Yup, that’s how I’d describe our new living room rug. We have a case of happy feet. It’s even more plush and amazing than expected. But before we get to all the juicy rug pics we need to tell you guys how much we love you. The overwhelming support, kindness, and hilarity that you bring into our lives – not only on this morning’s big announcement post, but on the regular – is humbling, inspiring, and completely and utterly amazing. So smooch. I just virtually kissed your face. Oh snap.
Now back to Big Green (since it is St. Patrick’s Day)…
Although it’s so thick that you’d think tumbleweeds of green fuzz would be rolling around the house, we vacuumed it when it arrived and again the next day (just to grab any of those loose fibers that might have pulled out from shipping) and so far so good. No issues with green fluff everywhere or pulled tufts from the vacuum suction. Whew.
At 8 x 11′, it’s definitely a more appropriate size for our giant 25 x 15′ living room (as opposed to our old 5 x 8′ rug that now lives in the guest room). And once we build a big long console table for the back of the sofa (and the sofa comes forward about a foot more onto the rug) it’ll look even more proportionate. In other words, not quite as much rug will show since the sofa will move forward on the rug for a more balanced look once we have that console table built.
And of course once we upgrade to a deeper/bigger media cabinet, hang curtains, and bring in more art, the room will hopefully start to feel more cohesive and make a lot more sense. Because right now it’s just a big gray box with a fuzzy green rectangle on the floor. Haha. But it’ll be fun to see how thing evolve as we layer in all sorts of other stuff over time. Hopefully it’ll fill in nicely. Just think of the rug as a big furry grass-like foundation that we’re laying- er, planting.
Speaking of the fun green color, we’re so psyched about the happy-go-lucky tone. It’s just perfect with the gray sectional, pewter walls, and dark beams. All of a sudden it feels chipper and a lot less cold in there. Like a space that we want to kick off our shoes and settle into. It’s definitely not your mother’s persian rug (or your father’s neutral one) but we’re having a lot more fun taking risks in this house. Even if it means doing things that might not have mass appeal – as long as something speaks strongly to us, we’re in. There’s actually freedom in letting go of the notion that your house should please everyone who walks in the door. It allows you be more true to yourself and your place starts to feel more special. Plus it means that your rooms won’t be in danger of looking like everyone else’s, which isn’t a bad thing either.
We loooved our first house for how soothing and serene it was, but in all honesty, we smile bigger here. Cheesy but true. It’s just such a fun and happy house – even though we’re just getting started and every room is about 80% incomplete. We definitely think Clara has inspired this whole Benjamin Button-ization of our style (read more about that here). Basically we’re loving the looser and less serious approach to making this house a home – and we’re quickly learning that playful pops of color, texture, and pattern can definitely happy up any room. Especially when mixed with neutrals like gray walls/furnishings/beams or white furnishings & a jute rug. Because if everything is a color and a pattern it might get cray-zay.
To tie into this big furry rug baby we’d love to add eight green parson’s chairs to our giant wooden dining room table for some nice whole house cohesion (there’s that “neutral + color = love” combination again). We’ll find those perfect chairs someday…
Oh and when it comes to keeping Kermit clean (we’re loving that reader recommended rug name – don’t Karl & Kermit sound perfect together?), as we mentioned in the post about ordering it, a friend of ours with three kiddos and a big hairy dog has a similar shag rug in her house and she swears it holds up to stains and kids like nobody’s business since crumbs/dust come out with a quick vacuum and you can actually subtly trim the long hairy tufts if anything catastrophic happens to “lift” the stain. So far it’s been amazing (but we obviously haven’t dropped anything major on it yet) so we’ll tell you the truth if we hate it in a month.
You might also notice some new pillows on Karl. We got two of those ruffled purple guys for $16 at HomeGoods. We also brought in our two green pillows from the bedroom just to see how something like that might work with the rug (we think they’re a little too yellow, but not terrible), and tossed three Sue The Napkins over other pillows that we had lying around to see what real Sue The Napkin pillow covers might look like when I get down to business and sew some. The pillow situation will definitely evolve over time though (I love those teal tones in Sue, so blue pillows might make an appearance someday, perhaps in lieu of green ones).
