When my daughter turns 30 and is allowed to begin dating, I’ll tell her to marry a man just like her daddy, except she needs to test his feet. She needs to make the man she loves walk on a jute rug and see if he can do it without crying.
It’s just that I didn’t know Andy had tender, delicate princess feet until this post, when I finally bought my long-awaited jute rug for the living room and his feet responded with outrage, confusion and tears. They could not tolerate the knobby, natural texture that I happened to love.
Fortunately everything else about Andy makes up for this foot flaw, but his feet have played a very large role in our living room design so far. I feel like they need their own twitter account or something. Except no one would follow because all the tweets would be whiny and self-absorbed.
We’ve been living with this paisley rug in the living room for way too long. It’s nice and cushy and soft, but it just doesn’t fit with anything else that’s going on in the room, and it’s too small. (This is an old, old pic, but you get the idea.)
I wanted a neutral, natural rug with a lot of texture so I could change out the decor according to my whims, and one that was large enough for the sofas to sit completely on the rug. When the jute rug got vetoed by The Feet, I went back to the drawing board.
Turns out it’s pretty near impossible to find a natural rug that soft enough for what Andy’s tootsies require, and large enough for the room. I read every single review on every single jute rug that is being manufactured in the world today. I thought maybe if I could find a rug that’s a jute-chenille or jute-boucle combo, I might be able to sneak it past his feet, so I turned my attention to combo rugs.
We went to West Elm and let Andy’s feet interact with West Elm’s jute-chenille herringbone rug:
The Feet agreed they could mildly tolerate it, but did not love it. “That’s enough for me!!”, I cried joyously!
But West Elm only makes their rugs in a 9×12 size, and I was hoping for something large enough to fit both sofas. This is our current situation:
But I wanted something bigger that furniture could sit on, like this:
The way I see it with rug sizes, you have three options:
- All the furniture all the way on the rug (ideal)
- All the furniture all the way off the rug (what we had already)
- The front feet of the furniture on the rug
This is just my personal opinion, but I prefer when furniture is all the way on the rug. I just didn’t love the idea of the front feet of the furniture hanging onto the rug for dear life while the back of it falls off a cliff. But an 11×13 size rug that looked like what I want just didn’t exist, and I saw some beautiful rooms with the half-off-half-on look that convinced me I can go with it.
So after months of scouring the web for a HUGE rug that didn’t exist (in my price range), I turned my attention to finding a 9×12 rug that would be soft enough. The West Elm rug was a strong contender, but then I found this one from Home Decorators that looks similar, but is 6 inches wider and a foot longer, for about $200 cheaper. ($599 at West Elm vs. $399 on sale at Home Decorators.) I crossed my fingers and hoped it wasn’t more rough than the one at West Elm and placed my order.
It’s heee-re!
The larger size makes our living room feel MUCH bigger!
It arrived with a bit of a stench. It’s had a couple days to air out now and the smell is almost gone, but all the gorgeous neutral texture remains and I am SO in love with it.
It makes a perfect neutral layer for me to layer other rugs on top of now, too, and it keeps the couch from sliding all over the floor.
But what you really want to know is, how are Andy’s feet coping? He LOVES it!! It is his new favorite thing in the whole world!**
**He said he think it’s still a little rough but we can keep it, so I’m not prying.
My normal human feet think it’s as soft as a natural rug could possibly be, and it’ll feel even better when we get a cushy rug pad underneath it. (We ordered this one and it should arrive today.)
You know I can’t get rid of my white sofas til the kids are gone (here’s why you need a white sofa with kids!) — but I am hoping to figure out a replacement for the ottoman soon. It’s half-dead and needs to be tossed. The pleather is peeling and that blanket I threw over it for pics is absolutely necessary.
But in the meantime? I’m pleased to say that The Feet and I have found common rug — er, ground. We’re living peaceably: Andy, his feet and me.
Has anyone else found a nice soft neutral rug option? Do you think 30 is too soon for Mila to date?
Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
are those andy’s feet in the last image with the pink polish- tell him they look gorgeous! as does the rug!
Haha! No, those are my Normal Feet. Which have the appropriate level of sensitivity and feelings.
I’d love to follow his feet’s twitter account 😉
The rug looks amazing in your living room.
Me too!
Ouch! The jute is sooo sticker-y. But, it takes a man to have a tweeter account specifically for his… toenail polished feet.
!!
Looks amazing! So glad you finally found something that worked. I can now appreciate my hubs’ non-sensitive feet that much more after hearing your plight. 🙂
I can’t believe how much bigger the room looks. I didn’t really think a rug could do that.
Andy may be onto something with rug textures, just sayin. LOL
Love it!
