Time for another update on how my family room is coming along! Sometimes it feels like it isn’t coming along. This room has been harder for me to decorate than I thought it would be! Finding a rug has not been easy.
We tried this aqua rug from Z Gallerie. I really like the rug, but didn’t love it in this space. A few things about it didn’t work. For one it was a Dhurrie rug (like we now have in
our formal dining room) which means it’s a flat weave and not that comfortable (realized this after I ordered it!). Fine for
the formal dining room under a table, but not what I wanted for our family room. I wanted something more comfortable. I was also worried about wear and tear. This is the room where we all hang out and this rug will get the most traffic/spills/dirt, etc. I also didn’t love the rug with the coffee table. Maybe it’s just me but something about it just looked off?? Another concern for me was that it would be too much pattern (especially too much trellis pattern!) competing with other patterns that are coming soon. So back to the store it went!
This rug was another option I was considering. I ordered a smaller size to just see how it fit in the space before I ordered the big one (a tip to save money on shipping both ways). Much softer, but I didn’t love the shade of blue. So back to the store it went! A lot of things have been going back to the store around here lately. Trial and error!
Because the blue patterns weren’t working for me I went to Restoration and Pottery Barn and pulled some neutral patterns that might work.
So for a while my family room floor was a lovely hodge-podge of rugs.
Reminded me of a patch work quilt.
While the great rug debate was going on some fun mail showed up at my house.
Remember this console table to the right of the fireplace?
My baskets arrived! I ordered these fun baskets to put on the bottom shelf. I have loved these for a long time and knew while we were building I would find a place for them somewhere in my house! (Baskets are from Restoration Hardware – shock I know. Sort of love that place.)
I tried out my yellow lamp on the console (I’ve had this lamp for years) and I love the look of a lamp in that spot, but I don’t love the yellow or the light shade in this space (the shade doesn’t pop enough against the white) so I found a new lamp for that spot that I’ll share soon. The rest of the table top will be fun to accessorize! Although with what I don’t know yet. Aside from loving the look of the baskets, I also wanted them to hold our blankets. We all love to curl up under blankets when we watch TV and I needed a place to hide them all.
Although a certain someone keeps taking the blankets out of the baskets…
and piling them up in a corner of the couch. He loves them all out in a big pile! Drives me nuts.
Probably wouldn’t drive me nuts if our blankets were pretty blankets that worked well with the decor. But my husband’s beloved Charger blanket? Not so much. :)
Back to the rug…
Because I was worried about the room being too busy once other patterns are introduced I decided to try a more neutral rug in this space. This is Pottery Barn’s chunky wool and jute rug. While it isn’t what I originally pictured for this room, I think it looks really good. It’s a combination of the color of my couch and my table. Plus it’s SO soft. It doesn’t look like it would be, but it really is! Nice and thick and comfortable. It will hide everything my kids dish out. (* Post Update! You can see how this space is decorated now here and read more about my rug in this post. It’s my favorite and I now have it in two rooms!)
I was going to put a jute rug similar to this in my dining nook under the table, but if I keep this in the family room I think I’ll add a colored/patterned rug in the nook instead.
Even though I really like the rug in this space and it meets all the criteria of everything I was looking for, it feels so bland to me right now! Because it is bland.
I’m trying to be patient waiting for some pattern and color. :)
I tried putting my glass bottles above the TV but I’m not sure if I like them there?
I’m going to re-do the shelves at some point. The
vintage books are staying, but I’m moving everything else around. Nothing is safe in my house for long. :)
Here’s a peek of things to come for this room…
The grey/cream fabric on the left is what I chose for my drapes. I’m really nervous about them.
I love the fabric, but I know drapes will completely change the look of the room so I hope I like the change! It’s always hard to picture something like that for me and custom drapes aren’t something I can return. (We had to order custom because the doors/transoms are so tall.) I don’t do well without knowing I have the option to return. :)
Here are my pillow fabrics. (I crossed out the one on the far right because we were considering that for a rug for a while – ordered a sample and didn’t like the look of it at all).
Here are the pillows/drapes together.
To be honest, I originally pictured brighter colors in this space, but everything really colorful I’ve tried just hasn’t looked right. For whatever reason more neutral/soft colors look better in this room to me so I am playing with brighter colors in other rooms. I do love the pillow fabrics and I’m excited to have pillows on the couch! One more thing for Kole to pile up and move around. On second thought… maybe I’m ok without pillows for a while…
In my last family room post I mentioned finally deciding what to do with the left corner of the room.
I ordered a chair! And I love it and it comes on Thursday. So I will share it soon!
I’m anxious to see how this rug works with the drapes and pillows and chair.
Then I will decide if it’s for sure a keeper. But so far so good.
