I cannot even begin to tell you how glorious the weather in Austin has been… high 70s, crisp breezes, the scent of roses and freshly mowed lawns wafting about. The weather here is usually so HELLFIRE HOT by now that this spring seems extra special and it’s really hard to do anything other than lie on the ground and stare up at this:

I love it so much that I just want everything to be green right now…

Green kitchens.

Green paint.

Green wallpaper.

The perfect green accent.

In fact I’m considering a little living room switcharoo to bring in more green, inspired by this:

Hot. Sex.

Should I maybe put my new blue/navy rug:

In the front of the living room:

And put the red rug in the back of the living room?

Please pardon the bad styling and photography. I did move about 500 toys out of the picture, so I kind of rule.

I’m not convinced red rug will be ok next to those green chairs (it’s definitely not as vibrant as my picture shows, but it’s still dark raspberry red), however blue rug could be looking mighty fab with my giant fancy new Jenny painting:

And some new pillows made from this Robert Allen fabric:

I don’t know… it’s tough to say how this will look in real life. Could be good crazy. Could be bad crazy. That’s a lot of squiggly lines and a lot of black and blue together.

When I can pull myself away from tree gazing I hope to move some things around. This is just the first configuration I’ll try… I have a lot of big rugs now.

Of course, I also want more big rugs.

Of course, I also also want to stay married.

What do you think the chances of success for this new look are?

More than 50/50 = furniture moving time.

[images via pinterest and my house]

Hi friends, I know I know… I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth there. But the weather in Austin has been FABULOUS and that only lasts for about three weeks every year, so I’ve been trying to soak it up. And do masssssssssssive amounts of yardwork. And do some spring cleaning and stuff.

In other words, it’s cocaine and hookers exciting around here.

I’m just kidding, CPS. Please don’t take my children.

Anyway, what IS exciting is my new rug:

Hand knotted Nepalese wool and silk goodness… It’s kinda cray but the pattern will hide a multitude of sins in a high traffic location, and it was dirt cheap for a 9×12 ($375).  It should arrive on Wednesday, so you can bet your sweet booty I will be waiting like a dog at the door for the postman until then.

In the meantime, I already have 800 million rugs yet I find myself continuing to bid on a few beauties here and there… (I really hope Ben isn’t reading this post).

I wanted this 10×14 1920s Khorassan rug something painful, but it closed at approximately $700 more than my top bid. Thank bejeebus, because if it had closed $5 over I would have gotten down on my knees and punched the bare floor on its face.

And then there is this cheap vintage Turkish rug on craigslist which I am FORCING myself not to buy, even though it would be so cute in Ike’s room… but I already have a rug in there. Right???

Basically I need to admit that I have a new addiction to add to art, lighting and chairs.

I have contracted the rug bug. It is very serious and difficult to cure.

I think the solution may be to pass it on to you?

Would you be interested in a vaguely edumacational/rug porn filled post about rugs and where to buy them?

Or should I put my next energies into showing you new rug in its new home?

As I type this Luke is trying to chew a hole through my computer cable, just so you know how much free time I have right now.

Rugs or house updates?

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to everyone for your super smart rug suggestions on my last post. I followed your links and made moodboards and generally drove myself banana sandwiches trying to fit all the moving parts and variables together… do I switch this rug or sell that rug? Layer something small with seagrass or save up and spend big money to buy a big rug? Truth is, I tend to buy antique rugs that may or may not fit in the spaces I had planned for them. Hand made rugs are like pieces of art, and I need to have an emotional attachment before I can have a financial relationship.

I mean I would totally marry this rug, which is very similar to some antique Turkish rugs Karly and I saw at Round Top last weekend. Prices were INSANE, like we were shopping at 1st Dibs instead of a country flea market. The rugs were superb, though. I’ve never seen that kind of quality in person and I wanted to roll around all over the rugs like a dog in heat.

I am also not above having an affair with this rug I’m watching on ebay right now. It’s huge and very old and ridiculously expensive and I LOVE IT. Too bad I’m not rich.

Anyway, I’m not the most practical when it comes to buying rugs for myself, and I just wasn’t feeling anything I could find in my budget. So when reader Jill sent out the bat signal that a local antiques gallery was having a meganormous rug sale in a parking lot, I thought what the hay… I’ll load up the babe and head out early to see what I can see.

