So, while it may seem that we're not doing very much over here, I've been a busy bee working on all the projects we are making for the wedding. A lot like our home, we've decided to do a lot of it ourselves, and while some people think I'm crazy for not delegating, I live for this stuff. Seriously, the contract negotiations of the real vendors stressed me out, but creating 125 custom favors and handmade centerpieces, this is my idea of fun.
Since I've decided not to share wedding details here on the blog, (a lot of my readers are friends and family that are invited and I didn't want to ruin any surprises), it might be a little slow for the summer. That being said, I can't completely neglect the house, (even though more and more space is being taken over with wedding paraphernalia everyday - the dining room is pretty much more boxes than usable space at this point).
I've written about my dislike for our living room, (evidence here, here, and here), and the biggest offender is the rug, (which I mentioned while shopping for the rug in the basement here). I have a bad habit of having to complete a room all at once, instead of letting it grow over time, and the large rug was definitely a purchase strictly to get a neutral-ish rug that would fit the space, all within our budget, which at the time that we moved in was pennies. So the $200 Ikea Persby seemed like a good idea at the time.
It's giant, 10' x 12', and is a great size for anchoring the seating area and creating a foyer area next to the front door.
But those swirls, ugh! And the color was starting to annoy me. It's a little more yellow than I wanted. Moral of the story, I've wanted it gone, for years now.
So, I've had my eye out for a direction that I want to take this room and I'm really drawn to the styles of Dana from House*Tweaking's new home and Chris Loves Julia. They both have a more masculine feel to their styles and in my opinion incorporate textures really well. So, I looked at the type of rugs that they have, and immediately fell in love with the textured jute rug that Chris and Julia have in their front room. It was as if my living room finally found it's purpose!
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| Image from Chris Loves Julia |
So, I pinned the link to the rug from Rugs USA a couple months ago and have been stalking it ever since. At the time I pinned it, it was 50% off and free shipping and I was working up the nerve to sweet talk Mike into letting me buy a new rug, when in his mind there's nothing wrong with the perfectly good one we have now. Usually when this scenario happens I wait too long and it's no longer on sale. This time something crazy happened and my procrastination actually worked in my favor, because the price dropped even further to 65% off. For the 8.5' x 11.5' one that I thought would work it was originally $536, and at 65% off would come to $187.60. Seriously, I had to use all my persuasive skills because I.had.to.have.this.rug. The under $200 price tag made it that much easier to persuade Mike.
I finally got up the nerve to ask Mike and although he isn't completely sold on the new rug yet, he relented that I could buy a new one. (Disclaimer - I technically don't need his permission to buy purchases, he's not a crazy dictator or anything, but as this is just as much his house as it is mine, although technically it could be argued it's more Benelli's than either of ours, I like to have his support when I make big purchases or change a room dramatically.)
So, last night a pulled the cord and bought it. I've listed the old one on Craigslist, but we'll see if we get any bites. Even with all the excitement and focus on wedding projects I can still get excited about finally moving this living room in the right direction.
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