Short story: we bought a bedroom rug!
Now for the long story. Because we’re nothing if not wordy and over explain-y. We’ve known that our giant bedroom was in need of a nice big rug to anchor some of the more showstopping pieces, like big ol’ Ed the Bed and our New Year’s Eve ball-esque pendant light from Ikea. And a piddly little 4 x 6′ rug at the foot of the bed with two faux sheepskins on either side of the bed just weren’t doing it for us anymore. Maybe to some people a 16 x 16′ bedroom (which is actually 16 x 21′ if you include the sink nook) isn’t even that big. But to us it’s straight up gargantuan since our last one was just 11 x 12′ box with a tiny closet with no attached bathroom. Speaking of that room, it sported a 6 x 9′ jute rug:
So we knew that our new bedroom would call for at least an 8 x 10. Just to be sure we taped things out on the floor with painters tape (such a good way to visualize rug size before pulling the trigger and buying anything) and agreed that an 8 x 10′ would indeed do the trick. We’re actually planning to place it horizontally under the bed, but we’ll explain more about that in our next post.
But back to the rug hunt. With our sights set on a size, the discussion then turned to what type of rug we wanted. We’re huge fans of natural materials when it comes to rugs (which don’t stink/off-gas, and are naturally durable and usually pretty easy to keep clean). So we pretty quickly narrowed things down to two options: a big white shaggy wool rug (kinda like a giant faux sheepskin) or a nice natural jute rug (of the softer braided varieties). And after a lot of staring at the bedroom and squinting, we decided that both for easy-care and design reasons we were really excited to go for something jute. We had a bunch of them in our last house (still have the big one that was under our bed in our current sunroom and the two that used to live in the old kitchen and third bedroom stacked at the foot of our bed looking too small). We’re fans. They’re so durable and easy to keep clean (even with a dog and a baby). We just shake them out or vacuum every once in a while, and their coloring and natural fibers just seem to hide dirt and even repel stains, thanks to the straw-like material.
Plus jute is notoriously hundreds of dollars cheaper than wool. And you know that kind of thing is definitely a factor for us. And the more we thought about it, the idea of a big white shaggy wool rug sounded nice and plush underfoot, but we worried about stains (anything white that can’t be tossed into the washing machine makes us nervous) and we also thought since Ed the Bed is white that he might pop more when resting on a not-white rug.
Why didn’t we consider something bolder or more patterned? With our loud-ish duvet and a few other not-necessarily-safe choices (like our giant dandelion-ish pendant light, our greeny-yellow curtain panels, and our graphic four-poster-bed) we wanted to allow things like that to be the star, while the rug fell back and worked as a “best supporting actor” of sorts.
Long story short long, we narrowed it down to three surprisingly affordable choices (we’re always thrilled to find 8 x 10 rugs under $350 or so). The first one was from Overstock for $224 with $2.95 shipping:
The second one was from West Elm on sale for $229 with $25 shipping (in “flax”):
And this last one was from Pottery Barn on clearance for $199 plus $25 shipping:
After a lot of deliberation we decided that we were most enamored with the subtle tone-on-tone diamond pattern of the PB one. And it didn’t hurt that the price was the lowest one (although with pricier shipping than Overstock, it pretty much made them even when it came to overall cost). Easy enough right? Decision made.
But then I realized that we have a Pottery Barn in town (not true for West Elm or Overstock) so I called to see if we could pick it up in the store to save shipping (or get it shipped to the store by the site to save that loot). But annoyingly enough it was only listed for that clearance price online and was $249 in stores (still on sale, but not by as much). So there was no way around that shipping fee if wanted the $199 price. Boo.
We decided that in order to save $25 bucks we should just go ahead and order it online (even with the $25 delivery surcharge it came out to $224 and not $249 like the store pick-up price) and that way it would come right to our door instead of having to borrow a bigger car to go get it. But when I got to “online checkout” I saw that unlike buying it at the store, it couldn’t be returned if the color was totally different than what we expected. Which admittedly could be mostly remedied by checking one out in the PB store near us before ordering, but sometimes different “batches” have varied coloring.