 The calm before the storm…

I felt like I had just strolled into a third world country when I arrived, and by strolled I mean I stupidly brought my sweet seven month old baby in a stroller to the windiest, dirtiest, cheapest place on earth. And then something about the vast mountains of concealed fabric transformed me into a frantic suburban hyena panting after the scent of blood, tossing the place in order to see every single rug there (luckily/not luckily I wasn’t the only one).

Totally embarrassing.

I knew there must be something good in those stacks, but every time I forced a nice worker man to dig out the very bottom rug, it inevitably turned up to be a filthy pee stained lime green and brown persian rug. Barf.

Y’all, I have NEVER seen that much dirt anywhere, and I have peed in poop troughs near diseased chickens and pigs deep in the Mexican back country. There was dirt in my teeth (!), dirt on the baby’s face, dirt all over my stroller cum vaguely handy shopping cart… I had to hose that sad boy down with lysol after I left.

The rugs were so dirty you couldn’t even tell what color they were. D.I.R.T.Y.

And then, magically, Jill showed up. She probably didn’t recognize me beneath the layers of sooty filth, but she did recognize my very unhappy baby — the baby I brought to contract some exotic infectious disease from the dirt.

Mother of the year. That’s me.

Thankfully Jill turned out to be a super nice, very normal person with excellent taste. To wit, she pulled up this shockingly not too filthy rug. And then she passed it on to me. Behold.

But what is it??? It’s huge for one thing — 11 ft square. It’s also very old, like maybe 100 years? It’s wool and it weighs a million hundred pounds. The seller dude said it was hooked. And that’s about all I know.

For scale.

It’s not discolored, the field color is actually taupeish and the shadows are from folds.

I have since super mega vacuumed the rug, and I think it’s miraculously not too dirty. I mean, it’s old but not scabies dirty.

But what the what is it?

I know some things about rugs. Like anything I care about, I have obsessively researched Persian rugs since I first started buying them a few years ago. I can tell the difference between a Kerman and a Hamedan (kinda easy, I know), and I can tell you about abrash, kpsi, desirable colors and patterns, etc, but this here is not a Persian rug.

Is it an early American hooked rug?

A French Savonnerie?

Perhaps Spanish?

Or maybe even Chinese?

Here’s the back. I think the foundation is jute… or maybe burlap?

Does anyone know anything about this here rug?

Because I’m not sure whether to keep or sell. I think if I keep, it will live in the bedroom and the bedroom rug will move to tapestry town.

But if it’s worth some real money I might sell it and buy something more in line with the rest of my rug collection.

Or maybe it’s super awesome and I need to learn to love it?

If only I knew what it was…

Anyone?

Keep or sell?

[top image via because it's awesome]

Hey guys, it’s been a while. So, guess what? Taking care of two kids is more than twice as hard as taking care of one. The baby never naps and Ike never slows down. Our living room is littered with more flotsam and jetsam than post Sandy NYC and the housekeeper just left a few hours ago. I am on my seventh load of laundry in three days because they baby won’t stop pooping and puking every time I consume the tiniest bit of hidden dairy products. Meanwhile Ike has been staging swift and furious rebel uprisings that would make Robert E Lee blush.

It’s a good thing (we think) our kids are cute.

Despite my exhaustion, I find time at 4am to buy things. It’s like the consumer center of my brain is on overdrive while everything else has shut down. So here I am, back at the blog doing what I do best: Waffling. Indeciding. Not listening to myself.

I need you to help me choose a rug for the nursery. Remember this?

Cute, but I feel like it needs another layer. Here are my top picks.

Option 1:

Frenchy. Neutral. Love the black border. But is it too stuffy for un petit bebe? And does it clash with American revolutionary drummer boy? You may remember him from Ike’s old nursery. But wait — might he be French, instead? It seems the French flag sports colors suspiciously close to those of America AND they also had revolutions and stuff. Copy cats.

Option 2:

I kind of swore I’d never do another black and white graphic rug after the zebra incident. And in fact the zebra is dying a slow, painful, toddler inflicted death in Karly’s nursery. But this… well, this is insane. And possibly amazing. And also possibly way overwhelming and disparate from the rest of our house. I do like the super neutral colors that would allow me to change up color schemes down the line.

