There’s something about being nearly a year into living here that makes it feel like we’ve accomplished a fair amount of “evolution” over the last 357 days (not that I’m counting…). I guess it’s because living somewhere for a month isn’t really a lot of time for tweak-age, but twelve of those in a row – well, it’s enough time to get things going. Like living with a floor plan for 11 months (just to be suuuuure) and then knocking out a wall that we’ve wanted gone from day one:
It’s also enough time to make a few furniture and accessory changes as we transition from working with what we have (like random stuff carried over from our first house) and first-instinct choices to a few more thought-out decisions. Yup, these things apparently take time – at least in our experience (remember this post on that subject?). So here’s the story about a pretty sizeable three-fer tweak of epic rug, ottoman, and chair proportions.
We haven’t made any major furniture/accessory purchases since the just-moved-in phase when we got our sectional, our first rug, our bed, and our big dining room table. Then we went on a building/DIY kick for the next almost-year (making our $104 console table and our $124 wall-to-wall double desk and saving nearly 4K by laying our own stone patio and getting a ton of estimates to save 3K on our kitchen wall-opening). We’ve mostly just been picking up super inexpensive secondhand furnishings since moving in (like our $35 desk chairs, $25 dining chairs, and four secondhand kitchen cabinets for our in-progress remodel for under $100).
So after many months of building up the savings account and waiting for things that we loved to come along, it felt nice to actually buy them. And since we had some “store credit” towards Joss & Main from curating a sale with them as a side gig (more on that here), we loved that we could put that towards our living room tweaks, especially because it’s one of our most used rooms, so we’ll definitely notice and appreciate it. But now onto what we tweaked and why…
For the last almost-year we have loved our fluffy green shag rug (it was great for a wiggly crawling baby and a wobbly toddler – and was so thick and inviting that many an adult found themselves sitting/lying on the floor). But there are a few issues that have popped up as Clara has grown.
# 1. Let’s just say that finding milk dripped and goldfish or cheerios crushed into our plush rug was less than pleasing. Yes, we’re one of those casual families who doesn’t have a no-food-in-the-living-room rule (I mean, peanut butter & jelly or a bagel with cream cheese isn’t living-room approved, but dry crackers and a sippy cup of milk are). That’s just how we both grew up and we really appreciate the this-house-is-not-a-museum vibe, so we plan to keep it that way. And although vacuuming or a bit of scrubbing (for spilled milk) got ‘er done (and Burger was awesome about hunting down the occasional goldfish before we even knew it’d gone missing) the rug was still a bit higher maintenance than a lower pile one would be now that we have an energetic toddler.
#2. The size. In our first house both our living room and den rugs were just 5 x 8′ since the rooms there were so small. So although we knew that our new living room was much larger, somehow an 8 x 11’ rug sounded like it had to be big enough for our 25 foot long room. Well… try as we might to “adjust” to it, it always felt a little small (we’re definitely still learning how to decorate a larger space). Like our giant sectional was just baaaarely contained on the boundaries of the rug:
So when I saw this giant (10 x 14!) 100% wool rug for $599 (down from $798) on Joss & Main I got excited. And nervous. That’s not exactly peanuts around here. But it’s a huge rug – and rugs that size that we like are usually 1-2K (which made me fake ugly-cry on at least three occasions). It almost felt impossible to find something extra large, low pile, and our style that didn’t end in three zeros. So $599 started to sound pretty good. At least good enough to contemplate for a little while.
After mulling it over for a few hours, I decided to show John to see what he thought (we have a full agreement agreement, so we don’t buy anything that we don’t both love). That way if he nixed it I could just close the window and stop thinking about it. But when I went to show it to John, he had it up on his screen (he also gets Joss & Main alerts and had clicked on that rug and left it open on his computer to “talk to me about it” a little later). Crazy, huh? We were both secretly mulling over the same rug. It was meant to be. So we gritted our teeth and put in our order. I’m not going to say that we didn’t have sweaty palms, but we went for it.
