I’ve been dreaming about a new rug for our living room ever since we had our milk bottle incident with my eldest daughter. Funnily enough, my Ikea Gaser rug post is the most read post in the history of my blog which I do find quite interesting. I guess there are a lot of people out there that can relate to our little accident. Decorating with children in mind can be hard – should I go for my dream rug or choose something more practical? These questions have been on my mind when I’ve been looking for our new rug and it hasn’t been an easy task to be honest.
Berber style rugs have been on my radar for a while now. I just love the pattern and feel that they are the perfect complement to any modern or contemporary space. First I wasn’t totally sure if a Berber style rug would suit my style. At one point I was going for quite an elegant and formal look in our living room and everything had to match. Now I’m all about mismatching. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s important that the furniture and the accessories work together to create a cohesive look but it’s actually visually more interesting if everything doesn’t match.
I’ve been keeping an eye out for the La Redoute Afaw shaggy rug for a while now but every time it just suddenly sold out and well I guess I felt it wasn’t meant to be. About a month ago I noticed the rug was back in stock (I literally kept checking the website every few weeks) and I thought I can’t miss out on this opportunity again. Especially since I really wanted to get rid of our old rug that was too small and dark for my liking. So I finally ordered the rug online (and received 15% off which was nice) and I’m so pleased that I did because it has sold out again in white. You can still buy it in black in sizes small and large however. Would you believe this rug is so famous that it has its own Instagram account?! La Redoute also have some seriously gorgeous Berber style real wool rugs that are worth checking out. They look a bit too beige for my taste but it all depends on what you’re after.
When the rug finally arrived, I knew I had made the right decision. I just love it. It feels amazingly soft and I love the pattern, although initially I thought I would have preferred a more consistent pattern. The rug looks exactly like on the website, if not better.
This time I went for the largest size available (200 x 290 cm). Our living room is a decent size and I didn’t want to repeat the mistake I made with my Ikea rug. From day one I knew it was too small and it never really looked right. A lot of people think that a large rug will make the room appear smaller but it’s actually the opposite, especially if you go for a light colour. Our new rug really sets the room and I wanted to make sure that I could place the furniture (especially the feet of our sofa) on the rug. A rug can totally make or break a room so it’s really important to get the colour and the size right. And for once I think I have actually nailed both. I think this rug looks amazing with dark grey furniture and silver accessories but the truth is it’s so versatile, you could style it in hundred different ways if you wanted to.
You cannot really go wrong with this rug in my opinion. If you’re still on the fence, I’ve listed some pros and cons that will hopefully help you in your decision making process.
Pros
- Affordable
- Comes in 3 different sizes and colours
- Looks good
- Doesn’t shed
- Easy to clean (hoover and remove stains from)
- Feels soft and fluffy
Cons
- Material does not look like ‘real’ wool
- Funny smell for the first few days
- Pattern could be more consistent (but this depends on your taste)
As you can see there were more pros than cons which is why I decided to keep the rug. I had some trouble deciding between this rug and the West Elm Souk rug rug (which would have been 4 times the price!) and I was actually having second thoughts when I walked into our living room only to find a half eaten banana smushed against the rug. This was the work of our 16 month old but luckily it came off beautifully with a cloth, some hot water and few drops of fairy liquid. My children are allowed to have snacks in the living room, although milk on the rug is still not allowed for obvious reasons. I just love that I don’t have to stress about this rug and that the girls can feel relaxed and comfortable in the living room (and not worry about messing up mummy’s new rug).
Although I doubt this is our forever rug, I do think it is perfect for us at the moment considering our life style (ie. the fact that we have young children). Also, the La Redoute Afaw rug is simply gorgeous and let’s not forget it is, without the doubt, the best value Berber style rug that I have seen out there.
Would you get your dream rug now or stick to a more sensible option until your children get a bit older?
