One Room Challenge: Week 3 Rugs

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Week 3, of the ORC!

Half way through the challenge (The ORC is a 6 week challenge to complete a room start to finish) and I have been OBSESSING over rugs because I will need 2- one for the dining room that must be practical, and one for the entry that needs to be sturdy. Jutes are on my mind again and I am leaning towards using one… they have such a pull on me because nothing says coastal to me like a jute rug!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

(We have number 9 sitting in our living room (you can see it here and here)- it is wool mixed with jute. If you are looking for a jute rug that’s soft underfoot, look no farther. This is IT! We have a half inch rug pad underneath that honestly might be just TOO much softness. It’s outrageous. )

As far as dining room rugs go….

I am not much for style “rules”, I truly believe everyone should put pieces in their home that make their heart sing, just generally speaking. That being said, when it comes to rugs you CAN go wrong with size or style, etc. A few guidelines to adhere to for dining room rugs.

• Dining rooms do not “need” a rug. A rug serves to soften up the look.

• A rug should extend 24” on all sides of the table. You want room to pull your chair out without it falling off the rug. Not only will you find this annoying and not practical, but it will also won’t look right if the chairs are half on and half off the rug. It will look like the rug is too small- better to lose the rug if that’s your only option.

• I like low pile, flatweave or indoor/ourdoor rugs for dining rooms. Please do not do shag or high pile in dining rooms. Just imagine all the food stuck in between.

• About 12” or more between the rug and the wall. Not a hard and fast rule but you aren’t trying to mimic wall to wall carpeting.

• Try and lose wall to wall carpeting if at all possible in a dining room. Of course money is always an issue and sometimes you just can’t (we had white wall to wall carpeting in a dining room of our rented apartment), but if this is the case I think placing a rug on top is a good idea to distract from the carpeting and also to protect it.

That was boring, I just fell asleep too, so pls WAKE UP for exciting news!

The table and the side chairs arrived for the dining room! The table is the perfect size, and I WANT TO HUG THOSE WOOD BENTWOOD CHAIRS. I did not want metal chairs, I wanted wood just like the real thing, and I also wanted them painted white. Apparently this proved hard to find. I did find some high quality wood Bentwood chairs here, which you can customize, and they also have child sized wood bentwood chairs as well. Crate and Barrel is still selling cushions that will fit these and I’ll probably scoop them up after the ORC is over, just to have for when company is over.

Something important – it looks much better when your chairs fit between the legs comfortably so nobody has to straddle the pedestal leg. We can fit 3 on each side with space in between, so all of my dreams are coming true.

That is just our kitchen chair sitting at the end- our end chairs are coming this week! They are woven and will elevate this table.

I am STILL undecided about painting the entry way bench, but I am going to let the rug I choose dictate that decision. Here is the photo of a painted built in bench that inspired me:

Source

The color of that bench is Farrow and Ball Down Pipe. Here is my bench below:

(We are moving this blue rug upstairs where a rug was needed, it is a beauty but I am looking for something that will flow better with our dining room now that it is furnished.)

Part of my hesitation to paint that bench is I will have to use oil based paint. Oil paint is messy and stinky and doesn’t clean up well, sort of like the kid you never want to have over to your house.

I haven’t finalized the paint color if we do go that route, these are just my early ideas:

I picked up a lamp and those frames from Target this week. The amazing Don’t Give Up The Ship flag arrived, which has an ironic story behind it (you should read if you are considering this flag).

My dad gave me the canvas of The Milk Maid (Vermeer) this past Christmas. His mother, my Grandma who passed 3 years ago- loved that particular photo and had a print in her home. I am so honored to display it in such a special room in our home! Right now the original is in Amsterdam which is on our list of places to visit. Hoping I can see it in person one day.

Lastly, I bought these sconces from Rejuvenation on a whim the other day because there was some kind of sale happening- but also because they just really speak to me and the vibe of this room. It wasn’t until later that I realized these are the white versions of those black sconces from my Inspo styling photo! I don’t know if my contractor will be able to put them exactly where I am envisioning, and with the wallpaper and the moldings there is no room for error. I am such a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person, it’s a bit ridiculous. But if it proves too difficult I’m sure we can use these sconces elsewhere in the room.

To read all of the other guest participants in the One Room Challenge this week, head over here.

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