Whew! That was a long post. With decor posts this long, don’t be surprised if I change my mind on furniture/accessory selections by the time I’m done typing.
:)
xoxo, Erin
Love, love, love the rug. Have a round one in my dining room love it. Your family room looks so beachy and comfy with it.
I so agree about the rug. The blue was just too much contrast! Love love love what you chose! I love the big baskets too! Oh, and I would leave the bottles above the television. I think they look great! Thank you for sharing all this with us. Look so forward to your posts!
That rug is perfect for that space and it happens to be the one I chose from the pics above.
Looks great! Did I miss your info on your sectional? Is it ivory and slipcovered or a bit darker? Love your decorating posts!
Beautiful! You know, with all the neutrals in the furniture, rug and drapes, have you considered an accent color that is a pop, but a little deeper tone? Everything is so beachy, so how about a mid- to deep toned green (I’m thinking the color of dune grass), and a pattern that com plenty the geometric draperies, but is a bit different? It’s all coming together nicely. Thanks for sharing it!
Love the neutral rug! We have a neutral couch and rug and I love it because I can easily change out pillows and other accessories easily.
Oh Erin – I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your new area rug in your family room! It is just perfect! It looks great with your sofa, your wall color, your chandelier, your coffee table, your great new baskets, and it’s so practical for an active family with children! The fabrics you have chosen for curtains and pillows will be fantastic! They will add just the right ‘pop’of color and pattern that you need! You have such a great talent for decorating! I am so anxious to see the chair that you ordered now. I am guessing you ordered something in a beautiful blue/aqua shade? I can hardly wait to see it! Once again, thank you SO MUCH for sharing!!
I really like the rug. We actually have a very similar one (possibly the same one?) in our living room. It adds a great cozy texture to the room and even though it looks a little bland now, its only because you don’t have other accessories (like pillows) out yet. Our family room is kind of in the same boat right now and I’m waiting for PB curtains to arrive. I can’t wait!
So pretty Erin!
Have you seen the Little Couple’s home in Houston? She has the same color scheme in her living room. Love it!
Everything is coming together so nicely! Can’t wait to see those finished drapes.
I love the rug you ended up with! And the size!! I’m so glad you went with a bigger size. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the turquoise rug was that it was a tad too small :) I think the one you chose looks great and you can add in pops of color wherever you want.
Also – wanted to mention that I saw on One Kings Lane this morning that they have lots of darling sets of lamps on sale. There are definitely several that would work in your house and give you the colors you want. Just a tip! :)
Thank you so much everyone! This room has been hard for me so your sweet words mean a lot!
Jboo – I talked all about the sectional in this post:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2014/02/family-room-decor-update.html
Jane – thank you! So kind of you as always. Yes! My lamp is turquoise! But not the shade. I’ll share it as soon as it gets here! :)
Sara – love One Kings Lane! I’ll have to check out their lamps. Thank you!
It looks great! I love the rug! Once you get the drapes up and things on the walls and pillows it will all pull together and wont be bland. Your doing a great job! Come decorate my house! :-)
I love the aqua rug but the neutral rug is the perfect choice. It is good to go neutral with your big ticket items so you can go crazy with the smaller items like pillows and decor. And, you can change them out when you want to. I am in love with the baskets also. It is all looking so good
Hi Erin! I love the way your family room is coming together! Everything is so fresh and clean looking. Love the way the rug looks and I LOVE your taste!
Joy
I love the rug. It looks great in that room with the couch and table. And I LOVE the blue bottles on the TV.Keep them!!!
I’m so excited to see the pillows, drapes and chair.
Have you thought of adding a more organic pattern or texture to your pillows/drapes? When I look at your swatches, and then look at your space, you’ve got a lot of lines and angles going on. Adding some curves or florals might help break it up a bit (and help the geometric patterns you love stand out more). Just two cents from this reader.
I can’t seem to find your post (if any) regarding where the console and coffee tables are from. Would you mind posting a link?
LOVE the room…it’s coming along nicely and you have such great bones to work with!
I like the rug! I think with patterns on the curtains and pillows and decorations around the room you will have enough pattern and color and be happy for something more neutral. Plus, like you said, it will be good for hiding stains. PLUS it will look good with other colors if you ever get tired of turquoise and yellow (ha – yeah right!) I love your decorating posts – you do such a great job!
looking so beautiful Erin!
xoxo
love it Erin! such a pretty room!
I love the rug coffee table combo. –Hanna Lei
I love your house but some yellows or greens or even orange would brighten it up. Everything kind of blends together. The little bit of color you have on your shelves looks lost with all of the grey. Some pillows and drapes with some color would pop in that room. The baskets are cute but that table is fabulous and wire ones would be super cool and let you see the flow of the shelf more. Those baskets would be fun on the floor.
the rug was an excellent choice my dear. :)
Two big thumbs up!
