Remember that search for a living room rug? It came to a temporary halt when I found that all the Goodweave certified fair trade rugs were out of my price range – in a big way. Not surprising, considering they’re all handmade rugs; rugs made by adults who are paid a living wage.
I decided to go with a factory-made rug that came from a reasonably reputable company, like Crate and Barrel. I almost had given up hope of finding one in the right colors, until I stopped by Crate and Barrel after work to pick up two cute Christmas accessories. I spied a gorgeous 5×8 cotton rag rug, in jewel tones of navy and teal, on sale for only $89. I bought the smaller size to take it home to check in the house:
Do you see that I also grabbed a cute kitchen towel, thinking it would make the perfect matching pillows for the sofa?
After a while Ryan agreed he could live with the rug (although he’s proposed an olive or chocolate sofa reupholstery as opposed to navy). A 5×8 rug in the living room, and a 4×6 in the dining room, for the sake of cohesiveness. I hopped online to order them – only to find the 5×8 was already sold out. Argh.
I ordered two of the 4×6 rugs, hoping that I could sew them together to make one big rug. We’ll see when they get here. I just love the colors, and will be bummed if it doesn’t work out.
It’s so frustrating to find what you think is perfect, only to find that it’s too late. And this isn’t the first time this has happened to me – Right after we moved in, I fell in love with a lime green indoor/outdoor rug, only to find that the size I needed was already discontinued. It would have been perfect for my kitchen, as you could wash it by hosing it down. What luck – two times!
PS: Wondering why I won’t just go to Target or Overstock or CSN to buy a rug? You can read my friend Robin’s guest post on the rug labor industry if you missed it before.
8 Comments
Love the colors of that rug! Could you try calling Crate & Barrel to see if one of their stores still has the 5×8 and could ship it to you? Lots of times they do and are happy to help out that way. Good luck and can’t wait to see the new pillows on a newly covered sofa! I think they’d pop nicely on either olive or chocolate (good choice of colors Ryan!)
That, my dear, is my favorite color combo EVER! from the guest bathroom to the kitchen… love iiit <3 Can't wait to see it all together =)
That rug needs to be in my house!
I’m so sorry the big size was sold out! Hopefully it’ll work out sewing the two smaller ones together! Fingers crossed! 🙂
That rug is awesome! I love those colors!
Thanks for mentioning the GoodWeave certification – so sorry that you didn’t find something in your price range! Soon you will be able to find reasonably priced GoodWeave certified rugs in Macy’s nationwide… Sign up for our newsletter at GoodWeave.org and we’ll keep you posted! There are a few other options for rug buyers on a budget: Sign up with Gilt Groupe, which has sales of high-end home brands to include some GoodWeave certified rugs on occasion, such as Odegard and New Moon. I’d also recommend potential rug buyers check out indi B, Company C and not Neutral – certified brands that might be a little more in reach price-wise. Rented digs are temporary, but a rug is forever… and a child’s future is priceless!
Best,
April
Those pear hand towels have my heart pounding. I adore them.
Can’t wait to see how the rugs turn out, the colors are fantastic!
xoxo,
Jen
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