Option 3:

Color commitment issues… I am having a phobic moment about choosing blue, but I like that this rug would probably hide the most dirt. Also, it’s cute for a baby boy and the rough border and abrash give it a handmade feel that would add that special je ne sais quoi to all the graphic elements in the room.

And those are my choices. All wool, all 8x10s, all under $300.

So please… vote. For my rug.

And for president, I guess.

Ok guys and gals, I have two major decisions to make today. This would be doable, except that I am a used up, burned, crispy charred piece of toast. This weekend we cleaned, hauled trash, painted, and moved Ike into his big boy room. I woke up at 2am feeling like I had done a speedball — all hot and anxious and confused about where I was. This morning is not faring much better, and that is why I desperately need your help. Let’s get to it.

Decision #1: Buy a Damn Table Already

I am driving the poor sales rep at the furniture store crazy with my waffling, so I’m determined to order something today. Ok, but do I get a marble tulip table, a white painted tulip table, or a walnut tulip table?

Marble tulip cons:

Most expensive. Unknown quality — the table I’m getting will not be carrara, but some other unknown white marble with less veining (no pictures are available because the marble varies so much). Fragility — how does a giant elliptical piece of marble stay balanced on a small pedestal without breaking???! Staining — am I going to wish I had chosen something easier to maintain? Redundancy — I hope to get marble counters someday and I’m concerned about marble overload.

Pros:

IT’S MARBLE. Is marble overload even possible? I seriously lust after this table.

White painted table cons:

Diminished sex appeal — it’s basically white painted veneer. Unknown quality — no pictures of finished product available. Durability — will it chip and gouge out to reveal veneer underneath? Cleanability — can I scrub the crap out of this without abusing the finish? Length of ship time — it’ll probably take three months to get this table into my hot little hands… gross.

Pros:

Inexpensive (relatively). It’s plain white, so it’ll go with anything. Easier to move. Not concerned about breaking it.

Wood veneer cons:

Wood is bossy — rosewood or walnut will limit my chair options in a major way. Durability — this is veneer so will it gouge out? Not refinishable (veneer). It may clash with my (to be installed in the future) white oak floors.

Pros:

Relatively inexpensive. Available soon. Lighter than marble. Will not limit my counter choices.

Ok, which table should I buy?

Decision #2: Maybe Buy a Cheap Rug While They’re On Sale Today

West Elm has 15% off rugs today. I have sample for this denim and jute rug, and it’s cute but maybe a little juvenile with my coral/pink walls?

Look at me, I made a mockup. Shocking.

They also have plain jute flatwoven rugs. I’m looking at the fourth one down — the flax color. This is kind of boring, but it would allow me to do some fun seating upholstery. No mockup. Sorry, I got tired.

Meanwhile, Overstock is also having a sale. I like this two tone herringbone jute rug, but I’m concerned about staining. Is jute easy care, or is that only seagrass? I know sisal is the worst.

Finally, I could just not buy a rug. I would be missing out a bit on the sales, but perhaps I’m trying to make too many decisions at once…

Who, me?

Opinions? Concerns for my mental health?

I have to go to the doc in a few to do my third trimester blood sugar test… even though I haven’t gained much weight so far, I’m worried that my steady diet of donuts is about to backfire. Anyway, I may not be able to respond to your comments but I will be reading them while people stick needles in me and examine my hoohah.

It’s a good day all around.

For President’s Day my leopard rug arrived. Thank you, Obama (and Overstock). So the rug is pretty — it’s by Safavieh and looks to be of decent quality. Better Half Ben rolled it out for me and three seconds later Ike and the cat were clawing and break dancing all over it (cat = clawing and Ike = break dancing, although I would prefer for the opposite to have occurred), so I guess it’s plush enough.

What it’s not is the right size.

I took this picture at night so the colors are all wonktacular, but maybe you can see the problem with this space. It’s really long and narrow, and the 6×9 rug isn’t working… I think. I could shove it up under the credenza, but then it would leave this awkward open space on either side where I had planned to plunk down a pair of matching chairs.

For everyone interested in buying the same rug, here’s a daytime shot that better shows the caramel/tan colors:

I should really straighten up my furniture before I take pictures, right? Oh well.