Koni
Thank you so much everyone!
Lori – I looked at a lot of florals! I just couldn’t find one I loved so I’m starting with these and I’m sure I’ll add more soft patterns as I go. Thanks for the suggestion!
Jennifer – Thank you so much! The tables are from Restoration Hardware. I shared more about them here:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2014/02/family-room-decor-update.html
Anonymous – this room is nowhere near finished. I haven’t even really started accessorizing yet (colors aren’t popping on the shelves because I haven’t added them). I LOVE wire baskets and have them all over the house in other rooms. I didn’t want them below the console table in this room because then my husband’s Charger blanket would be on display. Practical sometimes wins around here. :) But thanks for the suggestions!
Thanks Koni! Come back!! I’m still eating my purple skittles! :)
Looking good Erin :) I love those baskets – they look great and add lots of warmth to your open-plan space along with your coffee table (really cool to see a wide angle shot showing the whole space!). Have you considered a Turkish rug? They come in heaps of shades, some quite muted if you wanted to keep the space ‘calm’, while also adding warmth (eg. burgundy/deep reds, or even your beloved seagreen/aqua tones ;) I was also thinking about a floral cushion or two – it’s such an art mixing geometrics with florals but works well if you repeat colours/tones – and maybe add some new textures eg. velvet or hessian/sacking. Just a few random thoughts this Thursday night! xx
LOVE the rug!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love your seating and the rugs. All of the white in the room looks beautiful, too.
Erin, I love your fabric choices for pillows and curtains! Would you mind sharing where you found the fabrics?
Thank you friends!
Mandy – I have a designer and good friend of mine helping me with fabrics. I’m ordering everything through her. If you are interested in contacting her to order the same fabric shoot me an email and I’ll send you her info!
It’s coming along beautifully! Enjoy the process. I can’t wait to do this someday. :)
Hi Erin – It’s Carol (from email)! Trying to be better about commenting, not just reading ;) I love your rug choice and am happy to hear that it’s actually soft and not scratchy. I’ve seen that rug but always bypassed it because I thought it looked uncomfortable. Anyway, keep plugging away! You’re doing great! :)
Fun to follow in your journey! So beautiful!
Gorgeous!! Looove the pallet coffee table!!!! For a pop of color I think red/white stripes or aqua-turquoise/white stripes. Love your blog! Greetings from Argentina :)
I think Navy would also be a great choice, if you prefer a more relaxing vibe.
Your room is coming together bit by bit, layer by layer.
I like the final rug choice. Not a fan of the others you tried, but really like the one you chose.
Agree that some color will help the room, but like any good outfit…the color will come with the accessories. I think you’re smart to be putting this room together bit by bit. Try this, then that. What you don’t like can go back to the store (as you’ve discovered ;))
I enjoy reading your blog.
Can’t wait to see how you finish the space! Looks amazing! I just recently bought the same rug and can’t believe how much it is shedding. Are you finding the same with yours?
Thanks so much everyone!
Anonymous – my rug did that at first too! It shed a lot the first few weeks we had it but now it doesn’t anymore. Hopefully yours will stop soon too! Thanks for the sweet comment!
I was just thinking about the area over your fireplace and the type of thing that might look good there – Susie Harris makes some cute signs that may look cute somewhere in the room… Also, maybe a light bluish wave or ocean type print there (above the fireplace) and then some large driftwood over the top of the tv area (on top of the molding) or even some small driftwood on the fireplace mantle (or even some driftwood in basket or something…) Those are just some random ideas!
Here is a link to Susie Harris Signs:
http://www.susieharrisblog.com/2011/09/signs-for-sale.html
All the best!
PS – I have no connection to Susie Harris Signs but I follow her blog and some of the grey and yellow signs reminded me a bit of your color choices…
I love the wool and jute rug and Im planning to buy the same but I need a large one – i was wondering if having 2 rugs next to each other would look good or not? I cant see if the border is such that the line/joint would be very visible.. Can you help me decide?
Iza – I think you could put two of them together! There is no definite “end” to the rug – no border or anything like that. I think you could set two next to each other and they would blend. Good luck! :)
I love the rug. Is it 8 x 10 or 9 x 12? I have a similar sectional and not sure what size rug to get. Thanks for your reply.
Hi Sue! Thanks! We got the 9×12. Really love this rug. I hope it works for you!
where is your coffee table from? your whole house is amazing.
Thank you Erin! So sweet of you to say! The coffee table is from Restoration Hardware. :)
Beautiful space! I happened upon this blog by doing search for the “chunky wool jute rug”. I’m about to purchase it for my dining room! But hoped to find some opinions. It looks beautiful in your living room. Are you still loving it? Is it pretty durable? Thanks an advance for any of your thoughts. So glad I found this blog. I’m really enjoying it!
