apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Looks great, but rugs and bathrooms and mildew ... oh, my.

What a shame that whoever has that great wooden tub chopped up that beautiful rug to go underneath.

Where's that tub from?

The epitome of decadence is a 15K teak tub. It's from Boxart...if you follow the links.

I love the look, but also wonder why anyone's decision to chop up a beautiful rug is my (or anyone else's) business. Kathryn Ireland is a designer, and she opens up her homes to us to give ideas and to let potential clients know what she might do. Woody Allen took at least one kilim rug years ago (from a book edited by Paige Rense that my mother had) and turned it into a frame for a mirror. I did the same thing 15 years ago, with a rug that wasn't museum quality but had seen better days, and couldn't have been happier. If you like the look, go for it--but a rug is ultimately a fabric. It's not like ripping up a Rembrandt.

OH I LOVE that wooden tub. I'd soak in that till it got soggy.

You could make a really big salad in that tub.

It's either that or get oars and start rowing.

Rugs work fine in bathrooms. I wouldn't use one if you have teenagers but otherwise they're fine. Wool rugs survive being wet - it they get significantly wet get them up off the floor and let them dry completely before putting them back down to avoid dry-rot in the (cotton) foundation.

The rug in the photo above looks like an Afghan kilim. They are very common and not terribly expensive.

I have very small Iranian (Persian) rugs in my bathrooms, kitchen & laundry area. They do fine.