So, what do you think? Can it work here, or should I move it to the front room and keep shopping? I’d like to maintain an open space in front of the console table so that I can roll out the benches beneath it for seating.

As a reminder, here’s some newborn baby pictures of how the room is laid out:

First of all: don’t panic! The fireplace has been painted and the tv is better situated (I plan to reveal it this week). The brown dining table is now in the dinette area (it looks terrible — new dining table is on the list), and the black credenza is against the back wall. The open area between the credenza and console is where I plan to hold play convention 2012-2040 (holy shit I am going to be old when these kids are grown). I just need a rug to mark out the space.

It would be so easy to buy a crazy 4×10 or 5×11 Persian rug off Ebay, except I already have a red Persian rug (which I like) in the room, and I can’t have two, right?

I was thinking I might could get away with a Nain rug (they tend to be blue), because it would be different yet similar to the one I already have… I don’t know anymore. Rug overload.

What do you think? Leopard where I have it or leopard in the front room?

What kind of rug should I get if I move the leopard?

Or should I totally reorganize the entire living area?

Fireplace pictures to follow.

Wallpaper sample pictures to follow.

Damn I have a lot of things to do.

I have been on such a rabid hunt for finishes and furnishings that last night I dreamed about picking tile for an imaginary restaurant… which would be hilarious if I weren’t so very concerned that the checkerboard should be nixed in favor of a penny tile. Like, cold sweat concerned. About a restaurant. That doesn’t even exist. [Cue psychoanalysis.] Anyway, the inlaws are in the process of buying a brazillion new pieces for their rad pad, including a rug to go with the MOST AMAZING Pace dining room table they snagged yesterday.

This table:

Plus this room:

Is going to kill your face off.

Hard to tell from the photo (ps, that’s not their furniture), but the room looks out onto the fancy pool and atrium with koi pond. It’s totally delicious. Yeah, I just typed that.

Of course they need a rug to go with their badass table. I am trying to help because I can shop even in my sleep.

Now, between shopping for myself and clients, I have bought approximately 864587 rugs off the internets. (I am the queen of hyperbole, but I’m pretty sure that’s an accurate number.) Some of these purchases were terrible mistakes, but many were not. So let’s talk about what you need to know when shopping for a dining room rug.

#1. Size Matters.

See that rug in the picture up there? It’s way too small. For a standard rectangular table, you probably need an 8×10 so you have space to pull out the chairs over the rug. Like so:

Sorry the picture is a total zzzzzzzzz, but you get the idea.

#2. Color and pattern are important, duh.

If you already have strong color on the walls, or lots of pattern in the textiles, then a neutral rug will be your bud for life. But in a blank slate room like the inlaws have (light floors and walls), I favor a crazy dining room rug with bold pattern. For one thing, I think it’s stimulating — as a dining room should be. For another, that rug above will hide a multitude of sins… like maybe spilled wine and smeared jelly and cat vomit. Not that these things have ever happened in my house.

#3. Speaking of color, some should be avoided (I’m talking to you, black and white).

Oh I know someone is going to reach up and slap me in the face over this one, but I’ve already been down the black and white road so take that.

Yep, that’s our old house with the OG dining room setup. Let me tell you people what: the black parts of that rug showed every single piece of lint and the white parts showed… everything else. We might or might not be messy eaters. Still, I say eating over a white rug is asking for trouble.

Somebody either has a maid and a nanny, or really enjoys cleaning.

#4. Speaking of pattern, some are easier to live with than others.

A small, low contrast pattern that extends edge to edge is the easiest to work with.

Easy. Furniture can sit anywhere on this rug. Kind of snoozy, though.

Not easy. The scale will compete with furniture. Plus it makes me want to stab myself.

It’s also worth considering where the pattern falls on the rug, and which parts will be covered by furniture. (A border also complicates the situation, but it’s not such a big deal in a dining room where the table is generally centered over the rug.)

#5. Rugs I like(ish).

The inlaws have a glass table so most of the pattern will show, save where the chairs sit. They are also looking for something colorful with blue in it to coordinate with the front door.

Yum.

Very serene and easy to coordinate with other patterns.

Completely ridiculous and probably too pink for their overall color palette, but I am developing a mini love affair with this rug.

I’m still searching for The One, so feel free to kick me some links.

Just make sure it’s not a black and white 6×9 rug with a giant off-centered pattern.

