February 09, 2005
Under My Feet.
Rug shopping is such a trial. They are so freaking expensive, and I can never ever find exactly what I want. Most rugs are too loud/busy (and if not, they'll show every little crumb), a lot of them are poorly made, many are too rough. I could go on.
When/If I actually do stumble upon a decent area rug, it's usually priced in the four digits. What's up with that?
So many designers settle on a standard, classic, timeless oriental rug, and I guess I can understand why. They're virtually indestructable, they're comfortable, they can be cleaned fairly easily, and they look luxurious and rich.
But simple and contemporary, they are not. I just don't like how they look. Picky, picky. Not to mention the expense. So, so pricey.
I've gotten around this in several ways over the years:
- Remnants (some professionally edged, some frayed and unraveling)
- Wal-Mart (shudder)
- shady suburban strip mall rug liquidators (double shudder)
- Urban Outfitters sales (sage faux chenille for $25! 5'x8'!)
- warehouse wholesalers (places like Costco and Sam's Club occasionally have some nice stuff, decently priced, seriously)
- and then there was the roommate who was fond of straw mats from Chinatown (they weren't that bad looking, but totally horrible to clean)
But! One need not resort to these tactics any longer!
After hearing about them for months and months, I finally comprehend the wonder that is: FLOR.
Inexpensive! Durable! Washable! Eco-Friendly! And! So! Freaking! Stylish! I! Might! Faint!
Tiles are about 21 inches, and are priced from $9-$14 apiece. Available in tons of colors and textures, tiles come with special removable-yet-hardy adhesive. FLOR can be purchased online or in person at Design Within Reach (not a misnomer, for once!). The website has tons of photos and interactive features so you can customize your own FLORplan. Ha.
My favorite style (and incidentally the least expensive, for once) is "Housepet." I can customize it to coordinate with my room & fit my narrow living room, and for about 5'x6.5' feet worth of fancy mix & match action, the total cost is about $108. $108 for a fancy rug!
Sold!
Posted by Lara at 03:48 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack