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).
Elizabeth says
Very nice progress!! A bit of an unrelated question, but since you mentioned it, what vacuum do you have? I need a new one that can do tile floors but can work nicely on rugs.
YoungHouseLove says
We love our vacuum! Read about it here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/02/this-vacuum-sucks-part-two/
xo,
s
Kate (and Ben) says
I love the brighter colour choices in the new house! In your old house, I constantly kept describing you guys to my significant other as, “That couple, about our age…the ones who DIY every single thing…the ones with the great ideas but bad colour choices?”
But we probably overuse colour in our house, our sofa is lime green.
And a HUGE congrats on the Post articles!!
-K
Cathy Wall says
Love how this room is coming together, the colors rock and the rug is to die for. I also have enjoyed your efforts to make it all come together for a song, great job! BTW I just moments ago used the “a happy wife = a happy life” line on my soon to be married cousin, too funny!
Cathy
Shannon says
I love how the living room is coming together. It’s so bright and colorful, but not overdone. Totally inspiring – I’d like our house to get a little more colorful but I’m scared of overdoing it or having it not all tie together.
Elizabeth says
Where did the colorful pieces above the couch come from? they look perfect on the wall there. great color.
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s that link for ya. All that art was just $5! https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/03/five-dolla-art/
xo,
s
Lauren says
I may be a little too excited to see that you are going to make Sue into a pillow! She will be an awesome addition to your pillow collection. It’s amazing how much more pulled together the room is looking with a bigger rug…love it!
I am also (not so) patiently waiting for your post about the new gallery wall! :-)
Faith says
What a great room! It’s fun but sophisticated at the same time.
Joy says
Such a happy post – the rug looks wonderful, Clara is so happy in her video. Love the pop colors.
– Joy
Carrie says
I was more excited about the Sue the Napkin pillows than I was about the rug!
Lindsay says
Love the video of Clara! I got such a kick of her grinning ear to ear one minute and then super serious and focused the next. Love how babies do that! Also, the look of disgust after she tries the cell phone is hilarious. Actually LOL’d at work and had to silence myself!
Maggie S. says
I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of console table you’ll build for behind your sectional.
We installed a 6 ft ikea lack shelf behind our sectional for a place to put a lamp and a doggie proof drink area. My husband and I love that it looks built in and gave us a great place to hide our subwoofer that goes with the surround sound.
Kelly says
I LOVE the rug!! At first when you initially posted about purchasing it I was disappointed because I love the yellow and grey color scheme and wanted to see that developed more, BUT then I saw this post with the pillows and fell in love with it all! The Sue the Napkin pillows will be awesome, the purple ones are gorgeous, and I actually initially thought the “green” ones were a mustard yellow and thought, “Wow, that looks awesome and they got to keep some yellow!” Anyway, I think the green ones are great, but maybe keep in mind a mustard yellow as well!
YoungHouseLove says
Fo sho! You know we love yellow with Karl! Should be fun to see how many pillow combinations we go through over time!
xo,
s
- Sarah :-) says
Even with the couch all the way back to the wall, the room already looks SO much more grounded and “intetional”, for lack of a better term. It’s amazing how one piece can truly start to bring a room together.
It looks fabulous!
Johnna says
Hey Sherry…what happened to the blue paint in the glass lamp behind Sir Karl?!?!?
PS – Virtual Kiss back…you guys have no idea how much you touch everyone else’s life. Nate had it right, your approach is homey and sweet. I feel like I’ve known you for years and I’ve never even met you! Your posts are SERIOUSLY what keep me going through a VERY tough work day!!!
