Disclaimer: The pictures in this post are beyond awful. I’ll update them when I get some nice natural light streaming in.
I’m on vacation for a few days this week while Matt is working. So naturally, like any sane woman playing the role of stay-at-home housewife for a few days, I went shopping. Specifically, rug shopping. I need to first give you some background on what Matt calls my “drug addiction.” See what I did there? The “d” in “drug” has a line through it. Before you get Promises on the phone – relax. It’s really a rug addiction. Get it?
I looooove rugs. Almost as much as mulched gardens and the birds that frequent my lilac tree. I have been known to have “a few” rugs in storage for whenever I might “need” them. I peruse magazines for rugs I love even though I have no more space in which to place them. I have easily bought 5-7 doormats since we’ve lived here. The door mat: a variation of my rug addiction, but a rug nonetheless. I’ve also been known to buy two rugs for one area in the same year. Sometimes I’m good and sell the old ones, but some are just waiting to be used in my next decor change. :)
I love how a rug can transform/update/cozy up a room easily and fairly inexpensively (at least the rugs I buy are fairly inexpensive). I love how they come in countless textures and colors and sizes. They’re perfect for my ever-changing decorating sense. “Ever-changing decorating sense,” is of course, the euphemism I use for what Matt calls my “decorating A.D.D.”
But back to the rug swap… we have a small area in the back of our house in the dining-kitchen area that is adequately sized for a couple of chairs and a small table. It is also where we place our Christmas tree in the winter. We really like to sit there while we read through the mail and I like when Matt sits there to keep me company while I cook dinner. I was growing a bit tired of the set-up back there and wanted to freshen things up. What better way to do so than a new rug delivered right to my doorstep!? I added in a few changes to furniture, too.
We started with the set-up below: a VERY colorful, braided rug that I fell in love with from Crate and Barrel back in ‘09. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this rug. I’ve just lived with it for a while, (almost 3 years) and I have been itching to switch it up to something a bit more cohesive.
The rug that had me at hello was a 5x8 bad boy from Ballard Designs. It had to be something durable since it’s right by our back door. I loved the neutral color, the geometric design, the UV protection because they window gets a LOT of light, AND the fact that it’s an indoor/outdoor rug. That means Griffin’s dirty paws can mess it up and I can vacuum OR rinse it with a hose. A puppy proof rug that looks cute, too. Sweet.
I cleared out the area and gave the floor a solid cleaning. I threw down a rug pad that I had on hand (weird) and rolled down the new rug. Oh, and I moved the chairs from the office into the seating area and a few accessories, too. The accessories will be ever-changing, but for now, I’m digging the storage ottoman on which to rest a cup of tea. I’ll probably end up keeping the ottoman clear most days so it doesn’t obstruct the view of the yard through that big window that I love.
Obviously, these pictures were taken at different points throughout the day. Check out how our paint color electrifies in the daytime. It’s cool, but it has to go. Too lime-y for my taste these days. As soon as Matt and I have a free weekend, it’s good-bye margarita and hello something a bit more mellow (but still in the green family - maybe a grayish green).
After the paint is rolled on, we’ll replace all of the almond-colored outlets to white, and talk about new countertops and backsplash! Woot! Until then, we’ll enjoy our freshened-up sitting area and I’ll continue searching for the next rug. ;) I have to ask… anyone else out there with a drug addiction? I can’t be the only one.