A few weeks ago, my husband and I had what I like to refer to as "RugGate 2013." I was convinced that we needed a rug under our dining room table, and he thought this was the worst idea ever; given that we have two young kids. My thoughts were, 1) our living room and dining room are one and the same, therefore we need two different rugs to clearly define the two spaces, 2) the wood table, with the wood chairs, with the hardwood, was way WAY to much wood, and 3) I couldn't think of a better way to add color and texture to such a small space. My husband of course had one, and only one argument... we have two small children. In the end, I traded two fabric ottomans that I had recently ordered (which he hated) for the rug, and agreed to put a small piece of a white sheet under Gray's area. To seal the deal I bought a bottle of Resolve carpet cleaner. Yesterday the rug came, and it is/was everything I thought it would be and more. My husband, who of course initially was against the idea, not only helped place the rug, but also didn't make a peep once it was down, meaning he liked it as much as I did. Sure, we can't keep it perfectly clean, but I am more than willing to trade a few minutes of my day cleaning the rug, for the ridiculous difference it makes in our entire living space.
Behold, the winner of RugGate 2013.
Here is the before.
I mean... is it even a question how much better the room looks with the rug? I was joking that this home will always be known by two different time periods, Pre-Rug and Post-Rug. Everything Pre-Rug was dark and sad, and everything Post-Rug is happy and bright.
Best decision ever.
What do you all think? Especially those with kids (or adults who are messy eaters.) Would you have a rug under the kitchen table? Do you have one? Here are a few of the pictures that convinced me that it was a definite DO!
Oh, and this morning I bought this... just in case.
P.S. The rug is a Souk from John Robshaw.
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11 comments :
I love the rug. It looks great and makes a huge difference!
That said, I have two kids (4 and 2) and a rug under my kitchen table and it is filthy! Ours is indoor/outdoor, so supposedly easy to clean, and you can take it outside during the warm months to hose it down, but sometime around December I gave up for the winter and will be doing that this weekend. It is looking rough (to me, not so much to everyone else).
What an fantastic idea..it's appreciating work..keep it up....
Best of luck to you. It's a beautiful rug, I just hope you're not too emotionally attached! :)
We used to have a gorgeous wool rug under our dining table and it was sufficiently trashed after two years. I spent more time on my hands and knees cleaning the thing and it still ended up ruined. I've temporarily given up hope for a nice dining room. For now we have bare hard wood and a cheapo table and chairs set that has been handed down through the family.
You didn't mention if that is your main eating table or if it is a formal dining room but you eat in the kitchen.
I would never have a rug under my kids, not even now, when they are 15 and 13. They are slobs with food. Also guest kids are slobs, often.
We have always had an eat-in-kitchen and one house had the same connected dining room to living room (main living room) but that was a formal dining room table we only used on major holidays.
Placing a rug is really a risky decision, especially with kids in the house. I can only imagine how hard it is to clean. But seeing the result, it's worth the risk. And I have to agree with you – the rug looks great under your table. It definitely sets up the mood a dining room must have. Besides, there are lots of cleaning services out there to help us clean our rug if we can't do it ourselves. _Shawn @ EnviroSpec.org
That looks perfect, its also functional. If you have hard wood floors you don't want them to get starched by the chairs. Equally so if you have carpet this will prevent spills. I need some dining room furniture in Vermont like this. Great post.
Definitely! The rug helped in making the overall look of the place better. It somehow complements all your furniture and radiates this feel-good aura. No doubt, you made a right choice in going for it. Just make sure you clean regularly to maintain its good looks. Thanks!
David Floyd @ Oriental Rug Cleaning Studio
Wow. The rug is to die for! It's a good thing you had your way. Teehee. Of course with two little kids, getting dirt on the carpet is unavoidable, but hey at least your dining area looks gorgeous. You mentioned buying a carpet cleaner, how was it? Does it make cleaning the rug easier?
Ollie Munoz @ DallasRugCleaner.com
This is one brave decision from you to make! Kids, dining rooms and rugs just don't mix, so you should really have time to clean the mess up everyday. Though when they are many guests in your home, or if the rug has seen its share of abuse, it may be time for some general cleaning to make it look the same as it was the day you bought it.
Jackelyn Lippard @ Cristomar.com
I always thought that rugs under a dining table are one of those silly British things (I'm an Italian in UK) I would have never ever done myself, but now guess what.... I want one! And why? Because I have kids! :-) And a brand new oiled wooden floor that is becoming to get stained by the inevitable mess they make. I say to myself that a rug can be cleaned, washed (I'm looking for something I could stick the bathtub if not in the washing machine), changed, but the floor boards would require a lot more work... and money. Therefore I say yes to a rug under a dining table (needless to say, my husband says no, for the exact same reasons of yours!) :-)
I think that the dinning room loo better with a rug. It's more cozy that way. Yes, it's not easy to keep it clean when you have children, but they don't make a mess every two minutes, so it's not that big of a problem for me.
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