But that wasn’t the game changer. This little red sentence was:
Whaaaa? It’s early March. I’ve heard of three weeks of waiting, but three months? That’s a quarter of a year. I’ll probably have at least ten more gray hairs by then. And Clara could be walking. And Burger will be at least 2 dog years older. Plus they had them in stock at the PB store near us (we called and they actually had two). And those are 100% returnable. And there wouldn’t be any shipping costs. Or waiting 3+ months for it.
So we decided that paying $25 more was worth the instant gratification, borrowed John’s sister’s SUV, and drove out to Pottery Barn to make it ours for $249. No shipping and no waiting required. It still felt like a darn good price for a giant 8 x 10 rug, especially considering the original price was upwards of 300 and it has that cool subtle diamond pattern going on that makes it feel a lot more special than the average jute rug.
Now it’s home, half rolled out on the floor. And it’s so soft! Approximately 50 times softer than the one that we used to have in the bedroom. Woot. We also think it all went down the way it was supposed to because we questioned whether the Overstock rug was too orange (you can never tell if it’s their pics or not) or if the West Elm one was too cool looking (it almost looked painted in the pictures) and the PB one is juuust right with our warm wide plank floors now that we’ve got it home. Pics to come!
Sharon says
Good choice! We have the West Elm rug in flax in our dining room, and while I love the color, I would definitely not call it soft. If it was in our bedroom I’d not be as happy. (we didn’t experience the shedding noted in an earlier post, but have had it for a while. Perhaps they have changed the make a bit…)
Amanda Smith says
I am interested to see how you like this rug. I too have been eyeing this rug for sometime but was hesitant because a lot of the online reviews we not too great. People even returned it. They said it shedded a lot. Hope it is not as the reviews say and it works for you!
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve only had it a day but so far no shedding and we’ve vacuumed it without much coming up, which bodes well. But of course it’s still early. We promise more updates as time goes by for sure!
xo,
s
Katie says
Sherry & John,
This is my first official post to your blog, however, I’ve been an avid reader for a while! But I wanted to comment on the rug search, because I actually have the Diamond Jute rug from PB and love it! It is a great rug, feels soft on the feet when you walk on it and it has held up really nicely to a lot of foot traffic(both humans and dogs). I too love the diamond pattern, it adds texture and pattern yet acts as a neutral. I hope you all enjoy it just as much as I have :)
-Katie
YoungHouseLove says
That’s great to hear! Especially since you have dogs in the mix!
xo,
s
Michelle says
NOoooooo!!! I have had that rug since the fall and it.is. terrible! I didnt trust the ratings online and bought it anyways and am so unhappy with it. The loops come undone easily with little doggie paws running on it and the edges are already unraveling :( Hopefully you will have better luck with it than I have!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s so interesting to hear everyone’s experiences (some good and some bad). Thanks for sharing them everyone! We’ve already vacuumed ours (so far, so good) and promise to spill the beans when it comes to how ours holds up over time. We’ve had a ton of jute rugs last years so we definitely hope to have the same luck with this one!
xo,
s
Melissa says
I purchased the same rug a few months ago (on clearance at our local PB!), and I was assured by the salesperson that this rug was super easy to clean (because we have a 14 month old), and it WAS able to be vacuumed. Although I was hesitant at first, I went ahead and vacuumed it. A few sweeps later, our vacuum ate a few threads on the rug and I was heartbroken! So, proceed with caution when cleaning your new rug!!! However, I will say that this is the perfect rug when cleaning child (and adult!) food stains. It’s in our living room so it sees a lot of traffic!
