A new rug has once again entered our house. It’s cute and colorful! August likes it! Tiny Lego pieces get lost where the baby can crawl over and find/eat them or you step on them, ouch! I did not realize what a pain it would be to make sure there aren’t little tiny toys hidden, lying in wait. It’s not an impossible task but it is worth mentioning in case you’re looking for something similar. I imagine this would be a problem with most of the colorful options I was looking at, or with any heavily patterned rug.
The bigger problem is that it’s a cheap rug, and that’s evident in the quality. Basically, it’s just a big 8×10 cotton rag rug, but even among rag rugs, quality varies. The little loops are continuously popping up and I have to tuck them back in or trim them. And of course I can’t use the vacuum’s beater brush, which may or may not be a problem in the long run. Returning a rug by mail is a pain, but the shipping both ways is free and I’m going to replace it with either this one or this one instead. The flat weave should last longer and be easier to keep clean, which is worth the hassle of swapping them out. It’s a disappointment and a minor setback, but it’s easily fixable.
A new desk is here too. (I sold the armchair to make room for it.) August requested red and the one I was going to order (#20 in the roundup) sold out before I grab one, so I went with one of the other options. It’s sturdy and solid and will stand up to little boy wear and tear, and the castors have locks on the front wheels. Plus, obscenely large pet cages fit beneath it, so bonus!
Eventually a chair and some sort of drawers/storage will go where the cage is, but August is happy to have the boy guinea pigs in his room right now and that’s the best place for them.
The new layout with the bed in front of the windows means we couldn’t use the sconce we had again as a bedside light. I spotted the windsor task floor lamp on clearance and I bought the store’s floor model, figuring it would work well as a replacement. The cord is part of its design, but the floor switch is annoying because you have to get out of bed to turn the light on or off. A plug-in dimmer switch will solve the problem.
How’s that old “to do” list shaping up?
To do:
-
paint the bed frame
-
upholster the headboard
-
no more bed rail -
new rugreturn and replace the new rug -
rearrange the furniture -
repaint
(maybe)(definitely) -
add shelves above the radiator
-
more art
-
organize (and pare down) the toys -
replace the light with a ceiling fan
Alexandra @ My Urban Family
August 25, 2015 at 1:35 pmI love that lamp! I’ve been looking for something similar, though I really want one without the cord like that and it’s been hard to find. Cute though!
Bethann
August 25, 2015 at 2:29 pmLove the rug but completely understand about Lego/toys getting lost! The carpet was sooo busy where I once worked that after a kids’ activity which included M&Ms, I had to walk every inch of the room to pick up the M&Ms and literally could only see them when they were almost under my feet! Thanks for the reminder!
Monique
August 26, 2015 at 2:08 pmOMG! I so admire how you can go with the flow and do the extras to make things work, especially if that means return a rug. Rugs are my nemesis. Your posts on rugs are some of my favorites. Might you entertain the idea of writing how to buy a rug post? I have a long history of buying rugs that don’t quite work. They are itchy or uncomfortable underfoot, they come apart, they never stop shedding or they don’t smell. Just an idea…
Michelle
August 26, 2015 at 3:25 pmI work in a rug store and can tell you that cotton rugs do not last much longer than a sisal rug. But the quality and construction looks much better in the Paint Palette rug than the Albert and Dash cotton rugs(Albert and Dash is more expensive because it’s a name brand). But in the end, it matters to you what will work better in the room. Good luck!
Cynthia
August 26, 2015 at 6:17 pmAnd I would go with the Dash and Albert. That palette rug looks like big spots waiting for their inevitable smaller spots. In a boy’s room? Don’t even go there, you’ve got bigger fish to fry. Looking forward to seeing what color replaces the sedate green…I have a feeling August is livening things up with his input.
hkw
August 27, 2015 at 12:07 pmI’m so sorry. When you requested rug input I almost commented to be wary of shaggy and loop-y rugs because of the lost Lego factor. We have a thickly tufted wool rug in our family room with that problem. Now, with a mobile baby, the Legos are banned to the big boy’s bedroom, which now has a faux cowhide rug that’s soft enough to sit on but doesn’t hide the tiny toys.
Erika
August 27, 2015 at 2:28 pmHi Nicole,
How about looking into hand-tufted rugs? You can find a fun pattern in all wool, with a pile that is not too thick or looped. It’ll last a long time without wearing down like a cotton or sisal rug and it’s not going to be a pain like a flatweave.
I work in a rug showroom in Seattle and can help with your rug situation. We work with our own factories and have a lot of budget-friendly options. You can start by visiting our website at http://www.stacylogan.com.
Erika
LP
September 4, 2015 at 2:29 pmI’m pretty sure I have that rug. The cotton has frayed a lot and it’s impossible to keep clean. It’s good that you’re replacing it.
Kate F
September 14, 2015 at 11:38 amBy the way, even with a less camouflagey rug, you may consider one of these:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B014CCH3HO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
We got one for my son shortly after the lego obsession took off, and it has reduced both lego/foot interactions and clean-up drama by about 95%. The little side pockets keep his precious Ninjago weapons and guys sorted out, and being able to gather the whole thing up and tuck it in a corner vs. scooping alllll the pieces back into a bin is way faster and easier. I try to keep him playing on the mat the whole time; it’s 5 feet wide so he has plenty of room.