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    Emily Fazio

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Chunky-Chunky-Jute-Jute

April 9, 2013

On a whim, I ordered a new West Elm rug. It arrived last week with the help of the strongest UPS delivery man ever, and I had a chance to position it in our living room not long before jetting to spend a long weekend with friends in NYC (the short version of that is: took a 60-block walking tour of Manhattan with Pete and J, saw Angelina in FAO, toured Pratt Institute, ate fish with our fingers, went to Coney Island, rode the subway, and treated Cody to Prospect Park for dog park hours every… single… day).

Back at home, I’m back to business. The truth is, I want my living room to look just like ye here living scenario, as seen on the West Elm website. Right down to the emerald-oceanic walls. Purdy-licious, right? We could so pull it off, what with our existing white trim and neutral couch. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. Also, I’ve been thinking about the height of those tremendous windows:

Brilliant living room, as seen on West Elm.

The essential part of that dream though, is that we needed the right rug. And the need for a rug is two-fold, also having to do with the fact that we really want to soften the room up a little, but mainly to give the dog more comfortable resting grounds and a safer landing as he comes barreling down the stairs.

The Rope Chain Chunky Jute Rug was on mega-sale, priced at just $99 for the 5’x8′ model that I decided would be a good fit (it used to be $279, which isn’t even all that bad, and is still on sale here as of this morning if you want to buy yourself one). I love a chunky jute, and I really liked that the rug was about 75% black, a perk that would help to disguise the inevitable dog dirt and fur that appeared within minutes of it being set over the hardwoods.

West Elm Black Chunky Jute Rug

Price-wise, it was a perfect fit. Size-wise, it ended up being a little too small.

I moved the trunk/coffee table out of the way, because the dog has a tendency to lean against it and push it across the floor, and I didn’t want to risk the rug getting snagged in any way. If the rug were to live here long-term we would be brainstorming more actively about getting or building a new coffee table. Who am I kidding, I’m always lookin’. Anyone want a cool trunk? Because I’m all outta place to store big things up in here. Oh. And how completely unstyled are all of our surfaces? Holy hell, I think I might have stopped trying, clutter is winning. Total digression, moving on.

The West Elm Black Chunky Jute Rug was just a little bit too small for our living room...

It probably sounds weird that I bought the rug knowing full-well that it probably wouldn’t do the trick, but I did. We suspected that it’s 8′ length wouldn’t balance out the size of the equally large couch; I think a 10-footer would work like a charm, but then the common 8’x10′ rug would end up being a bit too wide for our living room space (we want it wide, even if it goes all the way beneath the couch, but even if an 8′ wide rug was set all the way beneath the couch it would still overlap the gray fireplace hearth by a few inches, which is a look that we do not want).

What I’m saying is, we really need something along the lines of a 7.5’x10′-12′ rug to work in our exceptionally narrow living room. Also, this next photo seems to best depict just how chunky-chunk the actual rug is in person. Very thick, very heavy. And I love it.

Our new West Elm area rug is just a little too short.

The dog was radically tired from his long days spent frolicking in Prospect Park, if you were wondering. He has slept for literally the last 48 hours, including 6 hours in the car, and we’re starting to wonder when he will rebound and consider that maybe the dude’s out of shape, muscularly speaking. Total sleepy goob.

From this angle (looking into the living room from the dining room) you can probably imagine just how much better the rug would look if it were only a few feet longer, like, at least long enough to rest beneath our Pier 1 wicker chair. It’s good to have this perspective.

Our new West Elm area rug is just a little too short.

The search continues. In the meantime, the plan B all along was to drop the new jute rug in place of the West Elm Pebble Rug that has been in our bedroom for many years. In those years, traffic has taken its toll on the wool pebbles and even if you haven’t been able to tell in photos (some of the most recent ones here), it’s looking ragged out.

The new jute is the same size as that older rug, and slid right into place, a much better proportion for our small bedroom.

The West Elm Chunky Jute Rug at home in our bedroom.

I especially like it paired with the dark brown shiplap wall, and I’m already thinking that it might be enough to influence a few other changes in the bedroom’s design. Or maybe I just need to focus on clearing shelf space so my workout clothes don’t need to be stored in a basket under my bedside table.

The West Elm Chunky Jute Rug at home in our bedroom.

 

Any fab sale finds lately? Anyone else loving themselves up with a new rug from West Elm? The sales there are delightful right now.

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Bedrooms  / Living Room

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

16 Comments


Shikha
April 9, 2013 at 9:05 am
Reply

Love the new Chunky Jute rug! Works superbly in your bedroom.
Also I spotted a new addition behind the lobster bedside tables! Loving the hex-headboard! Perfect!



    Emily
    April 9, 2013 at 9:43 am

    Thanks so much Shikha!! I love those little headboards too.. although I will say that they are very, very annoying to dust :)

Harper
April 9, 2013 at 9:43 am
Reply

Oh what I would do to have that trunk! I’ve been stalking Craigslist for that exact thing and no dice.

