Jute Living Room Rug

If you've been reading my blog for a while you may have heard me lament my front room's awkward layout before. It tends to feel like a big square hallway dominated by multiple doorways and a piano, which makes it hard to use large furniture pieces without interrupting the multiple flows of traffic.

My challenge was to make the front room feel more like a room, especially one that people would like to spend time in. The first idea I had was to get a big rug to help anchor the space, so I started speaking with the people over at Rugs USA and they were kind enough to send me a rug of my choice!

I picked this 9' x 12' jute rug with a beige border. I love the classic, casual look of natural fiber area rugs, and I knew I wanted a neutral border that would blend in.

I feel like the rug plays a huge role in making my front room feel like one cohesive space instead of a collection of small furniture groupings in opposite corners of the room. There's still plenty of space for the heavy traffic patterns the front room sees, without it feeling thrown together or disjointed.

As for this specific rug, here's the lowdown now that I've been living with it for a couple months:

The Good:

• I love the color and the texture that the natural fibers bring to the space!
• Did I mention that it's a great size? Big rugs can make a room.
• The jute doesn't shed -- I love this. Our last jute rug was a nightmare.
• No lasting smell! This is another complaint I've seen for natural rugs. When I opened it, I could smell a rubbery-smell that most likely came from the backing, but it was gone in a day or two.
• It's surprisingly soft -- not plush, but pleasant enough for bare feet or lying down to play a game with kids.

The Bad:

• The fibers catch all manners of pet hair -- easily vacuumed, but it definitely doesn't hide anything.
• The rug stains with water -- a characteristic of a lot of jute rugs, from my understanding. There are products out there to clean spills, but I won't lie: I had water spots on it within a week of having it in my house... such is the life with kids and pets.

The verdict:

• I was worried at the beginning with the water spots, but the longer the rug has lived in my house (and the more regular dirt/wear and tear it's accumulated), the less noticeable the spots are.  It's developed a sort of rug patina. Ha!
• I really, really like it. A rug like this is probably not for you if you have lots of kids and pets and a high traffic house (all of which apply to me) and you lose your mind when your house looks like people actually live in it (not me). It works great for us!

Do you have natural fiber rugs in your house? Do you love them? Hate them? Have tips for getting stains up? Lay it on me!

P.S. Rugs USA always has great sales on their rugs -- I've seen discount codes for up to 70% off before. It's a great website to bookmark!

P.P.S. If you're thinking more about a natural area rug, Lauren Liess at Pure Style Home wrote a great post about the differences between materials, their upkeep, etc. It's a great place to start!

P.P.S. Go check out the front room reveal if you want more pictures!

P.P.P.S. I'm done now.

P.P.P.P.S. Promise.