Since we’d been temporarily using a too-small placeholder-ottoman that didn’t have storage which used to reside in our first bedroom as a side table, we also found ourselves pining after this big tufted leather storage ottoman. Again, it’s not exactly a cheap addition to the room. At all. But nearly fourteen cubic feet of additional hidden storage was a huge draw (it’s almost 3 x 3 x 1.5 with an easy-open hinged top). Of course we also appreciated that it’s a correctly-sized counterpart to our giant sectional (as opposed to looking like a too-small donut hole) and that it isn’t hard and pointy for little toddler heads (but can be used for serving food & drinks with the addition of a nice big tray). Yup, she’s versatile. And we never could have sprung for it at 900 beans, but at over $500 off… well…
And then somehow this $169 chair (down from$339) said “how you doin’?”…
…which was especially convenient since the parson’s chair that we purchased for $70 from Target about four years ago was looking a little rough due to tons of use which led to one side of the faux-leather cracking so it looked like this:
So we waited patiently at the door for everything to arrive, pausing only to eat, sleep, change the baby, work on the kitchen, and blog. When everything arrived pretty much at the same time, it was sorta like Christmas. Literally, it kind of was (we declared these items to be our Christmas gifts to each other for last year, this year, and next year). Psst- pardon the rug wiggles, we still need to get a rug pad. And as for the art swap, I meant to blog about that a while back. It’s actually extra burlap-ish fabric that I used instead of the colorful paper. I love that it has more texture and doesn’t compete with the bright pillows and accessories.
Spending that kind of money on a rug and ottoman was definitely not a drop in the bucket for cheap-os like us. Heck even $169 for a chair isn’t usually our MO (we’re no strangers to spending $20-35 on thrift store or craigslist chairs). But it did feel nice to add up the sale savings ($199 + $521 + $170 = a whopping $890!). And more importantly, since we’ve worked our buns off to DIY so many projects over the last 11 months it meant that we were able to save a pretty nice chunk of change, so our bank account was thankfully just fine with the living room spree (we don’t like to buy anything we can’t immediately pay off – more on that here).
Of course we’re hoping to reuse the old round ottoman and the old living room rug in other still-evolving spaces (you know we’re use-what-you-got fans) and we might even try slipcovering the faux-leather chair in some fun fabric for another spot as well. So we’ll have to keep you posted on those cha-cha-cha-changes too. Of course we still have about a million other working-with-what-we-have items going on, like the wrong sized rug in the office, a too-small TV and media cabinet in the living room (we hope to build a nice media center to balance out our chunky distressed console table) along with many completely-missing elements (like a large buffet/console table with art and a rug in the entryway off of the dining area and an entire playroom and sunroom that have yet to be tackled along with all of our bathrooms). But we’ll get there someday.
Knowing that our first house took us 4.5 years to complete is a great comfort to us, because it takes away the we-want-it-all-done-now pressure. These things take time. But we’re feeling really good with our one-year-in progress (see a lot of that here). How about you? Do you have a “magic number” of months or years after living somewhere when you finally start to feel more settled and “evolved” (after feeling around in the dark for a few months while you get your bearings)?
Psst- To anyone looking to purchase the rug, ottoman, or chair – Joss and Main has flash sales (only lasting a few days) so of course by the time we got this stuff in the mail and took pics they weren’t for sale anymore. But lots of their stuff can be found on wayfair.com (though it’s not usually as heavily discounted over there) or you can get on Joss & Main’s mailing list here (that’s an instant invite, so you don’t have to wait). Hope it helps!
Simon Martin says
First, well done on the rug; it looks amazing. Secondly, thank you for saying that it takes so long to make such beautiful homes. It’s such a comfort to know it isn’t all instant and fairytale like.
Eva says
I love love love the color of the rug but I am so worry that it won’t be soft enough. What kind of rug pad you suggest?
YoungHouseLove says
We got the thickest one we could find at Target. Very happy with it!
xo,
s
Charity says
Sorry to respond to an old post but I’m wondering if you have seen your ottoman on Joss and Main again? I really like it!
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve heard that it comes back from time to time. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Joanna says
The ottoman is on Joss and Main right now.
Eva says
I love love love the rug. But I went to a store and saw an old fashion Dhurrie rug and it is as rough as sand paper. Obviously this is a lot more contemporary and I wonder if it is much different in texture. Will you sit there on shorts and fit comfortable?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, it’s comfy to sit on. I would say that it’s less rough than a jute rug (we don’t mind those either) but not as soft as a cotton or wool tufted rug. Maybe some are rougher than others depending how they’re made? Ours is 100% wool so maybe that helps too (might be softer than synthetics).
xo,
s
Tara@StopandGoDriving says
Lovely colors!
sarah says
Love the new mirror you put up above the desk (the white one that’s seen in your living room tour here: https://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/our-current-house/) – where did you get it? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from jossandmain.com a while back! Hope it helps!
xo
s
Carri says
I am loving this room! what website did you use to find all of these great buys?!?!?
YoungHouseLove says
The new rug and ottoman and chair are from jossandmain.com – hope it helps!
xo
s
steph says
odd question for you…. the texture of this rug- do you think its the kind of rug that an animal would adore tearing to shreds? cats….? I am eyeing this rug right now on Rugs USA but I am terrified that it is that special texture that just screams scratch me to cats…As you only have Burger, you may not have an answer lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmmm we only have Burger so I can’t be sure but he rubs on jute much more than this flat weave. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Genelle says
Sherry or John, I am looking at buying a rug and I’m trying to decide between the Safavieh Trellis rug that you have in your living room (I’ve been looking at pictures on your blog trying to imagine what it would look like in my house.) and another trellis geometric pattern that is more simple. I loved the Safavieh rug when I saw it online and then I realized I had seen it on your blog. Small world.
