Our new living room rug has officially earned the title of comfort champion. It’s plush, surprisingly luxurious, and has turned our living room into a place where everyone wants to kick off their shoes. Before I dive into photos and details, I just want to say thank you: the support, humor, and kindness you share with us—on today’s announcement and every day—mean the world. You make this process fun and inspiring, so consider this a big virtual kiss of gratitude.
Now, back to the rug (and yes, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, so green feels even more right).
When it arrived we vacuumed it right away and again the next day to catch any loose fibers that might have come loose during shipping. So far so good—no trail of green fuzz through the house and no pulled tufts from the vacuum. Relief!
At 8 x 11 feet, this rug finally fits our oversized 25 x 15 foot living room. Our old 5 x 8 rug now lives in the guest room, and the difference is dramatic: the new size brings better scale and anchors the furniture much more effectively. Once we build the long console table for the back of the sofa and slide the couch forward about a foot so it sits more on the rug, the proportions will be even more balanced. In other words, less rug will show around the edges, but the room will feel more intentional.
We’re planning more updates—an expanded media cabinet, curtains, and additional artwork—so the space will continue to evolve. Right now it reads a bit like a big gray box with a fuzzy green rectangle on the floor, but that foundation is exactly what we wanted. I like to think of the rug as a planted, grassy base to layer color, texture, and personality on top of over time.
That green color has been a revelation. Paired with our gray sectional, pewter paint, and dark ceiling beams, it instantly warms the room and makes the space feel cheerful rather than chilly. This isn’t a traditional Persian or neutral rug, and that’s the point: we’ve been giving ourselves permission to make bolder choices. A house doesn’t need to please everyone—when something genuinely speaks to you, it’s worth trying. The result is a home that feels more personal and less like a showhouse.
We loved the calm, serene vibe of our first house, but here we smile bigger. This house is playful and more relaxed, and a lot of that shift has come from embracing color and texture—something our daughter Clara has inspired in subtle ways. Mixing pops of color with neutral backdrops like gray walls, white furnishings, or a jute rug keeps things lively without overwhelming the eye.
To create flow from room to room, we’re even imagining adding eight green parson’s chairs around our giant wooden dining table to echo the rug’s hue. That “neutral + color” approach helps rooms feel connected while letting each area retain its own character. We’ll find the right chairs eventually.
As for maintenance, a friend with three kids and a large dog has a similar shag rug and swears it holds up: crumbs tend to come out with a vacuum, and if a spot appears the long fibers can be gently trimmed or “lifted” to minimize damage. We haven’t had a disaster yet, so we’ll keep testing and share a follow-up if anything changes.
You might notice a few new pillows on the sofa. We picked up two ruffled purple pillows at HomeGoods for a steal, and we experimented with green pillows from the bedroom to see how they work with the rug (they skew a touch yellow, but not badly). I also draped three Sue The Napkins over existing cushions to preview what sewn pillow covers might look like; I’m eager to sew some real ones in time. The pillow mix will evolve—teals or blues could show up, or we might stick with green variations depending on what feels best.
About those purple ruffle pillows: John surprised me by not vetoing them. He’s generally not on the ruffle train, but he’s come around to the idea of spicing things up with deeper colors like navy, plum, and teal. Either that or he’s figuring out the simple truth that a happy wife equals a happy life. I’ll take it.
Next on the to-do list is building the large console table so the sofa can scoot forward and make the layout both more functional and visually balanced. That will create a spot for drinks, add table lamps for reading, and remove the awkward floor lamp from the doorway—practical changes that will also make the room feel finished. And yes, we’ll be addressing Karl’s embarrassingly pale legs while we’re at it.
Psst—John’s parents just passed along a vintage, leggy dresser that’s perfect for our bedroom. It’s been in the family for years, needs a little love, and is a free and meaningful addition. We’ll share photos once we give it a refresh.