Rug Roundup and giveaway winner

While shopping for clients I've seen a lot of cool rugs lately.  I thought I'd share a few with you:

Eastern Colors wool rug

Peacock Rug

Monochromatic Rug

Floral Rug

Ready for the winner of the giveaway?  Using Random.org we chose a winner!   Looks like it's #5, Celia:



Congrats Celia!  Please contact us and we'll put you in touch with Andrew's Reclaimed!

DIY Chevron Rug

I was peeking around the internet for a yellow chevron rug the other day, and I found this:

Perfect and beautiful.

BUT then I saw the price.

$4400.

Cha-right.  Not going to happen.  Granted it's for an 11x19 which is bigger than I need, but still.

So I rolled up my DIY sleeves to see if anyone had attempted to recreate a chevron rug themselves.  Lo and behold, look at these great DIYers.

Camila from High Heeled Foot in the Door took a little fabric, a drop cloth and rug gripper to make this beauty.  It cost her about $55 plus a little tacky glue and scotchguard.  Amazing right?  I think this yellow fabric might work for the job.  You can see all of Camila's step by step instructions over on her blog.

This Little Miggy Stayed Home did this excellent fabric painting for her new chevron rug.  They spent about $30 plus a little paint starting with a rug similar to this and a couple sample paints.  You can see all the step by steps on their blog.  I love having the flexibility of choosing the exact colors I want and having it look a little worn out of the gate.

So what do you think?  Time to roll up the sleeves and create?  I'm thinking so.  Now if my birthday could come a little faster so I have a sewing machine at my beckon call!

Determining a Rug Size for your Living Room

We get asked this question a lot:  How do I decide what is the correct rug size I need for my space?  Today we'll help you out!

Rugs are usually specified to help pull a furniture arrangement together.  Many times, without something visual to pull everything together, furniture can look like it is placed haphazardly around the room.  (Even if there is some organization to it.)  I find that when choosing a rug size you want one that will just cover the space underneath your furniture arrangement.  Don't worry about all of your furniture fitting on the rug, just make sure that the front of the sofa and chairs are on the rug and you'll be fine!  It's always better to go larger than smaller if you're unsure about the size.

Are you visual like me?  Here are some examples of some good sized rugs and not-so-good sized rugs:





Notice how in the two examples above the rug really helps to make the arrangement feel like one large, well-placed, arrangement.

See how in the bad example the rug is too small?  Instead of pulling the arrangement together you've added something else that just clutters up the visual space.  A well sized rug will help to provide a more cohesive look.

Good luck with your rug hunting!

Faux Sheepskin Cloud Rug

Look at these beautiful faux sheepskin cloud rugs that Lifeflix created.  She has great step by step instructions over on her blog.  Don't you just want to lay down on them and read a book?  Sounds like a perfect afternoon activity to me.

Make Your Own Canvas Rug

This is a project that I've had on my to-do list for a while!  Try making your own canvas rug!  I think my next place with all hardwood floors will be the perfect place to try it out.

See the full set of supplies and instructions from Martha Stewart.