The rug looks great in the bedroom.

I’m off to West Elm to do some online window shopping.



    Emily
    April 9, 2013 at 9:48 am

    The only reason I haven’t actively given the trunk away yet is that I know how hard they are to find. This one was only $25 at a garage sale (maybe less, I can’t remember!) and the fact that it has a flat top is so, so nice, as opposed to the rounded tops that my other trunks have… I just know that it’ll be good to have someday, even if it’s not perfect in this house anymore.

Rachel
April 9, 2013 at 10:21 am
Reply

Love the new rug! What a deal! And love the pic of the living room! I could totally see it happening!! Sometimes I see west elm rugs on Freecycle but I haven’t been fortunate enough to get an email sent to the person in time to claim it :-( I saw some great furniture and rugs in Florida at thrift stores- didnt buy any :-( I’m currently looking for a new table and bench (plus chairs) seating like the ones in the latest hgtv magazine issue!



    Emily
    April 9, 2013 at 11:55 am

    Yeah? The teal-ish color? Wooohoo. I’ve been pretty excited about it, although it will require changing a lot as the olive-green color extends through both the first and second floors. So much to consider, but I do think I’ll like how it vibes with the white trim and the dark brown shiplap features in my home.

Cait @ Hernando House
April 9, 2013 at 11:26 am
Reply

Love the new rug!

No real fab finds here, but my mom recently bought the West Elm Zola rug for their living room. It totally works in a completely unexpected way! (Their last rug was way more traditional.)



    Emily
    April 9, 2013 at 11:51 am

    I just had to look up Zola. Awesome! I bet that adds a really nice impact to the space, and a nice balance, especially if their furniture and decor went more so with the old rug. An insta-upgrade. Your mom is so trendy! No wonder you’re as cool as you are.

    Cait @ Hernando House
    April 9, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    Aww, I’m blushing! (And yes, my mom is awesome!)

    Their furniture was more traditional (maybe a little on the French Country side), but they recently bought the West Elm Henry sofa, and two Veronica chairs (I keep wanting to call them Victoria for some reason). I may have to “house crash” them at some point, I’ve been meaning to blog about their recently renovated kitchen.

    Emily
    April 9, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    Dude, wow. Isn’t it amazing how the style of that store can blend into almost any design aesthetic? I’m ever amazed, their home sounds delicious.

Sara Aaserud
April 9, 2013 at 11:39 am
Reply

I love the rug! You’ll have to update us once you’ve had it a while as to how it holds up. One thing that really annoys be about West Elm’s website is that you can’t leave product reviews! I’ve been tempted to order rugs from them before, but without reviews it’s too much to bite the bullet and do it. I have ordered duvets from them though (on sale), and I love them.



    Emily
    April 9, 2013 at 11:54 am

    I can’t even tell you how many emails I’ve gotten asking for feedback on my pebble rug because there aren’t reviews readily available from the company. I think people would be let down if it was being used in a high-traffic area (or maybe people are accustomed to buying new rugs every few years? I donno).

    I’ve been eyeing their duvets lately (just another thing that’s way too old in our bedroom). Glad to hear you like them. And on sale they can be so affordable! What’s up with sham prices though, yo? I’m always stung with sticker shocks on shams… anywhere.

Staci @ My Friend Staci
April 9, 2013 at 6:49 pm
Reply

Looks fantastic! Glad you got a new bedroom rug, and that you were able to have your little test drive in the living room so that you know what size you’re really going to need. :)



Callie
April 11, 2013 at 4:25 pm
Reply

Ooh gorgeous! Soo chunky and texture-y – and what a great price!! If we weren’t moving next month I would snatch it up :) I am always so indecisive about rugs. The internet makes so many choices possible, but it’s so hard to envision till they’re actually in the room! But. I love that look of huge-rug-under-bed in bedroom. V. luxe and yet comfortable-looking.



Amy
April 27, 2013 at 3:19 am
Reply

Oh man that is gorgeous!

Question, how does it feel on bare feet? I have been obsessed with the West Elm Kite Kilim rug, but for our room we’d need at least an 8×10 and that is a bit out of our price range. But just so happens I found a 9×12 West Elm chunky jute rug on Craig’s List today for half the price and I think it’s beautiful – BUT my husband would moan and groan if it was scratchy. What’s your opinion on that?

Also, that wicker chair is killing me. Love it.



    Emily
    April 27, 2013 at 9:10 am

    Hi Amy! Glad you like it. It’s good for a foot massage in that it’s a little knobby, and it’s more refined and soft than, say, raw jute rope, but it is chunky and the fact that it’s chunky jute does make it pretty rough. My husband’s biggest complaint is that the stripes of light brown are raised, and he trips over them as he’s walking across the room. I think for our next jute buy we would go with something lower pile, although I’m currently obsessed with this guy: http://www.westelm.com/products/mini-pebble-wool-jute-rug-b859/?pkey=crugs-flooring&cm_src=rugs-flooring||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-

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