Design

Spring Has Arrived in the Dining Room

March 14, 2013

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Read between the lines.

I got it! If you follow me on Instagram (do!!@chrislovesjulia) you saw that I was debating picking up this, apparently, very popular rug from Ikea that was marked down to half off of $250 in the as-is section.   $125 is a great price for a nearly 6’x8′ rug–especially a hand-woven wool one!  Chris’s only concern via text was. “That’s really nice. But, where would we put it?” Valid. There weren’t any blank spaces in our home needing an area rug, but we both agreed the dining room rug needed refreshed–maybe it would work there? With Chris’s blessing and your lots of encouragement from you guys on Insta and Facebook, I went for it knowing I could always sell it if it didn’t work.

Luckily, it did.
The rug’s colors are spot on–with the navy block detailing going really well with the blue base cabinets next door and the warm yellow that we have been slowly adding to our home’s color scheme (think the National Geograpics in the family room, the yellow cable knit throw that hangs out in the living room, and Greta’s new room is dotted–literally–with the golden hue).  Admittedly, we were worried about such a light carpet underneath the dining room table, but Ikea’s description of the rug on their website was reassuring:

– The rug is hand-woven by skilled craftspeople and adds a personal touch to your room.
– The durable, soil-resistant wool surface makes this rug perfect in your living room or under your dining table.
– The rug has the same pattern on both sides, so you can turn it over for additional wear and a longer life.

So, huge sigh of relief there.

As for the old rug, shhh–it’s still under there. Currently serving as a carpet pad for now?  Really, since I put the new rug down while Chris was still at work–lifting the dining room table by myself more than once was entirely too daunting, so I just layered them so I could see how it would look before fully committing. And now that we’re committed–errr we’ll see how long they stay layered.  ;)
The whole refreshed swap makes me seriously think about changing out rugs seasonally.  This feels so spring! While our last one felt very heavily winter. I’m glad that’s not an actual thing–seasonal rugs. Right?? Or is it?  Sounds expensive. At least we know storing them wouldn’t be a problem–hiding one right under the other works just fine.

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What do you think?

  1. Cute rug! And I just noticed that we have the same dining table (great minds, :)).

  2. Love the rug! It’s adorable and perfect in your eating area!

  3. love this!!!! Looks light and fresh. In love with the navy on the cabinets.
    xo
    Natalie
    dishesrunwaysandbriefcases.com

  4. Nice choice! I like that it was cheaper but still doesn’t scream Ikea. As a very large dog owner, I’m on the hunt for a durable yet soft-under-foot rug, and they can be hard to come by… Jute just doesn’t do it for me. I like it!
    {lamourcheznous.wordpress.com}

  5. I am SO excited to have ikea only 80 minutes away. The as-is room is the best.

  6. Looks perfect with your style! The discounted section of IKEA is a dangerous, dangerous place. Using the existing rug as a carpet pad– genius ;)

  7. SO happy you got it! It looks great in your dining room! Now I need to pick up one of my own haha

  8. Whitney says:

    Yay! I’m glad you went for it – it looks PERFECT there! That rug was one of the first “major” purchases that my husband and I made for our home as newlyweds. We generally relied on Goodwill and thrift stores to work with our budget. I fell in love with that rug! The colors and the graphic design are just lovely. And I adore the way the rug plays off your navy cabinets.

    Someone mentioned it being light for a high traffic area. I was a bit concerned about that, too, but after two years in the room we use most our rug still looks great! The nubby texture hides a lot, and stains can just be blotted right out. :)

  9. Callie says:

    Perfect colors for your space! It looks much less beige-y than the in-store photo. And also, keeping old rug as rug pad for thin-but-gorgeous-trendy rug?? Genius!! Am totally stealing that idea. Right. Now. :)

  10. I want that rug so bad. I tired to talk my husband into getting it last week during our IKEA trip. No dice. I know several places where we can use it so maybe one day. Great score! Why was it in the as is section anyway?

  11. Kar says:

    I’m so in love with that rug. And now I think we really need a rug underneath our dining table. Hey, I thought of you this week, because my son will probably have to get ear tubes like Greta did. He only says four words, and he’s 2 1/2. He had a hearing screening yesterday and failed. So we’re taking those steps probably toward the ear tubes. I remember you saying how her speech improved so well afterwards, and the thought of my little man speaking makes me happy. :) So I’m glad you had shared that with us.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Love the new kitchen colors especially the glossy black pantry door. Are you planning on painting the side of your peninsula navy or leaving it white? I am planning on painting my bottom cabinets a darker color as well.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Isn’t it sweet when you stumble up something that you didn’t even know that you needed? Love it!

  14. Meagan S says:

    While that rug is a bit ubiquitous in the blog world – it is a perfect fit for your space. I think it really does tie in perfectly with the navy and sort of bridge the gap to your family room. It also really brightens the place up compared to the old rug. I think its a great choice – especially at the reduced cost.

  15. Looks awesome! Love it next to the navy cabinets.

  16. Oooh I’ve loved that rug since… forever!!!! I wanted it for the living room but it was too light for such a high-traffic area. It looks great in your space, and what an awesome deal!

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