Erin
Hi Erin! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you found my blog too! :) Ok – chunky wool jute rug – LOVE it. It is so durable. My kids are on it all day long and it really doesn’t show much wear and tear. Plus it hides everything! It will be so dirty and you can’t see the popcorn crumbs unless you really look close! :) The only thing to be aware of is that it sheds for a few months after you buy it. But then that tappers off and now it doesn’t anymore. I would really recommend it! Great rug. I hope that helps!
What exact color/name and make is the grey wall paint?
Hi Debbie! That is “Seattle” by Frazee.
Hello! Is this rug the “natural” one or the “gray” one? I have the gray one in my laundry room but I’m thinking the natural would look better in my living room. Thanks!
Hi Hannah! It’s the natural one! :)
Hi Erin- I’m new to your blog- love your style!! I’m thinking about ordering that same PB chunky jute rug and I was wondering how you are liking it. Any dislikes? Is it holding up? Thx!
Hi Lauren! So nice to “meet” you! Glad you found me. :) LOVE my chunky jute rug!! It has held up so well – disguises all sorts of crumbs and mess from the kids – and looks beautiful. Plus it’s really soft for a jute rug. It shed for the first few weeks we had it but doesn’t anymore. I would totally recommend it! xo
Great!! Thanks for the reply!
Do you use a rug pad with it?
Yes Lauren! We bought the pad that they recommended for that rug through Restoration Hardware.
Love your room! What size is it? I am putting on a 16 x 20 foot room. We are thinking of putting our fireplace on the wall you have your TV and put the TV over the fireplace. Is their a reason you didn’t do that? Love your sofa, where did you get your sofa? Love, love, your room and your doors!
Thank you Jean! I didn’t put the TV over the fireplace simply because I wanted a mantel to decorate! Ha! Plus I love a big separate fireplace. Totally a personal thing! I can’t remember the exact measurements of our room.. Our sofa is from Pottery Barn (comfort sectional). xo
Did you get the grey or natural PB Chunky Wool/Jute rug? I have been thinking about the grey one for our spare room, but now that I see this in your living room I am re-thinking it for ours as well.
I went with the natural and we love it! :)
Hi there! I am looking to purchase the same jute and wool area rug you have. I was wondering how it’s been holding up? I have three young kids and a dog and I’m concerned about his nails pulling it. Thanks for your help :)
Hi Holly! I talked a lot about that rug in my post about rugs…
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2015/09/lets-talk-rugs/
It’s holding up great and is a favorite! :) xo
Love your sofa. Is it pottery barn basic? What fabric did you go with and has it held up over time? Did you purchase additional slip covers? Any info on this sofa would be helpful. Considering buying one and don’t want to make a mistake. Also thinking light, maybe white.
Thank you,
Thank you Jean! Our couch is the Pottery Barn comfort sectional and we upgraded to a fabric called “Flax.” LOVE the couch and we love the look of the fabric, but it’s a high maintenance fabric and stains easily! I’d go with one of their new performance fabrics. Hope that helps! :) xo
Hi, love your blog!
So sorry to bother you, but Pottery Barn is having their Black Friday Sale TODAY and I want to order one of the wool/jute rugs like you have in your living room. Based upon your pics, I can’t tell if you ordered it in natural or gray… Will you please tell me which? (Your link goes to the natural rug, but the color in your pics looks more like the gray!)
Thank you so much!!
Courtney (links to colors below)
http://www.potterybarn.com/m/products/chunky-wool-jute-rug
http://www.potterybarn.com/m/products/chunky-wool-jute-rug-gray/
Hi Courtney! My rug is the natural! I linked to the exact one. :) Happy rug shopping! So happy you are getting a good deal! xo
Can I ask all of you who have the chunky jute wool rug- how is the shedding? I have had two wool rugs , both PB and both shed like crazy! I thought it would diminish with regular vacuuming and after a year on both it is really bad. My husband hates the shedding because he sits/lays on the floor sometimes to stretch and is covered in fibers when he finishes. Also what about furniture marks and indentations?
I’d love to order this rug but I am afraid…..
Hi Kim! I have this rug in two rooms in my house (it’s my favorite!) and it did shed for the first couple of months after I bought it, but then it stopped. It hasn’t shed since! My kids are always sitting on it and if my daughter has on black leggings she will get fibers on them from the rug so that is something to think about if that bothers you, but I wouldn’t worry about the shedding! It goes away with this one. I wrote all about this rug in this post if you want to read more:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2015/09/lets-talk-rugs/
Hope that helps! xo