apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Well, I don't actuallly like the result, so I wouldn't be likely to try it... (Might come from being an art teacher in my dim and distant past, and this looking very amateurish to me...)

It probably looks amateurish to you NOW that you know it was a DIY. Obviously it was stunning enough to get into ElleDecor.

Personally it's not my taste but it does add some funk to such an elegant space

I like how "different" it is compared to machine-made designs, but it isn't my taste either. It would be fun to dye a rug and not be so sparing with the color or pattern. Go for something really funky and out there and really make it the focal point of the room.

This may be a good way to fake a Moroccan rug by making a zig zag pattern with paint.

I did this about 10 years ago as a teen. I'd post a picture if I had one at my current dwelling. The carpet in my bedroom was this ancient blue thing...and my parents didn't want to or couldn't afford to replace it. But my mother definitely let my creative side run wild: she bought me some black dye. We did a psychedelic swirl pattern (think hypnotism). The black came off on my socks until my dad brought a steamer home from work. Lots of salt didn't hurt either. It looked pretty well done, but I understand the comments about amateurism...my parents finally ripped up the carpet last year and let me install wood flooring throughout the house. Ours wasn't a look you'd keep without a teen.

I like everything in that room except the rug and that bright purple pouf.

Geez... picky picky picky. I think it's cool.

I think it's cool, too. I especially love the rug and the purple pouf. It's moroccan. Good quality moroccan pouf. They're cultured and well-traveled and clearly not afraid to take decorating risks. They're part of the establishment/glitterati/intelligentsia but not quite. It speaks volumes about them. Love it.

I like it all. In fact the rug looks a lot better than a lot of the posts linked to craft items on Etsy.

I love the rug-the pattern and color brings a good dose of whimsy into a stiffly formal setting. Without it and the pouf, the room looks like something I'd expect to see in Architectural Digest.

I have to agree with bepsf.

The rug is beautiful even if not to everyone's taste. I'm surprised people are so divided about it.

Looks charming, and makes the room fresh and lively instead of dull and stodgy.

love the rug. it looks amateurish because it is amateur and there is nothing wrong with that. I'd rather have a room with a stamp of individuality, better yet, my own handiwork, than a room that could look like it could belong to anyone else.

kudos for the DIY effort but it's the only thing in the room i do not like. looks like someone accidentally spilled grape juice and decided to make it look like it was done on purpose.

Love this idea and love the rug. Hopefully someone who has done this before will catch wind of this blog post and give us some details on how to go about dying a rug. I can think of all kinds of possibilities on the idea of the process.

I love this idea! As a studio art major this is a whole new medium I need to try!

I'm not really a fan of the color though; I think the rug is a little distracting. I would have tried to use less dye and a similar color to the paint behind the shelves.

Love it or hate it, the rug brings life and movement to an otherwise (sorry) soul-less and predictable space. Now, if anyone has any similar ideas for disguising the tea stain on the front of my favourite t-shirt.....

I think I'd like the pouf if there were some other things that color in the room- maybe something on the mantle and a pillow or 2, otherwise it just looks completely out of place to me. I looove the color behind the books.

I actually really like the way the rug looks and definitely wouldn't have known it was fabric dye without having it pointed out. I honestly think the reactions would have been a lot different if this wasn't a diy.

@AcrossThePond-- You could probably use fabric dye, as well.

I probably could Haley but, knowing my luck, I'd spill half of it all over my carpet...

The pink pouf is fun -- imagine all the uncomfortable Republicans who are invited to sit on it.

...and replace the painted rug with an Afghan...