Off to shop!

I can’t believe how behind I am on blogging. Sorry to all of you whom I owe comments and emails and proof that I am alive and breathing — last week just whipped my ass. I’m back in full 75% force and I’m here to tell you that designing a kitchen on a tight timeline is stressful business. But after endless Ikea trips plus a drive to the cheapest granite showroom ever in San Antonio, I think the inlaws have a fancy plan in the works and it’s going to be awesome. The material palette is pretty basic: white cabinets, black granite counters and white subway tile. Clean and classic, but homegirl is going to need accessories. Let’s discuss.

The kitchen is fairly small, so a monochromatic palette filled with interesting objects would be lovely.

As much as I’m dying to spread some wallpaper all up in that joint, I don’t think there’s really enough wall space. Otherwise, this would be my secret plan…

Simple, colorful art and accessories are a possibility. Owls need not apply, however.

I know this is kind of cheating since the kitchen isn’t really all white, but I love the natural drama that the plants and buddha bring to this (admittedly spectacular) space.

Of course Naomi over at Design Manifest is an expert at this sort of thing, being a kitchen designer as she is. I love her suggestion of using a colorful rug to bring in the bling.

Although a part of me is still holding out for this poppy setup…

Currently this is my favorite idea for jazzing up their particular kitchen. Interesting shades and a few small vases and bowls totally transform everything.

That’s it for today. I’m still kind of sleepwalking, but tomorrow I will be 100% awesome.

85% Guaranteed.

[Laura TJ, M Design LA, Elle Decor, Living Etc, Design Manifest, M Design, Maison 21]

Last week my brother and his fiance moved to Portland from Virginia with only the goodies they could fit in their car.  Being the altruistic older sister that I am, I took it upon myself to scour craigslist for all the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  I found quite a few bodacious goodies for their downtown loft, some they loved and bought and others are making their big design crisis appearance today.  And guess what?  Not a single item has a bird on it.

First up was this leather sofa, at $900 it was a bit steep, but oh that charcoal leather looks so soft and dreamy.  Plus it’s in amazing condition.  Also, the number one rule of craigslist is don’t talk about craigslist, but the number two rule of craigslist is this:  always talk the sellers down.  It’s so important it really should be rule number one, but, hey, I’m not in charge of these things.

Next was this mid century teak coffee table.  Since I’m in the market for a coffee table myself, and a big square block of wood is exactly what I want, I was pretty excited about this find.  Turns out the table is much to large for their small condo, so it was a negatory.  It’s $100.  Someone go buy it.

Since I’ve never met anything in white tufted leather that I didn’t love, I was pretty excited to stumble upon this sofa.  Turns out the bro and his lady already found a couch just right for them, which means I won’t get to visit this gem in the fall.

Pick your chins up off the ground.  This was easily my favorite Portland Craigslist find and for $20 (twenty dollars!!!!) I prayed to all things holy that D & E would share my sentiments.  Luckily my bro has great taste in women who has great taste in tables and they bought that mofo.  Dear portlanders, this table had been on craigslist for a week.  You should be ashamed of yourselves.

If you’re hankering for a piece of brass in front of your sofa after seeing the last dreamy table, they had two of these tray tables, this one here and this one here.

Or get some brass for behind your sofa here

This arc light was priced a bit high (remember rule number 2!) but I still think someone should race out and get it.

I usually defer to ebay for all interweb lighting purchases, but I thought this little gem was just delightful.

Turns out there’s lots of burl wood laying around in Oregon (go figure).  I found this tabletop here and this one here

Ok, this is where I pull out the showstopper:

I found and developed an obsession for this rug early on (wouldn’t it look AMAZING under that brass coffee table???!!!).  The young couple decided to pass and their loss is your gain, Portland readers.  Go, roll around on this rug, stare at it longingly for hours, I will hand write some love letters for you to read aloud to it, the rug will like it, I can tell.

I’ve seen pics of all the pieces D & E have selected so far and it all looks awesome, I can’t wait to check it out in person.  As for Portland craigslist:  All in all, I found some pretty good stuff up north, you dudes have a pretty nice well to tap into.  And to whomever ends up with the rug:  sleep with one eye open.

Oh, PS, if there are any amazing secret stores the new Portlandiers should know about, leave a comment, yo.