Oh Kelly! I spit my coffee out reading this! Love how you write humor. I feel for Andy’s feet, I too suffer the same affliction. Jealous of all you “normal footed” people walking around on gravel, concrete…and jute rugs 😉 xo
Bravo! Love the rug. Poor Andy, I feel his pain. I loathe feet in general and hate mine being exposed (unless I’m near water or really soft grass) and if you touch a foot I will behead you with the other one – this applies to cute puppies, babies and senior citizens too. Nobody gets a pass! Maybe he needs some of those nice colorful chenille socks.
I’m mostly interested in how your other untouched foot does the beheading. Is it weird that I got fixated on that mental picture? Hilarious. I bet many a puppy has lost his life at the wrath of your feet!
Seriously. I laughed so hard reading this, I nearly spit my coffee at my iPad. So. Funny! And I LOVE the rug!! It looks so good! I kind of want one for us now. 🙂
That was awesome 🙂 you actually made me “lol”.
And the rug is gorgeous. Your living room is so fresh and serene. Looks like a great place for a nap or entertaining guests or napping with guests :p
Ooh is there a such thing as guests that let you nap with them?! Sounds like my kinda people! 🙂
Love, love, love the rug! And it amazing what it does for your room. I’m wild about jute rugs too and my 3 cats go nuts because they are so much fun to scratch but they are indestructible. Andy’s feet would totally rebel after one step on my current 30-year-old textured carpet. It is miserably scratchy, who knows what it’s harboring after 30 years (it has little speckles and when the cats get very interested in a particular spot, I’m never sure if it’s a speckle or a live critter that found it’s way in from the patio, and it’s so tight, my poor vacuum thinks it’s on the tile and only picks up surface stuff. Eager to change out the silly “tile in all the right places”/carpet mix in my Arizona dry and dusty desert home and go all tile (sophisticated look) in the open areas and bathrooms. Hardwoods, though loved, are too much for too many reasons for this part of the country. With new floors, I can go on the search for a beauty like yours. Well done!
I need your living room in my house! Jute rug and all! How about…I take your living room and you take my 1 1/2 yr old and almost 5 year old? Because your living room and my kids might have some disputes…and I have a feeling the kids would win…
Haha! Well mine are 2 and 4, and they are always battling with the room. So far the washable slipcover weapon works every time! (But we’ll see who wins the war!)
Love the rug! I just saw that your closet is being featured over at iheartorganizing today! That’s exciting 🙂 I’m really happy that you’re getting more traffic on your blog. Your hard work and awesome personality is taking you places! (That made me sound like Humphrey Boogart or something, but it’s still true)
Considering my recent post about rug issues, and needing size 8×10 for my dining room, and the fact that I have a bit of tender feet and love the paisley, I think you should send it to me.
You’ll have to fight the craigslist people who are alternately hounding me to come see it and then not showing.
I have natural and un-natural rugs but, it does not matter because my feet demand shoes if load-bearing is required. Do not ask me to explain this. My feet were alarmed & confused that Andy’s feet actually interact with flooring. Somehow, this reminds me of childbirth. “Are you going ‘natural’?” “Of course, I’m getting an epidural because I naturally avoid pain….” Perhaps Andy’s tender, delicate princess feet, get that 😉
Wow, I feel like I’m talking to someone from a different culture. I’m fascinated by your life right now! 🙂 The FIRST thing I do the second it becomes remotely socially acceptable is take off my shoes. I can’t believe you go through life with a barrier between your feet and the world! haha!
Maybe it’s our dirt floors–haha!
So glad you found a rug that works, for you and Andy’s princess feet! 😉 It looks great!
I love the new rug, Kelly! I don’t think I would have picked it out from the HD website, but it looks so pretty in real life. Pinning it for the grand day when we replace our carpet with hardwood and go rug shopping. 🙂
Just discovered your lovely blog via iHeartOrganizing. I’ve had this same rug in my dining room for a little over a year – and it gets even softer and better with time! I love it!
I LOVE your new rug!!! I am in the process of redoing our living room and can’t find a suitable rug so I may have to steal your idea 🙂 We actually have the came couches as you too! Love your blog!
That’s hilarious! Love the rug you chose and the price sounds great! We have one in our dining room that is surprisingly comfy, as far as natural fiber rugs go. You just can’t beat their texture and versatility!
You are so funny. I’m sitting here at work cracking up.
So glad to hear that Andy’s feet at happy, and maybe 35 is more appropriate? 😉
lol i love andy’s feet twitter. i would follow it what the heck!
also, please let me know how you like the pad you bought,I’m on the loookout for one with enough padding to tolerate sitting on the floor when we have kids, or playing with the dog type stuff. thanks!
