funny how we each have our own tactics. I’m in Marrakesh for a few days right now with friends and we’ve been navigating the souks. Our group speaks English and French, and a lot of the sellers here speak one or the other too (or both), in addition to Arabic, so communication has been easy. Negotiating here is expected — even respected when done well! Sometimes we have a bit more buying power as a group since it’s a larger potential sale, but everyone approaches the deal in their own way.

I’ll share more of my trip to France and Morocco when I’m back home in Chicago and can go through my million photos, but I wanted to write about our experience negotiating here while it was still fresh in my mind.

Tactic 1
This is me. It’s pretty apparent (to me, at least) that I have a Midwestern sensibility. Too nice! Too smiley! But I’ll calculate a good, fair price and not move too much from it (all while being very polite). If you want more than one thing, that’s a good bargaining chip. “I’ll take these, but only for this much. Otherwise just one.” I won’t disparage the goods, but rather say something like “I love it, but I can’t. Not unless you can sell it for this much.”

Tactic 2
You want the item, but eh! You can leave it. If you get a good deal you’ll take it. Start low, stay low, hold that hand out to shake for a deal, but keep driving it low until the very last second. Be a bit coy, a bit flirty, but ruthless at the same time.

Tactic 3
Take a simple and straightforward approach. Start way low, and be willing to come up in big jumps between counter-offers. Be kind but somewhat disinterested, and come to a quick agreement. “All right. Can you sell it for this much? That’s as much as I can do.” Done.

Tactic 4
Feign frustration and indifference. Start way low, point out that we can go elsewhere. “I bought some like this earlier today! Everyone has these — I can get a better price.” Be ready to walk away after a lot of time and haggling, even if you really want what you’re trying to get. Be difficult and very much not Midwestern. (It was fascinating for me to watch in action because I could never do it.) When the deal was done with a handshake, the guy said “you’re tough! Like the sellers here!” with a big smile.

We’re all far from experts of course, but it’s interesting to see what works and what doesn’t. I had a sinking feeling that I wasn’t as good of a negotiator as I could have been (“damn it, you were too nice!”), but realized in the end that we each came away with about the same deal.

We’re still here for little longer so it may be difficult for me to respond to comments, but I’d love to hear from you. Have you been to the souk before? Any tips and tricks on what worked for you?

June 25, 2014
The Entryway (Again), with its New (Old) Runner

Let’s forget about the not-so-pretty photos from yesterday, and instead look at a runner that IS working.

Saving on the sideboard meant I could put the extra money toward the proper-sized runner for the space. It’s a vintage Persian Koliaei rug, about 50 years old, that I bought from eSaleRugs after Jenny’s recommendation. It seems like they have 50% off sales pretty regularly, the shipping was fast, and my rug arrived in great shape.

I like that the blue randomly changes midway through the rug. I laid it the other way at first, and it seemed off — like the lightest part should be nearest to the light source of the window and front door.

The runner called for switching things up a bit, so I’ll find places in the house elsewhere for the pink and coral painting, Heath Ceramics pottery, and blue dhurrie that you saw here before.

Also, I swapped out the off-white plastic outlet cover on the floor for a wood one, and it blends in much more nicely now. A small detail, but it’s nice to have it done.

I saw this painting pop up in Jenny Vorwaller’s Instagram feed and I scooped it up right away, but I had to wait a few months because it turned out she was about to hang it in the downtown Seattle Anthropologie. Isn’t it gorgeous? The name is “Warp and Weft” — very appropriate to be talking about it in a post about rugs. I like it in the entryway, and I’m perfectly fine with it not being completely matchy-matchy. I do kind of want to steal it away for the bedroom though, so I’m not sure if this is its permanent home.

Can you imagine how awesome it’s going to be when the weather gets nicer, and we can have the front door open with a view of the pretty Victorian screen door?

This is the first space people see when they come over, and the first thing we see when we come home. It took a few months, but it finally looks and functions the way I wanted it to.

January 30, 2014
Pink Rugs: The Choice of Design Bloggers
Can I make that sweeping generalization in the title? Probably not, but I do love having a pink rug in my living room. (Although those chevrons have been done to death. It was not so when I bought my rug in 2008!)