But back to the purple ruffle pillows for a second. The ruffle detail is really fun, but isn’t it amazing that John didn’t veto them? He’s usually so not on The Ruffle Train. I think he likes the idea of spicing things up with bright colors like navy and plum and deep teal so he just did one of those “sure, why not?” things. Love that man. Or maybe he’s just finally catching on that a happy wife = a happy life. Haha.
Now we just have to plan our big console table build because we can’t wait to see Karl scooched out (that’s a technical term) about a foot away from the wall. A little less rug should look perfect, plus it means there will finally be a place to put drinks (namely my hot tea every night) and two table lamps for reading (which means no more floor lamp in the doorway). Yipppppeeeeeeeeee! Yes I just wrote that. And yes it has ten “e”s on the end. Can you tell I’m excited? Oh yeah and Karl’s embarrassingly pale legs have got to go. So creepy.
She whips her cellphone back and forth. She whips her cellphone back and forth.
Psst- John’s parents just gave us their old leggy antique dresser which is perfect for our bedroom (it’s been in the family for years and John’s dad actually bought it from a cousin for $100 decades ago). It needs some love but it’s going to look awesome. And it’s f-r-e-e. More pics soon (you can see a “they-scooped-us” pic of it here thanks to the Washington Post).
Lindsay says
Love it! It looks so plush and comfortable! Kermit looks like he fits right in with the family!
Rachael says
Your baby is so happy! What a funny little video to watch!She seems like quite a delight! Oh yah, love Kermit too!
Snickrsnack Katie says
This looks great!!! I agree it will look even more fab-o after you push the couch forward and put a media console back there. This whole room just makes me giddy!
ALittleBite says
I thought the rug looked too dark in The Post’s pictures, but I really like it now that I see your pictures! I have a gray-blueish couch and a happy green rug as well, and I love how they go together.
Stefanie says
THANK YOU for writing this post. I’m in the process of buying my first home and am I sweating over the mortgage, inspection or anything that normal people stress over when buying a home? No. The thing I’m terrified about is what direction I should go in to decorate. I was set and ready to throw in the towel and do a neutral palette until I read this entry. Kinda gave me the nudge to throw caution to the wind and do whatever I feel like doing (and not take it so seriously!).
Danielle says
Speaking of green parsons chairs – I just saw a couple in TJ Maxx (NYC). Definetly worth it to check out
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like fun! I’m on it.
xo,
s
Christa M says
Also saw some in Alpharetta GA TJ MAxx, their all over the place. You’ll find em!
Deb says
Perfect Popping Eye Candy !!! Best of luck with your book ,I see a top ten in the works ,…..ps,I want mine autographed ,Queenie .
Mary says
Did you “de-paint” the light fixture above the table in the living room? And the gallery wall! And new bedside lamps?! This is like reading the end of the book before the beginning (which I sometimes do and it admittedly makes the book more exciting =X). Another thing, while the Post photographer captured some cool angles, some of their coloring was weird. Conclusion, I like your pics better! =)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes we did un-paint that light. It was giving photos a weird blue cast so we decided to wipe it down. Luckily it only took a few seconds and a wet rag. Whew.
xo,
s
heather says
I just have to say it. I really am liking the art on the wall, especially with that rug. Also – Clara is amazing. I need to smash my biological clock into submission with videos like that!
Courtney says
For the new gallery wall you are working on, you have frames awfully low to the ground. How are you going to babyproof those?
YoungHouseLove says
You can read back for more info, but we plan to secure them to the wall and teach Clara to be gentle. But of course if it becomes a safety thing we’ll just take those down. Clara first! Then decor.
xo,
s
Brenda says
Ahh babies! I’m sure Clara has smacked herself in the head a few times doing that. She is adorable.
I love Kermit. He looks amazing with all of the gray tones. The new purple pillows are beautiful. Sue makes great pillow covers and picks up on the green in the rug. An excellent choice I would not have had the guts to go with. I love the fact that you are making different choices than you did last time and that you are both on the same page…sort of.