Casey says
AH! Do you have a PB outlet near you!? I bought this EXACT rug 2 months ago for $50 (the size was mislabeled – it was labeled as a 5×8, but when I brought it up front I told them honestly that I thought it was an 8×10 – they said they would honor the tag price, so I got the rug for $50!!). I would call around to PB Outlets and see if any near you have it for a cheaper price than the $249! I got ours from the PB outlet in Dawsonville, GA. Just a thought!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s an amazing lucky break! Amazing. Wish there was a PB outlet near us!
xo,
s
Hayley says
Hi Sherry! Have you looked at the PB Essentials braided jute rug? We got it in store for $249, and could NOT be happier with it. It’s misleading because it has so much natural texture but is really soft underfoot. I haven’t seen it on the website, but they’ll definitely have it in your local PB. Well made, and worth the investment. Husbands combat boots, and Rambo’s paws have yet to make a dent.
cheers!
Hayley says
PS– we picked up the rug in store in my husbands accord and it fit just fine! We put the back seat down and let it run from the trunk (yes, closed) to the center console between the front seats. So if that’s why you hesitate to pick it up in store– don’t worry! It WILL fit!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually got ours already (see the bottom few paragraphs of the post)- but thanks a million for the recommendation! Hopefully anyone out there who has their eye on the PB Essentials Braided Jute Rug will love hearing that it’s awesome!
xo,
s
Susan says
Recently, (two months ago) I bought quite a bit of the PB Bedford office furniture at the PB near my home. The manager there was happy to give me the sale price that was online on everything they had in stock and on the stuff they did that had to be shipped to their store. So I was able to get the sale price and avoid shipping and extra charges. I don’t know why they wouldn’t do the same for you guys. I guess it depends on the manager you get.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah I bet you’re right. I got a hard-nut-to-crack manager. Haha. On an interesting note, we’ve since learned that shipping the 8 x 10 rug would actually have been $21 on top of the $25 fee, so we pretty much broke even by getting it right from the store. Whew.
xo,
s
michelle says
I wish I had you all’s decorating budget!!! I’m too cheap for even a $200 rug. :P Pesky student loans getting in the way of my decorating….
Laura says
Hello, just wanted to stop in & say “I love your blog!!!” I found it recently while searching DIY wedding topics–your wedding was darling, and so fun! You two are very talented, and your amazing taste really shines through your projects.
Congrats on the dreamy rug, I can’t wait to peruse the rest of your site!
Emily says
Isn’t it just awful trying to pick out a rug? I’m in the process of trying to find something that matches an idea in my head, and not having ANY luck!
I love how your bedroom is turning out! That duvet works so well with the curtains, and all the pieces complement each other so well. I can’t wait to see more pictures!
Marci says
I love how this room is coming together! Waiting on PICS! ;-)
Paula says
Love the new rug, and love reading your blog! My husband and I just moved into a new home, and we are having so much fun decorating it. I love getting inspiration from ya’lls blog! Random question: Do you know a way to get a discount from crate and barrel online? We live far far away from one, and really want to order a table from them, but a coupon code would help so much! : ) Thanks in advance!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m sure you’ve already tried this, but we usually google “crate & barrel coupon code” before we order (or “pottery barn coupon code”, etc). Other than that we’re not sure there’s a way to snag a deal (although we vaguely remember getting a 10% off coupon when we moved, but we didn’t use it before it expired like ten days later. Wop wop.
xo,
s
Sarah says
so glad you guys decided to pay the $25 bucks, i would have too.
also do you guys use ebates for your online purchases? if not you should! its seriously legit.
heres my referral link, if this a TOS violation, feel free to delete!!
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=h2ML3l4mcEOXTRnFf1YIrA%3D%3D
YoungHouseLove says
Darn, we’ve been meaning to try that out but we forgot. Oh wait, since we bought it in the store instead of ordering it online I guess it wouldn’t have helped anyway. But thanks for the reminder!
xo,
s
laura @ the shorehouse says
I am dying to know how the diamond pattern jute rug is. I “visited” it and want for my bedroom as well but just had to get rid of a different (thicker) jute rug (runner) from PB because it shed worse than my dog!! So disappointing. :-( Please keep us posted on the durability of this newer model!