Have you written that comedic novel yet? It sounds like Andy’s feet could definitely play a supporting character :o)
I think Andy’s feet currently have a movie in the works.
Hahahaha! Andy’s feet on twitter is the best! 🙂 Love the new rug! It’s CRAZY how similar our stories are! We bought the West Elm Jute Boucle rug and we loved it, but the kids hated it. So, we took it back. I have never been so sad returning something! We replaced it with the Pottery Barn bordered jute/chenille rug in honey. It has the same herringbone pattern your new one does! There’s a glimpse of it in some of my recent posts, but I haven’t officially blogged it yet (soon, though!) Anyway, thought it was funny that we liked the same chunky rugs and ended on such similar rugs!
The rug looks fantastic in the room! And so glad the princess feet approved.
LOVE IT! I have been looking for something similar for my own home – what a great buy and it looks so cosy and warm in your home. It does make the room look bigger and adds such a great element of texture x
Love the rug, and love the way you cater to Andy’s feet. I love walking barefoot, but since I’m diabetic I’m not SUPPOSED to be walking barefoot (shhhh, don’t tell anyone). At least I wear shoes outside (mostly). Looking forward to the movie (Adventures of Andy’s Feet).
And 30 is definitely too young to begin dating.
Love the rug, but even more I think you are a genius for throwing a blanket over your dying pleather ottoman! We have a very similar ottoman at a very similar lifestage desperately crying for something to cover it up until it can be put out of its misery!
I am not one to LOL, but Andy’s feet’s twitter really got me. Nice. As is the new rug–love it! I would never be able to get rid of a paisley rug around here, because Dave LOVES paisley something fierce. It’s kind of weird. Please don’t send me your old paisley rug, because I’d have to keep it forever 😉
The internet ate my long response. So new rug, yay!
I am dying here about Andy’s feet and the twitter feed. DYING. Love the rug too. I’ve been searching for a large rug for our family room and have also had the same question about how big it should be and the whole legs hanging off the edge thing, and especially because we have carpet in there already so do I layer or not layer? All these decisions that I force upon myself…and that’s why I probably won’t get a rug for another 5 years. hahaha
I think this rug is perfect and I definitely agree with your choice on size!
Awesome new rug! We have the home decorators jute rug in our living room (all furniture fits on it 100%) and my husband’s princess feet also hate it. But it’s still there so I guess I’m a horrible wife. THAT said, our ottoman was TIRED. We actually had TWO ottomans squished together to make MEGAOTTOMAN. When we redecorated the living room, I had a custom slipcover made by etsy shop owner aqtpursecover that was large enough to cover both ottomans. This created a faux-giant ottoman AND a faux-NEW ottoman. I like that I can wash this ottoman cover and order a new cover I get tired of it. So it is possible that you could slip cover your existing ottoman as an interim solution. Or as a permanent solution if you’re me.
OH Andy’s feet do need their own twitter!! We both love jute over here, but can’t have it. Our dogs think it’s grass so yeah…
You are funny and I am jealous 🙂
I love reading your posts they make me smile and laugh loud and make my husband ask, “what are you reading?”
I love that. The end.
PS My vote is for 32.
“had a nightmare about sisal rugs. hold me.” i was rolling.
whatever kind of princess feet andy may have, the new rug ended up being even more amazing imo than the original jute. i love the new texture and the size. and even the subtle two-tone thing.
Love the rug, love the blog (still, again, always)! One DIY-er to another, take off the legs of your ottoman, wrap it in batting, cover it with a couple of yards of interior fabric via staple gun (my favorite tool), put the legs back on and Voila! I did this for a friend, the one who introduced me to reading your blog. It turned out adorably cute and now has coordinating throw covers for her couch pillows. Super cheap because let’s face it re-purposing is so much better than repurchasing. Keep the adorable projects coming!
My feet could be friends with Andy’s feet. I can handle wool, but jute and sisal are the opposite of soft.
His feet will follow yours on twitter.
I also think all the furniture all the way on the rug is the best option and you did the perfect choice. I think the new one fits the interior of the room best and it look great now.
Now there is a beautiful rug. Happy feet – happy family. I am sure that’s a saying…
LOVE the new rug and more than anything, I just love reading your posts! You have the most amazing way of turning a new rug post into something hilarious that I want to read again and again 🙂
Love it! The new rug fits your living room perfectly. And that is super good news that your husband’s feet are good with it too. Well done 🙂
You are hilarious. The rug looks so great! Love that you found a soft natural rug, for a deal no less!
HILAR. Also, I love it.