Jenny says
Looks great. My husband and I built a console table to go behind our long sofa 96″ sofa. I think it ended up being something like 70″ x 12″. We thought we were crazy for making it that long–but, I would do it even longer after living with it for several months. It was a fun afternoon project and only cost us around $100 in lumber–we already had the power tools we needed. Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Just the back part of Karl is a whopping 140 inches. Can you even wrap your head around that? I can’t! And we plan to make a console table exactly that long too. Should be nuts!
xo,
s
Barb says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!
I can’t wait to see what you do with the dresser. It just fits perfectly in the space!
Pasc says
What happened to the pendant lamp over the table behind Karl? I thought it got painted blue?
YoungHouseLove says
It was giving photos that we took in the room an odd blue tint so it had to go, but luckily it only took about twenty seconds with a wet rag to wipe it down. Thank goodness it wasn’t a major ordeal!
xo,
s
Alexis says
Love the new ruffle pillows and bright rug! Just curious though, why not skooch (is that a word? spelling?) that sofa forwards now and put the floor lamp behind it? You’d get to feel how it will be with a console table – and the lamp won’t be in the door way.
We did this in our TV room since we just felt too far from the TV with it pushed against the wall. Now our puppy loves running circles around the sofa, and we are hesitant to ruin his fun by following through with the console table we had in mind.
YoungHouseLove says
I think we’re scared Burger will fall right off the back of the sofa. Haha. We sleeps up on top of those cushions and tries to walk around up there so if we moved the sofa out he might fall to the ground with a thud! Haha. Better wait for the safety of a table back there to catch him. Haha.
xo,
s
Noel says
Your living room looks awesome! It’s so much fun to watch the progress, and I’ve gotten so many ideas. I can’t believe how just a few pops of color make such a difference (can you tell I’m new to the decorating thing?). I didn’t think I’d be a gray fan for my own house (it looks great in yours), but seeing how beautifully the room is coming together makes me want try it! Pictures of your house make me want to jump through the computer screen…it’s so fun and inviting!
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Wait…what’s the plan for those fun new starburst pillows from Target? Are they staying with Karl and just not in the pictures, or has he decided to relinquish his parental rights? (Am I taking the personification too far?)
YoungHouseLove says
They seemed kinda bland with Big Green in town. But there are plenty of other places they can live!
xo,
s
Erica says
LOL. everyone and their comment about the blue light. how many times will you have to explain that?
The picture wall does look COMPLETELY AWESOME. Jealous. So jealous that I might make my own. :)
What is the brown thing next to the couch?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh that’s a basket full of Clara’s toys. Best thing ever! Actually planning a post about it for BabyCenter soon.
xo,
s
Erin says
Looking good! Can’t wait to see what treatment you use for Karl’s legs. We bought Karl’s cousin – the arm chair and his pale legs are killing me. Congratulations on all of your well deserved successes!
Jessie says
That’s one awesome looking rug. I love it. I love all the color. And it may be really weird, but I loved seeing that plate on the floor in that Clara video, lol. It’s just nice to see that your house isn’t “magazine perfect” all the time. It makes me feel a little better about my tornado alley, lol. (I have a 17 month old tornado) :D
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, oh yeah we have random things on the floor all the time. Like two socks just sitting next to the trash can right now. They’re not trash, John just took them off and put them there. So strange.
xo,
s
Jessie says
LOL, I’m right there with you. I actually posted about it a couple weeks ago. “Things I’ve found in our pots and pans cabinet this week: the phone, a toothbrush, a stuffed Ernie, my left shoe, and…oddly enough…not a single pot or pan.” It’s a never ending cycle! I am truly the Sisyphus of housework. Ohh, but it’s so much fun.
Anna says
Love the rug! So happy and bright!
And, I got those same purple pillows at Home Goods a few weeks back to go with our green comforter in the bedroom. But they also look great on our green couch (and we just got a purple coffee table, so there is a lot of green and purple in our house – love that combo!).
I think Sue “the Pillow” would look great with all the colors you have going on in the living room. In fact, I’m loving that you guys are experimenting with colors in this house, it’s really inspiring me to do the same. And congrats on the book!