YoungHouseLove says
Will do for sure! 1.5 days in it’s awesome, but that’s kind of a laughable time to base anything off of.
xo,
s
Randy R. says
First off I just wanted to say that I’ve been checking out your site for quite a while now and I think it’s great! This is my first post on here BTW. Ok, now with that out of the way I just have a quick question. I was wondering where you got the white circular piece (not sure what the actual name is) that’s on the ceiling above the Maskros pendant light? I got the same light during my first trip to Ikea a few months ago for my soon-to-be-arriving daughter’s nursery and I think that the circular piece is exactly what I’m looking for to finish the look.
YoungHouseLove says
We got that ceiling medallion from Home Depot for $19. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Paula/adhocmom says
I too have been let down by the “.99” at the Pottery Barn online. Seriously, WTF? Pottery Barn? Rugs are so tricky. It’s the one time I’m super careful. Returning a rug you bought online is basically the most impossible thing on earth.
Erica says
Silly question but why add an area rug at all? I love the look of ED against your gorgeous floors! I’ve tried using an area rug in our living room and our bedroom & always like it better without. Perhaps it was the rug I selected, idk? We spent good money to put in hardwood floors, so why cover them up? Also the one in the living room (cotton) kept getting covered in dog hair & was a pain to clean on & around. Not supposed to be washed & dried but I did after the dog barfed on it & it worked! But it is way easier to just vacuum the floors without a rug! I get that it is supposed to tie the room together, but is it okay to go without? I think hubby & I just like the simplified look of not breaking up the floors better. I have never tried jute though & I do love the rug you chose!!! Thoughts?
YoungHouseLove says
We just like something plush underfoot and feel like it grounds things in a large space (like Ed, the light, the duvet, etc). It’s definitely a personal preference thing though! Going without it is definitely allowed and encouraged if that’s the look you love and if it suits your lifestyle!
xo,
s
Veronica says
We had a teal jute rug from Crate and Barrel in our previous house and my hubby spilled an entire glass of cranberry juice on it! I freaked out thinking that I could never remove it. Since it’s a natural rug I wasn’t sure what to use but figured I couldn’t hurt it anymore so I just tried things. I was able to get out the entire red stain with Oxy Clean carpet cleaner and it didn’t even ruin the color (that much). It’s a very durable material!
Anita says
Doesn’t help you now – but maybe for other rug needs – my mother in law told me that you can buy carpet to the size you want, and have it bound, often for less $$ than a rug of the same size. Might be a good thing to look into for other large-rug needs?
YoungHouseLove says
We love that idea! We’re definitely going to consider it for other rooms that need rugs!
xo,
s
Wynnie says
I bought this rug last week! But I do have to wait till the end of May to get it. I kept eyeing it and finally PB had 15% off clearance and I snatched it up. Can’t wait! And I’m even more excited that I have something that the youngsters have too! You two are the greatest!
Annie says
I have the West Elm jute rug you considered – you made the right choice going with the Pottery Barn one! West Elm’s version is NOT soft at all, rather scratchy, and to be honest I’ve never thought the flax color was quite right – it looks a bit grey. Wise choice!
TJ says
I love the rug; but it just goes to show you how these retailers play games with their stock and not keeping prices consistent. Feels like a bait & switch tactic to me; but in the end your happiness with the product is of the utmost importance. I am in real estate in SoCal and tell my clients to check out your site for ideas on their new homes….you guys rock!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I think you chose very well. I think the first one looks a little too much like an over-sized place mate. I love jute too. We have a huge IKEA one in the living room. So easy to keep clean and it’s much easier to vacuum than the shaggy ones. I can’t wait to see a pic of it in its new home!
andrea says
Yes, call that PB and ask to speak to a manager. It is a company policy that the stores will price match the website. They should even be able to do the price adjustment over the phone. Good luck!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Andrea!
xo,
s
Heather says
I loved the PB rug as well, but I had the same reservations about non-returnable items and the delivery surcharge, so I ended up going with the overstock one about six months ago (great minds shop online alike i suppose). I was similarly worried about the orange-y color in the picture, but surprisingly it is not orange at all. The picture on their website doesn’t do it justice. They were also having a promotion at the time, so I got it for $200 including shipping. You can see the true color of it here on my blog: http://simplebeautifulhome.blogspot.com/2010/11/project-cozy.html
I definitely still love the look of the diamond patterned jute rug from PB, but since my dining room table is covering most of the rug, I figured that I could afford to go with something a bit less patterned and just focus on adding texture with artwork or tablescapes in the room.