Thank you for doing what you do, and for loving it, and for making your love of what you do so contageous!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha at Sir Karl. He’s so proper. As for the light, the paint was giving photos that we took a blueish tint so we just had to say goodbye. Luckily it only took a few swipes with a wet cloth.
xo,
s
Candace says
Dudes, you GOTTA check out these pillows: http://www.zgallerie.com/p-8136-fresco-pillow-peacock-18.aspx They are totally awesome. My bf got me a pair after I obsessed over them during a Color Splash episode (crafty guy, that bf of mine!) They are super cool. I have a blog-post waiting to be finished with more pics of them, I’ll link to soon after I solve some blog-issues. ANYWAYS, Love them. Color is so rich and gorgeous. Maybe too much ruffles with the plum pillows, but could work in other places if you stick with your Napkin-Scheme.
Candace says
Oh, and the color is a touch darker than in the picture. Less bright blue, and more peacock hints to it.
YoungHouseLove says
Um, they’re amazing. Love them so much! They could totally work- although I wonder i they’d compete with our Sue pillows. Hmm…
xo,
s
Lauren says
Love the rug & pillows with the art!
Kelley says
I TOE-tally love it! One day I hope to be that brave with color! Y’all give me something to aspire to!
Christina says
Love the rug and love that y’all are taking risks in your new house! My fam is about to move into a new casa and we’re sooo excited to risk it up after living in a beige box for three years! So far the biggest risk has been painting the living/dining room a dark gray–and I LOOOVE it! I’ve been posting before and durings on our blog threechisholms.blogspot.com, and can’t wait to get to the AFTERS!!!! I love your site–and so does my baby girl, Kate–she just watched the Clara video and laughed and bounced the whole time. I think she made friends with Clara!
Tiffany says
seriously…how do you get anything done with such a cute baby? and i love the weekly baby photos, can’t wait to do this with my future child….so clever
oh yeah and the rug is cool too…lol
ERIKA says
not sure if guys ever browse censational girl but she just did a post about no-sew cloth napkin pillow covers, long name? haha, anyway, that would totally include the napkin sue into the living room…
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/03/no-sew-cloth-napkin-pillow-covers/
YoungHouseLove says
Love that post and that whole blog!
xo,
s
lindsey says
Your baby is SO cute!!!
Michelle says
I love that rug choice! It does look very cozy. I especially love how great the pop of colour goes with the couch and pillows.
Kirstin - The Olive Seed says
Love it! I’m so glad it turned out well – I was a little worried about how it would be in reality. I find shopping for rugs over the web totally frightening.
That said, I’m in the market for one and am struggling to find 8×11 (lots of 8×10). Any suggestions of places/websites were you found an abundance of 8×11 choices?
Love the green (I’m borderline obsessed with the colour). I love St Patricks Day simply because I get to be surrounded by more green than usual ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Actually overstock.com and rugsusa.com were some of the only sources we found for that size! You can also try nextag.com and seach “8 x 11 rug” – good luck!
xo,
s
Lisa says
You guys rock…and are completely blessed to be at this stage of your life with the decorating styles that are so popular/available now. When I was a “young married” it was cheesy-themey southwestern or hokey primitive country (and I was guilty of both for brief times!). Turns my stomach a little just to think about it, ha ha!
Bethany says
I’m loving the new fun colors in this house! Keep up the great work!
Jackie says
Sue looks great on Karl!
carole says
looks cozy and fun…you are, after all, *youngsters*, and your room should reflect that sense of playfulness that we all love in your writing…
I loved your choices in your other house, too, but I think this place is more of a reflection of your own unique style as it is developing, and that’s *very* grown up! :)
Jennifer Darling says
Kermit is a great color. You two are brave. I don’t think I could do it! :)
and Clara is A-dor-a-ble!!!
Jessica says
Seriously, you guys have channeled my living room. Same sofa in the same color, and my accent color is….apple green. Needless to say, the new rug looks awesome to me!
Sanja says
This is wonderful! Never knew I could be so happy for someone I never met :D The best of luck in your future endeavours!
Ellie says
I love it! I didn’t see the vision for this room until now. I had faith, just no imagination! The rug made it make sense to me and I love it! Congratulations on all your exciting news today!!
