Hello AT,
I can't put buying rugs off any longer. My downstairs neighbor has had enough of my rolling desk chair, my husband's heavy footfalls, and my wild solo dancing. Having been a downstairs neighbor myself, I sympathize. I have to buy rugs. I already have an area rug in my "living room." Is putting the existing oriental rug over a larger neutral one verboten? And what should go under the dining table? I want something flat so I can open the closet door without having to push the rug aside.
Finally, I don't want to spend a lot of money and have been looking at jute/sisal and wonder which is better or if there's a better alternative.
Thanks, Stacey (pic: PB SENNA KILIM RUG)
Extra Text from Stacey "([the dining table is] not in its own room; it's more like an entryway/extension of the living room and gets the noisy traffic from living room to kitchen, which, as my waistline will prove, is also heavy traffic.) "
Dear Stacey,
You have to promise to send us pics of your wild solo dancing upon your new rugs.
1. For sound, you can do anything you want and putting a smaller rug over a larger one can be very chic if the colors go well together. If the larger rug is neutral as you say and the smaller one colorful and patterned, that should work fine as well. But do you need extra rug where you already have it?
2. Good thick rug pads will help more with noise than anything and don't cost as much as a rug. Put these under everything you can.
3. In the dining room we would go with a flat weave kilim. It's wool, it's dense, they are beautiful and not too expensive.
4. Stay away from Sisal (even with jute in it - which is a bit better)!!!! We love sisal in a country house, but it has minimal sound muffling qualities, stains easily and is hard to clean.
5. If you want good, affordable rugs we head over to the following places. They aren't the most original, but they do have the goods. And stick with wool when you can, as it lasts longer and cleans up better.
Pottery Barn
ABC - for kilims and in the remnant section for everything else
C&B
The Rugman is an interesting resource
Flor Tiles can work nicely in a hallway or dining space (they are very flat)
Room & Board
Have you checked out Flor? That is the direction I am taking for some new rugs.
This is a good good question because I'm approaching the rug question as well. So, I'll put my question out there for the crowd...I've been wondering--do I need to put a rug under my dining table? And, if so, how large should it be? My dining "room" is in my living room...and I currently have an area rug in the living area, but not the dining. I don't have any pictures with me, unfortunately.
Also, regarding rug pads...I have the no slip variety under my area rug (which is cotton woven), but would like a cushier one...do I just buy the kind of padding for wall to wall and tape it down?
I've bought a couple of really nice rugs from Overstock, good stuff, good price and delivered promptly.
Christine, i have a similar living/dining/office arrangement(all open) and i've put a different rug under the coffee table(aka living area) and under the dining table and another one in the office area.
This helps to visually seperate out the areas and gives them identity/color.
One of these was only 20 bucks from ikea!
As to how big these rugs should be - for the dining table, i'd guess the area should cover the chair pulled out, since you dont want the chair to go off the rug when you pull it out. For other areas, you'd really have to measure the couches etc. that define the space and take it from there. I have a 5x8 in the living space and a 4x6 in the office area and a 6x6 under the dining table(its a square table).
Stacey, if you are going to use the rug as a cushion then you could definitely do ikea or something cheaper as you are covering it up with a nicer/colored rug!
Hope this helps.
I couldn't justify the cost of most rugs, as I was simply replacing a ratty old Ikea rug, but last week I noticed the rug I had had my eyes on months ago has gone on sale! The design may not be your thing, but it sure is a bargain:
http://www.wisteria.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W880
Jenny McCarth--Love that rug, but looks like it's a dirt catcher. What a great price.
Any one know of some good looking modern-ish rugs for outside? You know for patio/front door... all weather-type durability?
-Kellen
Speaking of rolling desk chairs... what's a good choice of material for a rug to put under a desk, that will still allow a chair to roll around easily? Right now I have a fugly plastic mat from Office Depot - I'm looking for something a little more stylish. Any recommendations? :) The more affordable the better, of course.
How about some of the thinner FLOR tiles? I think that your desk chair would still roll w/ some of those.
Any first-hand experience anyone?
-k
Christine, reef posted guidelines from PB on rug sizing a few months ago:
QUOTE:
"I took this from Potterybarn.
How to Measure for Rugs
Follow these simple steps when adding a rug to your living area:
First, measure your space with a steel measuring tape. Don't rely on visual sizing; a 5 x 8' rug may seem large when hanging on display in a store, but it is too small to accommodate most sofas.
Make sure to consider the locations of vents and doors, as they may affect the placement of the rug.
In the living room or family room, furniture should be placed entirely on or off the rug, with the exception of your sofa, which may be placed with its back legs on the floor if desired.
To create a smaller, more intimate space with your rug, measure the length and width of the furnished area and subtract 24" from both measurements.
For a rug under a dining table and chairs, measure the table's length and width and add 54" to each measurement. This will provide 27" on all sides to allow space for the chairs, even when pulled away from the table.
Always remember to double-check your measurements.
I wanted a shag rug for our living room. I saw a 9' by 12' for over $1000 but ended up getting some carpet bound instead. Not only did I get the perfect size (10' by 12') but it cost me half as much. So, if you want a solid rug perhaps go the bound carpet route?
Reef"
Posted by Reef at 11/29/05 2:56 PM
If you google outdoor rugs you get a bunch of sites that have nice rugs for outside.
I have this thing about child labor so I always look for rugs that have a Rugmark label on them which means they have not been made by children. So FYI, here's a list of stores that sell Rugmark labelled rugs:
http://www.rugmark.org/stores.htm#entreelibre
I second the overstock.com recommendation. I have several rugs from them. I also ordered a rug that turned out to be not quite right, and was able to return it easily and without hassle (except for lugging the heavy thing over to the FedEx office).
Just a word of warning, I read things on the internet a little while ago that some people buying cheaper area rugs, even from reputable retailers, have encountered infestations of wool moths and such. It DOES seem rare though. I think most rugs get gassed or otherwise treated somewhere along the line.
Not to discourage anyone, but if you start seeing them around after you bring in a new rug you might want to evict the rug, post haste ,and go in for some chemical warfare, cleaning or freeze the little buggers if you know of a big enough freezer.
Also The Home Depot sells some (plastic/rayon/some non-natural fibre rugs) that imitate "oriental" rugs reasonably nicely, I've used them in high traffic/dirty areas where I'd not want to lay an expensive or delicate rug. Or when inthe past, I'd housemates who were less than fastidious about crumbs.
I love Oriental rugs. They come in so many hues and range from the finest pile to wonderful tribal pieces. I have a Bokhara which is a beautiful cherry red, unlike the more usual wine-hued Bokharas; it has withstood many years of wear, Except for the fringe on one end which is worn, it looks brand new. A reputable rug dealer can repair the fringe. It's all good.
How right you are about those sisal/jute rugs - they are a pain to clean! I'm on my second one from C&B - the heavily textured herringbone brown version - and it too is on its last legs thanks to two beautiful but extremely hairball/puking-prone cats. The various clumps and lumps just get into those crevices and even my Dyson can't get them out :-(.
Given the fact that under the dining table is their favorite locale for these unfortunate activities, I've been at a loss regarding what kind of rug to use - I think a dhurrie or kilim would REALLY stain. Would a heavy-duty acrylic pile rug be better or maybe one of those bamboo rugs? Any thoughts would be appreciated!
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