I just found your blog and I’m so glad I did. Now I can commiserate with someone about MY husband’s absurdly sensitive feet. Sisal, jute, whatever, it’s banned from our house. Oh yeah, my mother gave me a runner and he banned it to the back porch. I’m still looking for a new rug… Also, slipcover the ottoman?
30, not too soon. Love the rug. Twitter handle AndysFeet? Absolutely hilarious! I love you rug though. Our living room rug is too small too and I’ve been shopping around but I’m still in sticker shock. I’m a dirt cheap girl myself (that’s for prices now 😉 I also love your bamboo blinds you have up too!
The rug is gorgeous and it’s just what I’ve been looking for! Does it handle a vacuum pretty well? Or does the vacuum cause it to pull and unravel? Thanks!
Your so funny! Love the rug! I love the look of jute too, but like something more soft, so we have a big fluffy rug! (I’m sure that’s the true name for it 🙂
Rick has princess skin. Claims just about every sheet set I bring home is scraping away at his delicate epidermis. We just had a conversation reminiscent of Andy’s feet twitter last night at like midnight. Sigh.
The new rug looks great! 🙂
All I have to say is that I would definitely follow his feet on Twitter. Twitter is all about self deprecation and whining.
Love the rug…so much so that I ordered one for our master bedroom! Wondering how you like the rug pad you purchased? Been looking for one locally, but can’t see to find anything other than just the gripper type.
I really like it! It’s perfectly grippy but also cushioned. I’d totally buy it again.
Is the rug you have lighter in color & tone than the one from WE? The WE rug seems to have a yellow/gold tone to it. Thanks
I think they’re pretty similar in color, but that’s going based on my memory of what it was like from just a few minutes in the WE store.
Hi Kelly! Thanks so much for this post, it was hilarious and very helpful. I’ve been searching for a jute rug for a while to go under my dinning table but thanks to The Feet (and you of course), I think I have found an even better option.
Thanks again 🙂
Beautiful rug! We have a jute rug but in our livingroom as well however, we are selling it because it sheds terribly. I have looked at and even bought other rugs to replace it but nothing quite looks right. Jute definitely suits our space the best. Does this rug shed?
We have had almost no shedding! So far so good!
Music to my ears!
Hi Kelly,
I, too, LOVE the look of this rug! I’m on the fence about ordering it for our family room. We’re in this room everyday, so lots of foot traffic. We also have a crazy Golden Retriever so I would be vacuuming it around twice a week. Any update on how the rug has held up for you?
It’s holding up really well. It has some natural imperfections, like all natural rugs do, but I don’t think it looks any worse now than it did when we bought it. Good luck!
Truly lovely, Thanks so much for taking the time to post. I look forward to seeing it at some point!
how is the rug holding up? A lot of the reviews state in unraveled. I feel like your blog came directly out of my mind. lol.
I haven’t noticed any unraveling. It has some spots that kind of stick up, but I think they were there in the beginning. They don’t bother me.
Hi Kelly,
I love the look of this rug and recently purchased it. However, I have had it in my house for 5 days and the whole house smells like the rug, kind of a musty wet hay smell. Did you have any issues with the rug smelling bad when you first purchased it? I’m just wondering if I got a bad rug or if this is the nature of rugs with jute in them.
I love this rug but can’t find it on Home Decorators, and the link you posted does not bring up an item. Do you have the exact name or item number and color? It’s a great rug!
Hi! How is the rug holding up?
I’m looking at the same two rugs from Home Decorators and West Elm. The pic on HD’s website doesn’t show a border (a small detail that I really love), but based on your picture, it looks like there is one. I’m finding it to be a tough choice because the West Elm rug looks less knotty if that’s possible (or maybe just editing). 🙂
TOO funny!!! Sounds like my hubs feet 🙂 We have the lookalike jute/chenille herringbone rug from West Elm.. wish I had known about this one, that is a lot cheaper!!! It looks identical to ours.
I have had our rug since last August and I’m disappointed with the way it is wearing – it doesn’t shed which is great, but ours just looks dirty! 🙁 I think I should vacuum more, we have a big dog and aren’t good about keeping shoes off of the rug. But the white/cream chenille part for us has turned pretty grey and dingy. Sadness. When we move I will probably get it professionally cleaned and relegate this to a bedroom.
I bought the west elm version on sale for a deep discount last Aug. Initially I was very happy with its appearance. But between two small kids and two dogs, it looks very dirty and dingy despite vacuuming often. After my dog vommitted on it and I could not get the stench out, I cleaned it with a carpet shampooer. Now it has this weird smell from being wet, even though its been dry for a couple weeks (it does look better though!). I am ready to pitch this rug, but cannot afford to by another huge rug. Any suggestions? I have it hung over the side of my deck, airing it out, as I type this.