It didn’t take long after we moved in to realize a rug was going to have to be one of our first purchases. (Have you ever experienced the acoustics in a house with wood floors and three kids under the age of 7?) We ended up selling most of our area rugs with the old house (yes, even the navy chain link rug) but truth be told, I just looked at it as an opportunity to completely change the look of new place and phase most of the navy out.
Since I’m going for a neutral/relaxed feel, I decided a natural rug was the way to go. I am so drawn to the texture and casualness they bring to a room:
When I started to decide which material I wanted, I remembered this post that Lauren wrote a couple of years ago about her experience with the different types of natural rugs. (Her post is a great resource to bookmark.) Why did I end up deciding to go with jute? It was this quote from Lauren herself:
“MAINTENANCE: laughable. I took the WORST care ever of our jute rugs & they looked fine. They kind of eat your dirt. You can just vacuum them. I’ve had ours in the kitchen & even spilled salsa (I know, gross!) in ours and just wiped it with a rag & then blotted it with a wet rag to get the stain out. “
Jute “eats your dirt”? I’m SOLD :)
I quickly narrowed my search to the “Braided Jute” rug from Ballard Designs . . .
And, this diamond-patterned rug from Natural Area Rugs (which got great reviews):
Although I sometimes make these decisions on impulse, I decided to first order a sample of the Ballard braided rug. I’m so glad I did. While I didn’t expect it to feel like silk, it was completely scratchy (and a little thicker than I expected.) It would’ve worked fine in foyer, but not in a family room. . .
After receiving this sample, I resolved to not buy anything I couldn’t walk on in person. I also decided that a jute/chenille blend would be a better option. Softer—and would hopefully still eat our dirt!
Next stop? Pottery Barn.
I was actually shopping for something else when I saw this:
I loved the look of their “Heathered Chenille Jute” rug and liked it even better after I took my shoes off and walked around on it.
Maybe not my best deal ever, but I felt like this was important enough to spend the money on since it was the base of our room. (And, we got a little house-warming gift. Thanks, Mom & Dad!)
We just got a few days ago, and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ll let you know how it wears, of course.
Do you have a natural rug in your home? What’s been your experience?
I don’t have a natural rug, but I really want one. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old who still spill pop-ice popsicles everywhere and salsa spills would definitely happen in my house too! I’ll be interested to hear your experience with it in a few months…
Emily – So glad I read this post and your ordered and reviewed the ballard rug for me ;) I was considering that same rug for my dining room I’m turning into a home office. From the looks of it, it’s way to thick. Can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of your house!
The eats my dirt part of this post was priceless!!!!!!!!!! As well as true. Our jute rugs eat great dirt also….a little yucky when you lift them up but do it often and flip them over if possible as it’s like getting two for the price of one! Last longer, looks new longer.
I don’t have any natural rugs at home but I would love to incorporate one in the future.
Nice rug! I love your rug and the diamond patterned one, too.
Jessie
http://www.mixandchic.com
I have one from Overstock and it’s scratchy. It’s fine for the DR, but I would never consider it for the LR. My dad has the chenille jute one from PB in his kitchen and I love it. So soft underfoot!! Think you made a great choice!
Looooove it Emily! So glad you found a soft one! Those natural rugs can be so tricky!
Hope you had a great weekend!
Great find! We have a natural rug from Crate and Barrel. I love its simplicity, and I can change out all my accessories and it still works :) Can’t wait to see more!
We used to have a C&B jute rug in our kitchen (which had a seating area with a couch). It looked great and was very durable but it was scratchy which is why I wouldn’t do it now with little ones who are always on the floor playing. I did do a wool rug that looks like seagrass as a compromise in our last house. It is in our mbr now and I like it a lot. Keep us posted…..I love the look of natural rugs!
Thanks for the review. I’ve always hesitated using a natural rug because they are so scratchy. Will keep the blended material in mind. I also have three under 7 so the eating dirt part is crucial. :)
Funny that you ended up with a Pottery Barn rug….I was just there a few weeks ago and just out of curiosity felt all their natural rugs. I decided that if I ever got one it would be the one you chose! Most jute rugs I’ve felt through the years are way too prickly and I’ve always wondered how people actually live with them. Definitely not practical if you have kids that wrestle and build forts and legos and play playmobil and host sleepovers on the living room rug. And, yes, I’ve lived in a 3600 sf, all wood floor home, with 3 children 4 and under with no area rugs for a while – I know exactly what you’re talking about! We moved from our first 800 sf house to this one 12 years ago and it’s taken us YEARS to fill it up. Only last year did we eliminate having one empty room (not even a bedroom…it was alternately the dining room or living room) because we just didn’t have the money to furnish it. Couldn’t be that we went from 3 kids to 6 during those years ;) I’ve never commented, but I love your blog and it’s been a daily read for months! ~Kim
First time commenter here, but I wanted to let you know that we have that rug, and I LOVE it. I love the texture it brings to the room, and it’s very comfortable underfoot. And with three kids under four, a dog and a cat, it cleans and holds up really well. I hope you like it as much as we do!
