Holly Baker

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My Favorite Rug

I overlooked the necessity of area rugs for many years. I longed for a house that had wood floors from top to bottom and the freedom to finally kick my old vacuum to the curb for so long that I didn't appreciate the jobs an area rug performs. 

Then Wren came around and the idea of area spending hard earned cash on something so likely to have grapes smushed into it, milk spilled on it seemed awfully frivolous. Good thing Ikea exists, because our big, cavernous living room dining room needs warmth and separation of spaces, things an area rug does beautifully.

I have a specific rug I am saving up for that will grace my floor long after the doll strollers have stopped rolling around and all impromptu living room based craft sessions have ceased. But that is a LONG time away and I like immediate gratification!


So in comes the Erslev rug at Ikea


The thing is, and those of you with little ones already know, rugs are the absolute first things to show wear. And white rugs show it tenfold. So I need to be able to wash my rugs every so often. Problem is, dry cleaning rugs is expensive and big rugs don't fit in the wash machine. So I had to make a small design concession. I know that this idea will polarize people, some will like it, some will HATE it. But I am kind of feeling spectacular about it so here it goes...

I bought 2 rugs and overlapped them to look like a bigger one. You see, the Erslev is only $39, but far to small for a big room, and so overlapping gets me the coverage I want and the ease of washing still.

I toyed with going for hemp like in the dining room, but I wanted to differentiate the spaces so going with a similar rug seemed pointless.
 

The overlap is somewhat noticeable from above, but not at ground level. And $78 worth of rug for a room this size seems insanely reasonable!

It definitely makes me feel the space is more defined and has given me a boost to get this room done. I have 2 changes I still want to make which I will be sharing tomorrow, but I feel like it is becoming my happy place.

{ a BIG thanks to a lovely local reader named Shelby who was super duper beyond sweet and gave me her grandmothers old stereo! I LOVE it Shelby!! }

So what is the consensus on my overlapping rugs, HATE it, LOVE it? 
( I am sure true design disciples will be cringing right now, but welcome to the world of real world, lived in design!)