Last week after I posted the magical Diane Von Furstenberg leopard rug kt left a comment with a link to her dreamy tiger rug:

When she said it was in her nursery, I was pretty jealz, but when she said it was only $200 I went into full-blown freak out mode.  I couldn’t believe that I had just finished my own tiger-friendly nursery and never knew that ebay held such cheap tigerly riches.  Of course, I raced right over.

What I found was nothing short of magical:

Ok, so I know many of you don’t share my affinity for tacky animal decor but just amuse me for a day.  I mean, really, you may not want this in your house but you can not deny the awesome power of this white tiger astral area rug.  Holy fuck, it rulz.

Are you feelin it?  Well then go on with your bad self and spend the $63.20 to make this 5′ x 8′ rug yours.  YES, SIXTY THREE DOLLARS FOR AN 8 FOOT RUG.  I’m sure it’s 100% flammable, but it’s also 1,000% awesome.   Original link here, but if it’s expired, just search “black midnight tiger rug.”  You’re welcome.

Here’s more:

Jungle African Queen Area Rug

4′ x 6′ = $24.99

If you dudes aren’t peeing yourselves yet, well then I just don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Tiger Family Border Rug

4 x 6 = $24.99

Personally, I think the border cheapens it.

Double Tiger African Area Rug

5 x 8 = $63.20

You can’t make this shit up

Lion and Male Tiger African Animal Rug

5 x 7 = $7.51

SEVEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY ONE CENTS

Oh, did you want something with “class” ok, well, I also found some rugs similar to the ones in kt’s nursery:

Tibetan Tiger Rug

58″ x 32″ = $295

Tibetan Skin Tiger Rug

2 x 3 = $169

Surprisingly, the tiger rug options are endless, I strongly suggest some downtime with a nice “tiger rug” ebay search.  Until tomorrow: Rawr!!!

I want a new rug

One that won’t make me sick

One that won’t make me spend so hard

I think a Persian might do the trick

I want a new rug

One I hope won’t shed

One that really catches the eye

One that just might be red

One that won’t make me nervous

Wondering what to do

One that makes me feel like it’s a great value

Like it’s a great value

I want a new rug

One that won’t pill

One that won’t cost too much

Or increase the bills

One that won’t make me nervous

Wondering what to do

One that makes me feel like it’s a great value

Like it’s a great value

I want a new rug

One that won’t go away

One that won’t make Ben put up a fight

When I say that it’s got to stay

One that won’t make me nervous

Wondering what to do

One that makes me feel like it’s a great value

Like it’s a great value

I want a new rug

One that does what it should

One that doesn’t make me feel too bad

One that does makes me feel oh so good

I want a new rug

One with no doubt

One that won’t cost a lot

Or make the bank freak out

One that won’t make me nervous

Wondering what to do

One that makes me feel like it’s a great value

Like it’s a great value

Like it’s a great value

Oh yeah, great value

Welcome back, me! After a long and lovely family visit, I’m easing into the daily routine. Which means that I’m still feeling a bit lazy. I’m looking forward to catching up with y’alluns, but first I would like to thank the fabulous Collyn of ModFruGal for sharing her amazing, inspiring home while I was away. If you were a naughty imp and you missed her home tour, catch it here.

Greetings and formalities are out of the way, so let’s get down to bizness — rug cruising.

Rug? Who? Wha? Yep, it’s a little hard to see past the tongue, but there’s a rug in there. Somewhere. Designed by Bartoli, the Rosetum is part of Nodus Rugs‘ enormous, eclectic rug collection. Featuring everything from the merely mundane to the beyond bizarre, Nodus stands at the forefront of the art rug movement.

Take, for example, this twist on the traditional by design duo Studio Job.

Perished Persian’s pattern is formed by tiny interlocking forms.

This one’s named Eros. Since we are a familyish blog (cough), I’m not going to zoom in on that.

Nodus does feature an array of more classic forms, like these fine specimens:

But their most interesting offerings seem to fly in the face of traditional warp and weft rugs.

And then there’s this dude from the ever zany Brothers Campana. Computer: zoom in.

Gold star for the best caption. And…. go!

Tags: brothers campana, nodus, nodus rugs, rugs, studio job
Posted in Accessories, Basics, textiles | 10 Comments »