I don’t have a natural rug, but I’m looking for one in our dining room. Yours looks beautiful! Although that picture feels a bit like a tease ;-)…we want to see the whole room!!
abby
We started with one sisal rug. I’m up to three with plans to add more. I love them, and for the price, you can easily replace them if you get tired of them. Plus, they seem to be everywhere these days including in really high end design.
We have the Pottery Barn chunky wool and natural jute rug and it is fabulous! We get SO many compliments on it and it is so comfortable, that we have one in our baby girl’s room!
Do you still have this? Is it comfortable to sit on? I have four kiddos who are on the floor a lot, and I’m considering this one for our family room.
Agreed on the purchase of a natural rug…it DOES informalize a room and make it feel more homey and cottage-y. Can’t wait to continue to follow the transformations in your new home!
I have the PB Essential jute rug. Feels super soft underfoot. It still looks brand new after 9 months with 2 children running circles on it! Do you know anything about installing a natural fiber runner on stairs?
Love your post! Looks like we’ve got the same idea when it comes to a rug! The one you bought is the one I had originally wanted at PB but they were out of stock here in Dubai and it would have taken about 16 weeks to get it so I opted for the seagrass which I’m loving. It’s not as soft under foot but it has already “eaten” a can of Coke :)
Great choice! I love how neutral they are with the added texture for interest. I’m looking forward to hearing how you like it.
Londen
Honey you are going to get a zillion comments here…we are passionate about our natural rugs, right? I read Lauren’s post and Joni’s infamous seagrass post each a hundred times before I bought my seagrass in my living room. I LOVE IT, but it would be tough to lay around on.
I recently bought PB’s chunky jute rug and installed it in our master closet instead of carpet and it is so incredibly soft it’s ridiculous.
http://baylorsays.blogspot.com/2011/06/this-is-my-new-master-closet.html
I think I’ll spring for it in our family room when I can afford it, but I’m worried about layering because its thicker than seagrass. Can’t wait to hear how yours holds up in traffic! Love it!
Love that blue ikat pillow on the sofa! Lovely:)
it looks lovely! and Im glad to know about the Ballards rug- I am alway leery about recommending those types of rugs to clients especially if Ive never tested for myself. great post!
I love the look of natural rugs but always wondered about stains and how they’d feel on little knees crawling on them.
Perfectly timed post! I am looking at a jute rug for under the kitchen table and was not sure how they would feel on our feet! Thanks for the information and can’t wait to see what you do with this house!
EMILY – i love that rug from PB. I was going for the same look/feel in my living room but could not afford the PB rug. I went with one from west elm and when i went to pick it up in the store, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was the exact same as the PB rug. while jute will never feel like flokati, its GREAT, even barefoot. check out the WE version, the ivory is the one most like the PB one(currently 20% off too!)
http://www.westelm.com/products/jute-boucle-rug-r038/?pkey=cjute-rugs-natural-rugs
Your rug choice looks fabulous! I have a jute/sisal for my entry. After 3 years it is starting to look sad, but it gets a daily dose of dirty shoes. Can’t believe how it has held up! I am now searching for another one, but scratchy doesn’t matter for me. I do want a sisal for my family room. Wish I had a PB closer to home. I might check out Ikea!
I looove a natural rug!! But all that I have seen are so pricy! Do you know of any more affordable options?
I LOVE a Jute rug- but a WARNING!!! Make sure to use a rug pad underneath–ESPECIALLY if you have hardwood floors! I had a client that had one and it literally stuck to the floor. Once we were able to get it off the floor, the floors had to be refinished!! I don’t know the whole process, but jute releases secretions that are like glue to the wood finish!
Please make sure to save yourself a heartache and get a rug pad under that puppy!!
Whitney @ http://www.whitneybrock.blogspot.com
I love jute rugs and have several in my home. A friend dropped a can of grape soda on the one in my dining room, and of course gave me a horrified look and began apologizing immediately. Her look turned to puzzled as we both watched the grape soda literally DISAPPEAR into the rug. I wiped it with a damp rag of course but there’s never been a stain from that incident (or any other!). Needless to say, my friend also has a jute rug in her home now too! I usually find mine at places like home goods.
Great choice! Looking forward to seeing more of your living room! :) I have two cheapo sisal throw rugs from TJMaxx in our bathroom and mudroom. I like them a lot. They are easy to sweep (hard floor attachment) and spot clean (windex and a rag). We also have a large woven jute area rug in our living room. I use the carpet attachment to sweep it and spot clean it like the others. The only problem I’ve had with it is the weave coming loose in one corner.
I have a diamond jute rug (just like the one in your photo) that I got on clearance from PotteryBarn for 119.99. it’s amazingly soft. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong size and since it’s on clearance I couldn’t return it.