I need to know… what do you think of your living room rug. Does the low pile work well for you? This rug is going to go in my craft room (I mostly sew or make jewelry so nothing that would be too hard on the rug) so I wonder if the low pile might be easier for cleaning up fabric lint and thread clippings… Help a girl out here and tell me what you think of yours please! :) Thanks a bunch!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s one of our favorite rugs in the house and it holds up amazingly to a kid and a dog (with tiny claws that can pill/pull other things). We definitely don’t regret it. It’s not plush and thick like the wool rug in our bedroom, but we still sit on it and play (it’s softer than jute, but not as plush and cushy as thick wool). I think a quick vacuuming would pick up thread and clippings really easily! It certainly works with stickers and odd bits of food that Clara sprinkles around! Hah.
xo
s
Kimmy says
Your living room is beautiful!
I’m thinking of ordering the same sofa configuaration. I want to order custom legs, but I haven’t seen the sofa in person. How many legs does the configuration have?
Thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that’s a good question since there are a lot of hidden legs. I think ours has 12 legs! Wow. Hope it helps!
xo
s
laura says
Love love love!! Just discovered you guys and am really enjoying your site! Where is the mirror from… love it!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s actually from Hobby Lobby a while back. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Corinne says
Love your room! I’m currently redecorating my family room in the same colors (teal, lime/avocado green, gray, and yellow). I’m having a terrible time finding pillows though! LOVE yours! Are they custom or where did you find them??? I’d love to know!!!
thanks:-)
YoungHouseLove says
Most of them are just from HomeGoods with a few from West Elm on sale and Bed Bath & Beyond with coupons.
xo
s
Joyce says
Love your living room and that rug! How is your rug holding up by the way? Any shedding? Also, what are your thoughts on a dhurrie rug in terms of plushness underfoot and durability with a toddler playing on it? I am looking to replace our thick wool rug. It is super plush and soft but sheds like crazy so I am looking to replace it.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s holding up really well! It doesn’t shed at all since it’s so thin/tightly woven. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jacqueline says
I LOVE this room…and everything you share! I saw you got some great deals from Joss&Main. Can I ask what your experience was? I keep finding great deals that I would love to buy, but get scared off by all the negative reviews about the site. Plus, with the no return policy I always chicken out! Thanks and please keep sharing!
YoungHouseLove says
I just try to search for the item I want to make sure it’s not cheaper somewhere else (sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not). And I think long and hard about if I reaaaaallly want it (if it’s like this blanket, I do!) and then I just got for it and hope for the best. We have always received what we ordered on time and it has been as described. Hope it helps.
xo
s
Karmen says
Debate … Sofa or sectional….how did u decide to with sectional verses sofa. Next purchase…do you think you would go with sectional again
YoungHouseLove says
Depends on the room! Sometimes a giant room like ours calls for one and sofa would look tiny (Karl is like 13 x 11′ or something crazy like that!!) and sometimes a smaller room or something in a different shape calls more for a sofa. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Lena says
Oh, my goodness! My jaw dropped when I saw your living room on Pinterest. I have had an “dream” living room in my head and yours was almost PERFECTLY identical. The peacock blue, black sectional….oh wow. Could you let me see a close up of those pillows? Thanks so much for having this website and proving that you can do beautiful on a budget…you’re so inspiring!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lena! We have a bunch of photos of our pillows throughout the blog! The same mix isn’t even on the sofa anymore since this post is old and pillows tend to move around! Haha! But hopefully in our archives you can find all the photos you’d like!
xo
s
Amanda says
Your gorgeous rug is on sale at Joss & Main again!
I actually grabbed myself a sweet 8×10 after Googling and not finding a better price anywhere. So glad I heard about J&M from this blog–otherwise I’d miss out on all the great sale stuff!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so exciting! Hope you love it!
xo,
s
Suzanne Dingley says
Hi Guys, I love your Karl sofa and was wondering if you could give me the dimensions of it. It’s very confusing on the ikea website and I keep getting different numbers from them. Yours is the exact configuration that I want. Thanks so much! Could you email me them.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, we’re not home right now for me to measure it, but I think I answered that question in the comments of this post: http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/01/surprise/
xo
s
Jackson says
You seem to struck a wonderful balance between color, texture, prints, dynamics, and mixture of masculine and feminine. I know it’s mentioned elsewhere on your site (your BIOs), but did you consult with a decorator at all or did you decorate yourself? If you went DIY, any recommendations for newbies who’ve just bought a house and are wondering if they should call a professional or wing it on their own?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re all about trial and error, so we just brought things and did projects and course corrected along the way. We didn’t have any decorating consultations, but we did lots of playing around just to learn what we liked :)
xo
s
Melissa says
where did you get the couch from???
