Laura Burciaga

I have been on the search for the perfect living room rug… on a budget. We have oak hardwood floors (which I love) in the entry, living and dining room. When we first bought the house, we purchased a dark brown thick jute rug from Crate and Barrel. We paid a pretty penny for it, too. Well, a year and 2 puppies later, this rug was not working for our space. First, it was too dark… just sorta weighed down the room. Second, too thick. Third, too small (6×9). The room really needs an 8×10 or larger. The final straw was when our jute rug became the spot of choice for our puppies to relieve themselves. I guess something about the texture made it seem like the place to go. Needless to say, we got rid of the rug after having it for only 1 year. Oh, also it was very rough. If you sat in it for any length of time, you would be left with imprints of the rug in your knees, legs, etc. I wanted something soft that invited people to sit and lounge on it, as well as a place for our future babies to play on.

Which leads us to where we are now: Rugless. I’m okay with it for now because our floors are pretty, but the room needs something to warm it up and ground our furniture. So I currently am on the hunt for the perfect rug. I would like something large, neutral colored, soft, easy to clean and maintain, looks expensive, but costs very little. I am debating on a wool jute rug in a smaller weave and lighter color. I love the texture of seagrass/jute/natural fibers, however, I am worried that it will not have the plush feel I am looking for. I have also debated on an oriental rug in a subtle, neutral pattern. This would give the space a timeless look, but I am not sure if I want to go that route (might be too traditional). I also like something fun and contemporary like this:

Or like this:

This I found on Home Decorators.com. The price is very reasonable and since it is an indoor/outdoor rug, it can be hosed down! Sometimes indoor/outdoor rugs are not the softest, but this one appears soft. Which color do you like better?

Which rug would you go with– jute/seagrass, oriental, or something like in the photo?

Okay, I found another thing I must add to my Christmas wish list… so I lied, the Dyson is not the only thing I want/need… I’m a girl, ok! I’m allowed to change my mind!

Here it is:

It’s the Ikea Trollsta Sideboard. It would be perfect in our living room to house all of our media equipment. Right now we have a tall bookcase from West Elm that is housing all of media stuff (our flat screen is mounted above the fireplace). I love the bookcase but after we bought it, we realized we really needed something that was meant to conceal all the lovely wires, controls, remotes, etc. that come with electronics. I’ve been looking for just the right piece of furniture for that wall, and has been a bit challenging to find one that is not too traditional, too country, too tuscan-y, too low, you get the picture. Our living room is contemporary/transitional, so I wanted to find something with the right feel and look and functionality. Then I happened across this lovely sideboard on Ikea’s website. I think it is new from them. Best of all, there are cord outlets in the back and 2 adjustable shelves. And you can’t beat $349! I love that it does not look like a “media cabinet”.