Edna says
Karl does need a tan. I was starting to feel bad for thinking that, thank God you said if first! What color are you thinking. Room looks sooo cool!
YoungHouseLove says
Not sure but probably something dark and handsome. Cause Karl is cool like that.
xo,
s
Edna says
Match the beams for balance? It would be understated..I’m trying to sound like i know what im talking about. whatever you do I’m sure it will look great!
YoungHouseLove says
Exactly! That could work! Or a deep brown so they look like dark wood legs, which we always love. We also have one other idea that’s kinda a wild card but it involves a metal-ish spray paint. Details when we finally decide (and actually do it- haha).
xo,
s
Julie says
One of my favorite DIY tricks is to make pillows out of napkins. You can always find super cute napkins at Crate & Barrel or West Elm! Just sew them together and stuff them with stuffing from the fabric store and you have totally awesome pillows that nobody else has and for WAY cheaper then buying a fancy pillow at one of those stores.
Love the whole new look of the living room with your new rug. Sad that the Post also scooped you on the awesome photo wall, but can’t wait to see your post on it!
kelley says
Check out that tongue action Clara has going on! Too cute! I bet Sherry does what when she’s cutting in!
Kelley says
Does *that
YoungHouseLove says
Totally. Guilty as charged.
xo,
s
Katie says
saw a sneak peek of the frame collage from the newspaper pics…..L-O-V-E it!! also, the dresser you scored looks eerily similar to one my husband had that was originally his grandmothers. since we recently bought new bedroom furniture we passed it along to one of his cousins. can’t wait to see how you update it…i always wanted to refinish ours but it just never happened. ours had a very ornate mirror that attached to the dresser too…how about yours? congrats on the book deal!! i will definitely be purchasing that when it comes out :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, there was no mirror attached to ours (from what we can tell) but it’s pretty old (broken drawers that don’t slide and a bit of dullness that we’d love to put the kibosh on). Should be fun!
xo,
s
Megan says
Sherry,
Just wondering – but have you guys tuned into Secrets from a Stylist on HGTV? I follow Emily Henderson’s blog and she would BEG (all doggy-like) you not to paint that dresser. She’s anti-change on pretty much any change to the color of a wood piece that is authentic if you can help it.
I’m inclined to agree with her – it’s BEAUTIFUL that color. I’m like you guys – I really dig different tones of wood all eclectic-like in one room. SUPER cozy and casual.
So happy for your news of the book! I will most definitely be purchasing! My boyfriend just bought me Thomas O’Brian’s book “American Modern” for Valentine’s Day. (Highly recommended!) Jon reminds me a lot of him with his “let’s learn how to do it” approach to all things home-improvement. And I’m game for the try just like you are!
Thanks for keeping us entertained and inspired!
Megan
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not painting it! It stays wood all the way! It just has a broken drawer and other drawers that don’t slide. We love the authentic warm wood color though. It actually looks really cool with the bedspread since there’s yellowy-gold leaves. So excited! Oh and I love Secrets of a Stylist. Emily is the bomb.com.
xo,
s
Areader says
Rub a bar of soap on the drawer tops. It makes a world of difference!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re the second person to tell us to try that! Will do! We’ll tell ya if it works…
xo,
s
tara says
Congrats on the newpaper write up and on the book deal!! I love the new rug – those chunky fibers and that “happy avocado” green color look great with Karl and Sue!!
Plus, that adorable baby of yours makes me smile:) Clara is just too cute!
Lindsey says
Love the rug!! Great choice!
And the video of Clara is pretty cute as well. Makes me miss that stage…my ‘baby’ just turned 4 :(
Congrats on all the great news too!!!
Jessie from www.mixandchic.com says
I am loving your new green rug. It’s so huge and looks so comfy to walk on. The addition of the rug makes such a great impact in your room and it looks more finished now.
On an unrelated note, with all your DIY projects, Clara duty and blogging, do you cook on an everyday basis? Or do you order take outs everyday? I am just wondering…..