ps – love the room : )
YoungHouseLove says
It’s the Karlstad sectional from Ikea.
xo
s
Kerry says
I’m new to your website and obsessed! I realize I’m commenting on a 2 year old post but I’m dying to know – how is the rug with shedding? I’ve been eyeing a similar Safavieh rug, but I can’t stand all the shedding that tends to come with wool!!
YoungHouseLove says
No shedding at all! It’s great since it’s flat weave.
xo
s
Rain says
Beautiful room!! great rug and what a difference size makes. I’m in love with your sectional. Lots of seating but not a bulky piece. Is it from Ikea? My husband and I are buying a new home and looking for one just like that.
Thanks,
Rain
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Rain! It’s the Karlstad corner sofa with the add on chaise and the cover is “dark sivik gray.” We love it!
xo
s
Jamie Acosta says
I was wondering now that you guys are decorating the nursery, and getting ready for little man…. (and this has nothing to do with decorating) lmbo! How do you stay so tiny while preggers and what do you eat to prevent a ton of weight gain. My hubby and I are planning another baby but I want to be prepared first bc I gained 35lbs with my daughter and don’t want to be that big again. thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh I gained over 35 pounds with Clara and will for this baby too! I think it’s just how some people are made (genes, etc) since my mom and aunts did as well. I eat healthy and stay active doing house stuff and chasing Clara and going on walks, but I just tend to gain a lot of water weight in the end. I think as long as you get veggies, take vitamins, get protein, and stay active it seems to help it come off after the baby’s born though!
xo
s
Varsha says
Hey,
I love your rug and the patterns…we just got a new home and we just purchased a wool rug a few days ago…but the wool in the rug keeps coming off.. Even if I vacuum them it keeps coming. It gets stuck to my pants and I can see a few strands everywhere.how do you maintain them?any suggestions as to what is the best rug to buy?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, some of them shed a lot more than others (just depends how they’re made, how tightly they’re woven, what kind of backing they have, etc). I would recommend vacuuming it every day for a week to “break it in” and hopefully get up a lot of those loose fibers. We have been lucky and only had one excessively shedding wool rug out of about 8 that we’ve purchased in the last eight years. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Varsha says
Hey,
I just love your blog so much that now I am starting to read your posts from the archives.. I just came across this post. we have bought a new home and are looking for a new rug. One of my friend got a wool rug and she says it keeps shedding lots of wool everyday. Do you have any issues with a wool rug?How do you maintain them? I like that wool rugs are thick and comfy but shedding makes me think if it is worth. I would like to know what is the best kind of rug to buy that does not need much maintenance. I am looking for one that is not too pricey too.Thank you..
YoungHouseLove says
We have a bunch of wool rugs and only had an issue with one (a very plush wool one that shedded a lot) but the rest have been both plush and flatweave and have been great. I think it just has to do with how they’re bound, but reading the reviews on them on sites like overstock.com or seeing them in person (and rubbing them on your shirt to see how much they shed) can help. Good luck!
xo
s
Angelia says
Hi there love your rug I was wondering how it’s holding up with traffic does it stain easy, look dull, pile? I have a 2 yr old just wanted to see how durable the rug is with high traffic, since we will be placing it in our living room also in front of our sofa. Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
It has held up so well! The flat weave means it doesn’t pull or shed and wool and cotton rugs are pretty easy to spot clean so nothing has stained it – even with a kid and a dog.
xo
s
Wangu @ pineconeshelf says
i love this room.. the color scheme is beautiful, the rug, the tufted otto.. all so beautiful. I hope someday soon i can have a space as beautiful
Liz says
Where did you get your sectional? We are in the market for a new sectional and it must be dog-friendly!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s the Karlstad from Ikea and we’ve been very happy with it!
-John
Summer says
Hi Sherry and John!
How is the storage ottoman holding up? I am thinking of getting the same one for our new place. We also have the Karlstad sectional (and are adding the chaise now that we have a bigger living room) and I want an ottoman that fits well (size-wise) with it.
Thanks so much! At the risk of sounding super cheesy, you guys have provided so much inspiration to me and my husband as we decorate our home (both this new one and our previous one)! :-)
All the best to you and your family,
Summer
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Summer! It’s still in good shape and very useful! I think you’ll love having one!
xo
s
Summer says
Great–thanks so much for responding, Sherry!