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).
ashley rachelle
February 27, 2013 at 1:32 ami don’t know…i think if you were to pair it with at least one black & brown “thing”, it would look intentional. for instance, http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=6ecb50b2-dcd5-4069-9ade-28e9ab7bbb89 (the pattern over the actual fabric) a large black & brown & white plaid (or even flannel, for the texture)as a throw pillow or sham would be masculine. it would also tie the two stripes together so they look like they belong together. Unless of course that take you to a lumberjack realm…but i’m originally from oregon, so that’s only natural for me! haha! good luck on your quest!
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:12 pmI like that! I don’t know if it’s what I want to do for August’s room, but I do like it a lot.
Jessica
February 27, 2013 at 1:56 amI have the same rug in my son’s room! He used to have a blue/white striped duvet cover and it all went together fine. I did have it arranged so that the stripes were perpendicular though, not parallel.
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:13 pmPerpendicular instead of parallel would help, but it’s not a possibility in the room.
Kathryn
February 27, 2013 at 7:37 amyeah, that’ll look weird in that tiny space. Can you use it in the basement? Maybe it will be too rough for the cats to go on :) Or maybe if the blanket is folded on the bed instead of laid out?
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:13 pmI might take my chances again in the basement. Stupid jerk cats… we’ll see if they leave it alone.
Louisa
February 27, 2013 at 7:54 amWe bought that rug a while back because I loved the look of it. It arrived while I was out of town, and my husband (a fully-grown adult, obvs) couldn’t stand how scratchy it was, so we sent it back. Maybe your brown blanket is a sign that the rug isn’t meant to be…
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:15 pmI sat on it today with a skirt on and no tights, and it was awful. It would be fine in another room, but not one in which we’re going to sit on the floor to play.
Heather P.
February 27, 2013 at 8:55 amI have been known to do that with our bedding. None of it matches, because I’m usually so blinded by how it’s so cool, on sale, would go great with another part of the room, etc. that I forget it doesn’t match anything else on the bed! Someday I’ll learn, but for now, the sheets remain a mismatched hodgepodge of tan, aqua, grey, and white (sometimes all at once).
Hopefully the rug works out for you, but if not, I guess that’s a lesson learned!
Lyla
February 27, 2013 at 9:22 amI would stick up with the brown blanket. I love the colour, it’s warm and cozy. Maybe you find another spot for the rug? E.g. outside in summer on your porch, or maybe in your libary? I wouldn’t want a scratchy rug in my bedroom, for sure.. :-O
Jennifer Laura
February 27, 2013 at 9:37 amI love that rug and think you should ditch the bedspread :)
Margaret
February 27, 2013 at 9:55 amStripes are one of my fave things right now :) If you don’t end up loving it – it definitely deserves a spot in another space of the house!
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:16 pmMaybe in the basement. If my cats will leave it alone down there. (They only wreck things in the basement — I think they see it as their territory.)
Lyla
March 4, 2013 at 1:30 amHi again!
Normally cats only wreck things, when bored. So it’s not a territory thingy (the whole house is their territory, as they marked it), but just a “ah, nobody’s watching me here, so I’m having fun with this.” + you seem to accept it.
So, try out some fun spots for the kitties, e.g. sratch mats, a “cat walk” (see IKEA hackers, they’ve lovely ideas), scratching posts etc.
There even is something funny to play called “undercover mouse”. My cats looooooove it. You just put it on and they’ve fun for at least half an hour.
You may also scatter some healthy (without sugar and wheat) treats in the basement randomly, so they’ll have fun searching for it instead of wrecking furniture or stuff.
Have fun! :-)))
XO
Lyla
Whitney
February 27, 2013 at 10:03 amI love mixing patterns and think you can definitely mix the two stripes! Add a big print–like curvy vines or big overlapping circles–to make the stripes become the neutral pattern. If the other pattern has a lot of color in it, I think the black and brown just become neutrals too.
Ashley@ The Houston House
February 27, 2013 at 10:10 amThat’s adorable. I like the crib, too!
Alison
February 27, 2013 at 11:13 amThat’s an awesome style – but I vote against it just because of the vacuuming thing. I used to have a rug like that and it would always bunch up and I could NEVER get it fully clean – and it got all wrinkled! I love the blanket, too. :)
Jess @ Make and Do Girl
February 27, 2013 at 12:10 pmARG! I hate the rug-bunching issue. I have never figured out a way around it either. A rug pad helps only a little. Maybe I need to try hot gluing my rugs to the floor? :)
Julie
February 27, 2013 at 12:13 pmHa, I have a similar conundrum — I just redid my son’s room and it was way too much brown…brown gingham comforter cover with a rug with brown design: http://instagram.com/p/VHOMi1J_Xa/
His room gets a ton of natural light, but still. I got the duvet on a big sale at PB kids without thinking of the rest of the room, of course.
Don’t get me started on those dwellstudio rugs. I got a large one for my bedroom and it is so thin! Luckily my vacuum has variable suction, so I have to turn it WAY down, to like drapery setting, to vacuum the rug.
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:18 pmIt’s a lot of brown, but the scale of the patterns work together! I like it.
My vacuum only has one setting: turbo-mega-suction. Great for a good deep cleaning, terrible for this lightweight rug.
Sava
February 27, 2013 at 1:35 pmTry rug gripper tape. They work pretty well. I haven’t tried to combine them with a pad, although I’m thinking about. When you have to replace them, use some rubbing alcohol to get up the residue. We have a light gray and white striped dhurrie from overstock in our kid’s room. I love it, but it is a little scratchy.
Paisley
February 27, 2013 at 1:55 pmReturn the rug. I love the look, but I doubt a toddler or his friends will want to spend much time playing on something scratchy. I’m confident you can find something else that is both attractive and comfortable.
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:19 pmYeah, I think the rug is going.
COCOCOZy
February 27, 2013 at 9:29 pmI like the rug. Classic but modern.
Dee
February 27, 2013 at 11:18 pmI’m so happy you posted about this rug, even if it doesn’t work out — I’ve been looking for something for our high-traffic middle room (it’s very large and open, hardwood, contains our dining table and a reading nook, and connects a bunch of other rooms). This is so perfect, I bought it immediately.
Making it Lovely
February 28, 2013 at 9:20 pmI hope it works out for you! It’s a great rug, just not for a little kid’s room.
Alyssa
March 2, 2013 at 12:34 amAfter you mentioned the Dwell rug in a previous post, I was also struck with a sense of urgency and ordered it right away! The rug arrived, but I haven’t even unraveled it yet because I was immediately concerned about its texture just by looking at it through the plastic wrapping. I loved the look of it for the black+white+yellow baby’s room theme I’m working on, but after reading the comments here, I am pretty sure it’s not the right rug for a nursery! Looking forward to seeing where you find a more comfortable rug with the same look. I do love yellow-striped rugs, but I think I need to stick to black since the area rug will be laid upon beige wall-to-wall carpeting…ugh.
Marissa
March 2, 2013 at 8:55 pmWould the rug work in your kitchen? I think it would look nice with your new white walls and that floral fabric you were considering for the windows… I have a dhurrie rug in our kitchen that works quite nicely. I just shake it out before sweeping/mopping. Also, to prevent slippage, I took a tip from Martha Stewart and put lines of silicone caulk on the underside– instant non-slip rug!
Making it Lovely
March 3, 2013 at 2:35 pmNo, it’s 5’x8′. The size isn’t right.