YoungHouseLove says
We’re way too cheap to eat out very often, so we eat at home and make almost every meal of ours (along with every single one of Clara’s). John’s the chef of the family so for breakfast we usually have cereal or granola and yogurt or eggs, lunch is a sandwich or soup, and dinner is usually a big plate of spaghetti, chicken and veggies, potstickers and rice, a big salad with tons of stuff in it or even the occasional frozen pizza (we like Amy’s Organic ones). John is also cooking his way through Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, so occasionally he gets fancy and makes something like Leek Stroganoff. Mmmm, delish!
xo,
s
Jessie from www.mixandchic.com says
Sherry, you are such a lucky woman! A husband who cooks, takes care of the baby and fix the house? It’s a very rare combo! I am so jealous right now!
YoungHouseLove says
I know right? He grew up with three sisters and I credit them with making him the kind sensitive man he is today! And he knows how to work a drill. Haha. Love it.
xo,
s
Jennie says
Loving the new rug! Aside from “toe heaven” (it looks like it!) how would you describe Kermit’s texture?
YoungHouseLove says
Really soft. Like a thick wool rug with small tufts. It doesn’t really feel stringy like a shag since the tufts are so thick and wooly. It’s kind of like a thick wooly sock actually.
xo,
s
Stefanie says
Love the Clara video! I can’t decide what is my favorite part – the look on her face when she kinda bonks her nose with it, how happy she is by it shaking, her licking her lips while looking at it, her eagerness to attempt eating it…just too cute! My little one is still in her helpless arm and leg kicking phase – adorable, but less mobile-y curious.
Nancy says
Looking good. Like the bolder colors. How does one get to the point that you don’t try to please everyone that may visit your house? Clara is beautiful…video made me laugh out loud.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a really good question! I think you take one risk (like dark beams for example) and it feels weird and you’re not sure and then the room starts to come together and you love it and it gives you confidence to take other risks. You know for yourself and no one else. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Allyson says
*Virtual Smooch* right back, with an extra little nom nom nom for Clara the cutie pie! :)
My fave colour is green, so no surprise that I *LOVE* your little Kermit :) xox
Vica says
Love the rug, the living room is looking great! Have you seen this post for no sew napkin pillows. I know you like to use your iron when possible. http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/03/no-sew-cloth-napkin-pillow-covers/
Also, if you need more napkins I saw them on sale online.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Love it!
xo,
s
Angela says
Hummm, I think in pic #10 it looks like youve already hung the photo gallery in the hall, am I right?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! The Post works fast, so they scooped us. Haha. Details as soon as we can take pics and write things up!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
I just saw that!!!!! It looks AMAZING!
K says
I thought you were doing the real-time thing…boo. You posted the pic of the pic wall with adds taped up like it was in progress?! Bummer to find out you guys are still building up posts and not doing the real-time thing like you said. Dresser, rug, pillows, picture wall…. eeking things out again.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey K,
We actually used to be two weeks behind on things (so not real-time) and now we’re about three blog days behind, which is awesome in our minds! It takes some time to shoot pics, upload them, and write posts full of details (you know we like to use lots of words, haha). And the Washington Post sent someone out and shot a bunch of pics & tossed them into a gallery within hours (which we’re eternally grateful for) so you can see how it takes longer for us to share stuff since we have to write more (and we’re a staff of two)!
So the reason we shared that frame planning post yesterday night was because that’s actually real time to us. We did that for a night and then hung the frames the next night while Clara slept. So posting them all in one post isn’t real time to us, it’s speeding it up and it makes us feel like we’re cheating. So expect a frame reveal post tomorrow in the spirit of keeping it real, because it really took us 48 hours and not 24!
xo,
s
samantha owens says
LOVE the rug and i especially love the sue the napkin pillows.
Valentina says
I love super love the rug! The color is fantastic. The whole colors theme is really good.
Erin says
What a HAPPY baby… there is absolutely nothing better! (Except, as Sherry said so perfectly, a happy wife!) Congratulations on all of your success, you deserve it. You work hard and keep it real… proving that good things come to good people!
I am moving into a new place this weekend and I cant wait to finally have a chance to channel some YHL projects and inspirations :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Erin! Good luck with your big move!
xo,
s
Tracy says
I love this! Like really really REALLY love it. The colors are just awesome, and I love how everything doesn’t match perfectly, but still coordinates. I have to admit, when I first read the post with the solid colored paper in the frames, I thought it would look cheap. But I totally have to take back those thoughts because it looks so great and vibrant. The rug really pulls it all together.