PS. I think you should use that book jacket (still laughing about “why are we on this boat?”!) as your inspiration piece for your frames over the couch. Photoshop yourselves (friends and family) into famous art, movie posters etc. I’m thinking Star Wars to start… :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that would be hilarious. Love it. Every room needs a smidge of humor.
xo,
s
sarah (sarah learns) says
oh i love the new rug!! it looks great! i’m loving all the new color in the living roon! :)
also, the photo on the post of the white frame collage looks AMAZING! can’t wait to see your post on that soon.
karen @ our slo house says
The green carpet looks amazing. Love the color, love the tufts, love the texture.
I 100% agree on your philosophy that not everyone has to like your style. With our previous house, we always had “resale, resale” whispering in our ear. Therefore, we had a very nice chic “Pottery Barn” vibe. Fortunately, it worked in our favor and we sold in 4 days.
However, with our new (old) house, we’re being true to what we really want in our home. Think Dwell-type of homes… We know not everyone is going to love our choices, and we are okay with that. My husband and I are SO EXCITED about the choices we have made so far.
p.s. “Karl & Kermit” is the new “Bert & Ernie.”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I love it! Bert and Ernie, take notice. There’s a new dynamic duo in town. Haha.
xo,
s
amyks says
Love the rug and Sue the napkins as pillows will be great! Great score on the dresser, I also have one just like yours in my daughter’s bedroom. It was painted blackish brown when I got it 10 or so years ago, I stripped it down to a deep walnut color(not sure wht it was painted almost the same color as the wood stain). Now I am wanting to paint it either white or a funky hot pink which would be a lot of fun in my daughter’s room. My husband thinks I should just get rid of it and get her a new one, but I am kind of attached to it.
Rachelle says
Wow! Big day. Your LR is a different place in the last few weeks. Kermit looks cozy and I thought you’d already done up Sue a la centsational girl style. Awesome. Congrats on the Post, the Book, the great fans. You guys are so fun and inspiring. BTW have you thought about building two console tables to make it more manageable? Are you considering any of Ana Whites plans?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes and yes! Both good ideas! John is a funny guy when it comes to woodworking, so he has about ten million ideas up his sleeves. Should be interesting…
xo,
s
Beatriz says
Looks gorgeous!!!!
Two questions:
1) what size are the new purple ruffly pillows?
2) do you guys have an ETA on the living room curtains? We are all dying over here!!! And if so have you narrowed down a color/pattern?
Ok…that was more like four questions! ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
We wish we had more of an idea of living room curtains. We go crazy. Some days we think soft eggplant sheers. Other days I envision something white and navy. We’re all over the place! I think we’re just gonna wait to see something that makes us die and then we’ll jump on it. As for the pillows they’re nice and big. About 20″. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Alecia says
Great job, guys! I get so excited each day to check and see what else you guys have done. Is that weird?
Anyway, loved the “scoop” too. The gallery wall in the hallway looks fantastic! Also, did you wash the blue paint off the light fixture in the living room over the table in the corner? I seem to remember Sherry’s post about painting the inside of it blue but that didn’t show in the pictures.
And finally, have you seen these napkins at CostPlus World Market recently? Their colors remind me of Sue:
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11214105
YoungHouseLove says
Love the napkins! Thanks for the link! As for the light it was casting a weird blue tint on the room in pics, so I just wiped it down. Thank goodness it was easy to remove!
xo,
s
Kelli H says
I’ve never posted before but I love your blog. It’s so inspiring. I have that same rug in red and it is so soft on the feet! Mine is about 2 years old now and it’s definitely flattened out over time. At first we had fuzz balls all over in the corners and it also fills up our vacuum with lots of red fuzzy’s but it’s still a great rug!
audra says
ok, totally LOVE the addition of Kermit your room! he looks amazing! i’ve been meaning to comment for a while…so i’ll just say that i also loved your guest room reveal (the first time, but especially the 2nd time after sherry rearranged a few things!) and totally love the art above Karl and the fab new pillows. i know the Post scooped you on the photo wall you’re working on, but i cannot wait to see more pics of it! i loved your first house, but am really smitten with this one because of all the color and warmth you’ve added! great job and LOVE your blog :)
Loriann says
Love everything you guys have done with the house. It’s all so inspiring! And congratulations on all your success!!! But seriously…Clara is sooooo adorable! I love her cheesy happy smile while swinging that phone! I have a 16 month old so naturally I’m drawn to all the cute Clara photos and videos!!! Love it!