I love this space from Holly Becker of Decor8, with its pink overdye rug. The photo appeared in her book, Decorate Workshop.

And Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy has a hot pink rug, too. This was his living room, featured in Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces.

You see what I mean about design bloggers and pink rugs? Maybe we’re an odd bunch, but I love the look.

I just wish I’d known better than to choose cotton for a busy living room in a house with two young kids, a dog, and three cats — though in my defense, we didn’t have children at the time. I’ve been looking at wool rugs for a possible replacement (maybe?), and I keep coming back to pink. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Madeline Weinrib Zigzag Rug
  cotton, available at ABC Carpet & Home
  This is my rug. It can be ordered in custom colors, but when I came across it in shades of pink, I had to buy it. I would still recommend it, but for a room with less foot traffic.
2. Dippy Pink Rug by Susan Sharp
  wool, from The Rug Company
  Gorgeous, and less in-your-face ombré as it appears on screen (as seen in Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan’s home, above, and repurposed in his apartment). It’s expensive though.
3. Preppy Pastel Pink Rug
  wool, from The Land of Nod
  The color looks more vibrant than pastel to me. The price is right, but the solid color is a bit plain.
4. Overdye Magenta Rug
  wool, from Rugs USA
  I like that the underlying pattern is less obvious than in some overdyed rugs. Less trendy. I would love this rug in my living room. Think it would work with my floral chair?
April 8, 2013
A Striped Rug for August’s Room

So, I bought this striped rug for August’s room. It was on sale, 50% off (still is), and I was blinded by a sense of urgency. Must buy now, before it sells out! (It’s still available.)

It arrived, and I like the scale of the stripes. I like the color (the darker stripes are more charcoal than black). Here’s what I’m not liking so much: it’s not very soft. I knew it wouldn’t be plush — it’s a dhurrie — but it’s a smidge scratchy. And when I vacuum it, it gets all caught up and bunches like crazy. Annoying.

Also, how did I forget that I bought a twin-sized blanket with brown and white stripes for his room? August and I have snuggled under it in the rocking chair together as we read bedtime stories for the past six months! Brown can often be paired with black, but not in this case.

So I’m not sure I’m feeling the striped rug in there. I put it down without a rug pad, but I’ve since purchased one, so I’ll see if that helps with the vacuum slippage issue. The rug isn’t terribly rough underfoot and August isn’t a newborn so it’s less of a problem now, but I wish it were a little softer. And then there’s the clashing! Rug vs. Blanket! Stripes vs. Stripes! Who will win?

p.s. Prepare thyselves for striped rug overload right this way! I’m considering this runner for the kitchen (such a good price).

February 27, 2013
The Basement Studio and Playroom Plan

All right, I’ve decided on a rug. I had to turn to my good friend Photoshop to help me figure out which would be the best in the space, and this pink and white one looked best. I found it thanks to some of the comments on my post about the basement rug situation, so thanks for the recommendations! I also put a post together with a bunch of my favorite indoor/outdoor rugs over here. Check it out if you’re in the market.

The värde was c/o IKEA, and we’ve had that orange daybed for years. It was originally in our short-lived guest room (now the nursery). It should be good on the playroom side of the basement, and I’m going to skip a rug on that side. Kathryn pointed out that her kids actually prefer a bare floor to slide around on, so we’re going to give it a go.

We’ve had the 4 Seasons in Chicago (first edition) print for a while now too. Brandon gave it to me as a gift, and I’m looking forward to having it up on the walls. And speaking of the walls… I’m rethinking that grellow color. I chose it thinking that the floor on that side would be offset by the black and white rug, taking up most of the space. now that it’s gone though, I’m not sure I like the way it’s looking. I’ve never painted a room white before, but might like it here. I’m still thinking about doing a paint-by-numbers wall mural too. How awesome would that be?

It’s kind of a commitment though, eh? And you know that if we ever move, it will suffer the same fate as the dragon that I painted over when we moved in.

Update:
I made a mockup.

It looks awesome.

May 22, 2012