SCS Home: Choosing a Rug

Once I returned from vacation last week, I dove back into home decor mode. I’ve made some progress since I moved into my own apartment (as far as finding or creating a place for all of my stuff), but now it’s time to add the touches that will really make this place feel like a home. My plan is to resurrect this SCS Home series that I started last year and share my process as I decorate.

I made a lot of fun home purchases this week, including several art prints that I’m going to use to create a gallery wall in the living room (more on that later). I also have a list of decor changes that I’d like to make and getting a new rug was towards the top of that list. I still like the pattern of my current rug, but it has a dark blue base with white lines. This is a problem because 1) I want to keep the space light and bright and 2) my cat is white/gray and sheds a ton.

Even though I knew I wanted to go for a lighter color, I was worried about picking a white or cream rug. Would it be really difficult to protect it from stains and spills? Would it be harder to clean? Would it be crazy to have a light rug since I have a pet?

After much hemming and hawing and some research, I decided to take the plunge. I know I’ll like the look of a lighter rug so much more and I’m willing to put in the work when it comes to cleaning. Plus, I decided to go for the extended warranty that covers spills and pet accidents. It could be a mistake, but I wanted to give it a try and see how it goes!

Once I settled on the general color scheme, there were still so many options to choose from. I wanted something with a large-scale pattern, and nothing too fussy or stodgy. I’ve shown a few options above that I considered and I’ll talk you through my thoughts on each one.

01. Emory Indoor/Outdoor Rug At first I thought I should go for a really plain pattern, something very neutral and safe. Then I realized that I didn’t even like this rug at all, so it was easy to strike it off the list.

02. Moroccan Trellis Rug I loved how there’s definitely a pattern, but it’s subtle. I also liked the fact that this rug is cream, which has a softer feel than a stark white.

03. Mercer Area Rug By now, I bet you’re thinking that all of these rugs look the same! But the lines on this rug are more defined and more clearly in the beige color family. I liked this option, but didn’t like the beige/tan lines as much as some of my other choices.

04. Torrance Indoor Area Rug I also considered getting a gray rug, but my sofa is light gray and I felt like that would be too matchy matchy. Also, while I liked this pattern, it didn’t feel super fresh to me.

05. Kenya Fleece Accent Rug This was another one of my favorites. I liked the darker gray lines, which I thought would tie in nicely with my gray couch and grayish furniture. The price was also fantastic because Target had a rug sale earlier in the week. I almost pulled the trigger, but then I read all of the reviews. Multiple people mentioned that some chemicals in the rug stripped the finish off their wood floor. Like I mentioned, I love my wood floors and I’m renting, so I just couldn’t risk anything that could possibly wreck the apartment. Goodbye pretty rug!

06. Trellis Moroccan Area Rug This is another good option, and since the lines are black, it’s a more graphic version of the pattern that I kept gravitating toward. I also felt like the pattern wasn’t quite right though (to me, the lines are spaced too far apart).

So based on all that, can you guess which one I chose? Oh, and I forgot to mention all my internal debates about size! A rug that’s too small just looks off, but I also didn’t want a rug that’s too big because I have beautiful hardwood floors and I didn’t want to cover them up entirely. In the end, I went with 5′ x 8′, which I’m hoping will be the perfect size. My new rug is scheduled to arrive next week and I’m so excited to see it in person (it looks so plush in the pictures). Here’s hoping my risk pays off and that the new rug works in the space!

Which option is your favorite?