When a friend or client asks me about area rugs, usually the first words out of my mouth are "seagrass" or "sisal". Now, I am far from the "neutral" or "beige" school of decorating, but even my own home is filled with seagrass rugs.
First of all, they are affordable. I'd sooner spend a few hundred on a natural seagrass rug than try to find an inexpensive poly or olefin wannabe Oriental rug. They also help bridge styles (see "Juxtaposition" below). Say you inherited (or purchased secondhand) some more formal wood pieces but your style is a bit more casual; or, in the case of some clients I had, did the whole chintz/English garden living room but now want to break up the formality somewhat. Introducing a natural texture like sisal or seagrass is a simple, inexpensive way for your room to say "don't be afraid, come on in, I'm not as serious as I look." Now, I happen to love the way seagrass feels underfoot, but, if you find it too scratchy or have a baby that crawls around, there are some options using wool/sisal blends, and yes, even poly sisal which can be hosed down or even used on a porch or deck.
I have found great prices on sisal rugs at Overstock.com, Homedecoratorsoutlet.com, Restorationhardware.com and at Ikea.
love your blog, suzanne!
ReplyDeletea couple of thoughts about sisal. i had them in every room, but to me, not too practical with pets. they stain and are hard to clean. but i still have them because they're beautiful and neutral without being boring. another good source for sisal, seagrass and bamboo rugs (which i also have) is naturalarearugs.com.
Hi Leighan!
ReplyDeleteYes, pets can pose problems with any rug, and the flat weave of sisal makes certain stains very obvious. I find my seagrass does hide a multitude of sins, but some of the wool-sisal blends are much easier to spot clean. We had a wool-sisal in a slightly darker color that hid everything and could be successfully cleaned. If pet stains are a major concern, I would look into some of the indoor-outdoor faux sisals that can be scrubbed and hosed off. We have purchased several of these over the years and they are a good compromise if you want the look of sisal AND washability.