It looks great in your room though, and I think you guys made a good choice in the end. If you are ever in the market for another jute rug though I would totally recommend the overstock one.
Andrea says
You guys could totally pull this idea off for that drawer in your room… http://secondstreeteast.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-key-dresser.html
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh so swanky! Love it!
xo,
s
Justine says
Love, love, love how its all coming together!
I am almost done with my our master br but have put that on the back burner because I am completely stuck on my dining room! I have a lots of dark heavy pieces in the room. Colors are grey, black, white and accented with a blown glass green color. I need to purchase curtains but can’t seem to find the right ones? I purchased ZGallerie’s Mitoni in color steel but it seems to have too much blue in it. Advice will save me from ripping out my hair =)
YoungHouseLove says
What about something soft and light to break things up, like a soft sea-glass green curtain sheer? Or even a nice textured white sheer? You can use blinds for privacy if you need that too. Good luck!
xo,
s
Linda says
I love the rug! I have this thing diamond patterns. It just has a classic look. After reading your post, I kept thinking about it getting one myself. So I finally decided and bought it today. Can’t wait to get it!
Janene says
I recently bought a jute rug for the first time, a 5X7 at Lowe’s for $45. I have it in my kitchen and love the look and feel. BUT, it sheds horrifically, with fibers everywhere. Have you encountered that problem with jute rugs? I’ve wondered if it’s just because mine was inexpensive. I’m going to replace it and want to know if the more expensive rugs also shed. Any insight?
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve owned five jute rugs (including this one) and one of them (an inexpensive one from Lowe’s ironically) began to shed a lot after about 3 years of use (so we had to replace it). Otherwise we have had no issues with shedding! I think it definitely has to do with quality and how it’s made, etc. Good luck!
xo,
s
jimena salgado says
Hello!!
I love your bed! I need an advice…i have a MALM bed frame from Ikea (queen size) and i just bought at Macys a mattress…it comes with a box spring but now the bed looks so highhh :( what do you recommend…did you remove the spring box in your bed? Now i have a problem…my cb2 duvet cover whis is queen is to small for the new mattress :( :( HELPPPP
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we used ours without a box spring and with bed slats also from Ikea. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
jimena salgado says
thanks!!!
Erin Harris says
HEY–THANKS SO MUCH for this post!! I have been looking for the perfect natural fiber rug for my family room and it turns out this is the ONE! Thanks for pointing me in this direction. I ordered it from PB online for $199…then called the store in my area, found out that they have only ONE left in 8×10, AND they will honor the price but they will honor the web site price!! Can you say SWEET? Thanks again!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing! I called mine back and begged for them to honor the online price and “price adjust” it for me and they wouldn’t. You’re so lucky!!!
xo,
s
rachel says
Not sure if you guys are still needing rugs, but stumbled across this deal… and their jute rug looks amazingly similar to the pottery barn one you got as well!
http://www.naturalarearugs.com/
and pair it with this groupon that i just heard about…
http://www.groupon.com/channels/home-and-garden/deals/natural-area-rugs-dc?c=all&p=2
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Tiffany says
I love the feel of the bedroom. Im not sure if you have already posted this but I was wondering if you could tell where you got your current bedding with the leaves? thanks!!
Tiffany says
Hey sorry I just posted a question about your duvet cover and I actually just found my answer. West Elm – Pressed Leaf pattern :) Just wanted to save you the reply thanks, keep up the awesome-ness!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tiffany!
xo,
s
Kirsty Walts says
Its Really nice info, recently I’ve bought two rugs from rugsandblinds.com and been very happy with them. they have nice collection of jute and natural fiber rugs.