Kelly says
Love love love it (there’s another Real Housewives NJ reference for you)! What’s the coffee table sitch going to be? Not that I am anti-ottomon, just wondering if it’s staying or going. Or if you know yet. It’s all good.
YoungHouseLove says
For Clara-safety it’s staying for now at least- which is why we love adding a console to put things like remotes and drinks and stuff. But who knows where we’ll end up down the line!
xo,
s
Stephanie Phillips says
So so so happy with the direction the room has taken! LOVE it!
And I’m leaning more and more towards color on the windows and sliders, so I can’t wait to see what you do there!
Allison Jag says
LOVEEEEE the new rug!! And Clara just seriously can not get any cuter! I love how excited she gets and then just as quickly chills out – what a funny, adorable kiddo!
Okay – now the important question…in the Washington Post pics – there’s one of your family room and its got the old lamp shade, not the one Sherry painted transparent blue! Did you guys change that out and I just completely missed the post on it?!?! (if so – SORRY!!)
YoungHouseLove says
Good eye, Allison! Yes, that lampshade is back to its original clear color. Neither of us were big fans of the blue cast it gave that corner of the room when the light was on, so I politely convinced Sherry to wash it clean. Luckily it was easy to undo!
-John
Lindsey says
I don’t understand how you guys get any work done around there….I would just sit and watch Clara all day long!! She is so funny!!!
Amber says
Those Sue napkins should definitely become pillows- they really tie the whole room together. The room is looking great- can’t wait to see more!
And Clara, too cute for words, seriously:)
Jill @ Mission Decorate says
Guys I need your help! I NEED throw pillows for my living room and bedroom but I am having a MAJOR commitment issue. This is so unlike me! I am a great decision maker but not when it comes to this. I love the pillows you have used here. What is the secret? I think my biggest fear is clashing fabrics. Not clashing the pillows but clashing with other fabircs in the room. Then my 2nd issue is dishing out the cash. I just can’t pull the trigger!
YoungHouseLove says
The secret is to have a pillow fashion show! Get a bunch at HomeGoods and Target or anywhere else and just toss down different combinations until you find a mix you love. Then just return the rest!
xo,
s
Michelle W. says
The room is really coming together – it’s fun to watch the progression!
The grouping of art on the wall is really eye catching. Have you considered using anti-reflective glass in the frames? It would add to the expense, but it really makes a big difference.
Can’t wait to see this room and the whole house come together.
YoungHouseLove says
Definitely a good idea to consider, Michelle!
-John
Paige says
wow love love LOVE the rug.
it reminds me of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids for some reason–haha….I don’t think I’ve EVER seen a rug with that large of shaaaaaag. I wanna run my feet all over it. I feel like if you look closely, you might find the Szalinski kids tryin’ to find their way back to the house…
great choice though fo sho.
Ames says
That is an awesome thought :)
LuLu says
It’s SO green!
LuLu
Donita says
Can Clara get any cuter? Seriously!! She is so cute. OK Sherry, she is just like you……observing, from the video’s of you and then seeing her. She has your personality. SO CUTE!!! *sorry John*. ;-)
AND….can you guys get any better at making things look AMAZING. LOVE that rug, all the colors in your new house. OH MY, I probably won’t sleep for a week, trying to figure out how to get those colors in my house. You guys ROCK. Congrats on the Washington Post Article. How cool!!! Happy St Patty’s Day!!!!