Claudia says
holy sh**, that is a seriously awesome rug! In total agreement that with the console table the rug/floor ratio will be more balanced, but I am digging the green.
Katie says
I am so excited for you guys about all your news today. And about all your posts! and let me say that I’m feeling in sync with you guys after reading this post because we are about to adopt a puppy who we are going to name Kermit! Even more I get my toes done in a nail salon called Toe Heaven. SO, title of post and substance of post made me smile! I love to see it conming together & I think I might be ready to start making changes and stop being stuck in indicisiveness. I’m inspired!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh it’s a sign!!! Kermit is going to be the best puppy ever! Give him a nice big nervous sniff from Burger.
xo,
s
Lis says
Love Sue the Napkin as a pillow cover! I just saw this post from Centsational Girl on how to make no sew cloth napkin pillow covers:
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/03/no-sew-cloth-napkin-pillow-covers/
I’m a no-sew girl myself :)
YoungHouseLove says
Amen! Love it!
xo,
s
Jackie says
I LOVE! Our wedding colors were berry and apple green and your rug and pillows make me think of my fav. colors! Looks good and comfy on the toes!
Mandy says
Ok, I loved your old house, but I am totally smitten with the new one!! It is so much more my style, and I love all the great little details that I am picking up that I could totally implement in my house :)
Abercrombie Wife says
Ok…I absolutely love the kermit! He looks so soft (makes me want to come lay on your floor…is that weird?). When you said that the strands were actually as big a crayon I thought…there is no way. But you were indeed not exaggerating. I can’t explain how much I love it.
Also, The Sue Napkin pillows…genius! They are perfect!
Your living room is so inviting and playful. Love Love Love how it is evolving. Can’t wait to see the console table and new media center…whenever they come. It’s like waiting for Christmas.
The Washington Post reallly scooped you. Love the Gallery Wall sneak peek. Love how it turned out…I am excited to see more details.
The dresser is perfect! What are you planning on doing to it? Painting it a fun color from Sue?
Today has been full of all sorts of fun stuff on YHL. You guys are amazing!
Oh are you planning on staining Karl’s legs a darker wood?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! We’d love to take Karl’s legs all dark and handsome. And as for the dresser, we were thinking of painting just the top but now that it’s here we like the natural look so we’re just going to bring it back to it’s original glory. Or at least try our best. Haha.
xo,
s
Abercrombie Wife says
Sounds great! I can’t wait to see what you decide.
Jennifer says
Loved the Clara video. She is such a happy baby – LOVE that tongue:)
Giulia says
Is that John in the mirror in pic 3?
This room is really coming together nicely…what a transformation from a couple of weeks back!
We have Karl’s brother and he still has pale legs…changing that is on our loooooong list, but I keep on saying that he’s Swedish so getting a tan would be hard for him :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha it’s true. It’s just in Karl’s nature to be pale. Haha. And yes, that’s John in the mirror. Silly guy.
xo,
s
Wrenaria says
Looks like Washington Post leaked your gallery wall too! How fabulously pretty! Looking forward to the full post about it.
YoungHouseLove says
I know they totally scooped us! Haha. But we’re sharing more pics in the next day or two with lots of explanations so it’s all good. Can’t wait!
xo,
s
Ginny says
LOVE!! The new rug is one of those colors that just makes me happy. Great job bringing in color John and Sherry! Love the ruffled pillows, too–great color and texture!
Sami says
LOVE! And Sue the Napkin looks great as a pillow. The colors all work so well together. It is so energetic and exuberant! It seems like a place that would be so stimulating for a child – and bold, colorful baby toys will fit right in!
The video is so adorable – I love how her face says “That definitely doesn’t taste as good as I thought it was going to” after she put part of the toy in her mouth.
Kayla says
Did you plan to post your green rug on st. pattys day? Or was that just a happy accident? Love the toe heaven, btw. =)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, total accident! But a happy one for sure.
xo,
s