Emily, I’m so glad you posted this! I have wall-to-wall seagrass in my dining room and I love it!!! I’m in the process of having it installed in my living room and my entire upstairs, but I have no pets and no little ones. I’m able to walk on it just fine…Check out my dining room.
http://sanmend.blogspot.com/search/label/Dining%20Rooms
I have been searching for an area rug for our downstairs play room area. I’ve always love natural rugs (sisal etc), but it needs to be comfy for little knees to play on, as well as low pile for those toys to be dragged about. My search continues, but I’ll have to check out this PB version!
I really like the rug you ended up choosing! We have the natural chevron rug from Crate & Barrel and it’s pretty soft too. I love the pattern on it, but it was pretty pricey!
I just got the 9×12 PB Jute rug that was on sale for $299. We do like it…I have a cowhide rug on top of that as well. It’s not the softest rug ever, but it is softer than the seagrass I had originally. It looks very nice, but the sides are not bound…not sure how I will like that over time.
I had sisal rugs from Pottery Barn when my kids were smaller. Eventually, there’d be only so much dirt they could eat – then I’d pull them out on my deck, hose them down and let them dry in the sun! Obviously they didn’t last forever, but,they weren’t investment pieces and I loved them!
Love that rug!!! It looks amazing :)
Great post! Rug looks awesome! I also use Lauren’s post as a reference. I have had great luck with the seagrass rugs at Ballard. Can’t wait to see the living room come together!
Hi Emily,
I just received my rug last week and while it’s still in the plastic and waiting to be put down, it’s gorgeous! It’s this one from Overstock: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-woven-Jute-Natural-Rug-8-x-106/1094185/product.html
I got the same sample you did from Ballard and was of the same mind, too thick. I had also looked at a newer rug from Pottery Barn. Again, really thick. I had a smallish budget so went with the one from Overstock. I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s down! I also love the casual feel of it. It’s totally the vibe we’re going for in here! (After reading the comments I hope mine isn’t the same one Fran has! Yikes!)
I had ordered a jute rug for our dining room last week from Overstock and it arrived on Friday. I love it so far but we’ve only had it a few days. And the icky smell wore off in a day or two (we did air it out in our back yard for an afternoon). Hope you enjoy yours!
Great choice Emily. I love the idea of a natural jute rug, but they are not very practical I think for family rooms where you want to lounge around and relax (especially without shoes on). I have been drawn to the jute look with a little extra comfort thrown in.
Great choice!! I just started working at PB a few weeks ago, and I totally love that rug. And the coffee table you took a picture of in the store is one of my faves, too! I’m dying to see more pictures of space (:
I just bought my first natural area rug on Friday from Pier 1. It’s classified as an “indoor/outdoor” rug, but I was putting it in a space that is high-traffic and many other rugs in that same space have fallen victim to dirty shoes and heavy feet. It is surprisingly very comfy under bare feet, and it has a slight variation in the color pattern that makes it reversible, should one side get too worn or not eat dirt properly. I love it so far!
I have the same PB rug in my family room and love it. I also have their seagrass rugs in the rest of my house and I’m really happy with them. They do hide the dirt well!
we have the same PB rug in our playroom and it wears so well, and yes kind of “eats” our dirt too.
I have the PB heathered jute rug as a runner in my foyer – great for high traffic! Also, I just bought a huge 10 x 13.5 jute rug from Overstock for a grand total of $290 (!!!) to layer under an oriental in my family room. I recommend both rugs.
Oh dear – we bought this rug about 3 years ago and it’s going in the trash. It wears terribly. I feel like we flushed money don the toilet when we bought this for our weekend house in WHB. You will find pieces of the jute on your feet, your socks, all over your house! Hope you have better luck than we did.
Emily, I really and truly cannot wait to see what you do with your living room. It’s going to be so great to see how your design process works. So no natural rug for me, but I am thrilled with my indoor/outdoor sisal look-alike from PB. It came a little more caramel than I would have liked, but it shows NOTHING. I wiped soot from the fireplace right off of it.
Camille
I used natural fiber rugs in my dining room and living room, and a flatweave in my family room. The dining room was the only expensive one, as it had to be custom cut. But now I know that Wisteria catalog does one for $6.75 a foot in seagrass- I recommend it to clients all the time and they love it. It ends up being about half what I paid! But mine has been in the DR for 8 years and still looks perfect. I’m a big fan of the natural fibers
Stacy
Oh,but I do remember when my son was 2 he used to walk around the perimeter of the DR rug, and when I asked him why he said because it was “the hurty rug!”
i looove natural rugs! but my husband is not a fan because of the comfort. but i did sneak in two seagrass ones for the foyer from natural area rugs and they look so good! (even though he complains every time he walks on them in bare feet!) you are going to love having the natural element in your family room. thanks for sharing and i cant wait to see the transformation!
Check out West Elm!! We just purchased the Jute Chenille Herringbone Rug and LOVE it. It has the chevron pattern which I love, its softer than regular jute with the chenille addition, and the pattern looks like it will hides stains easy!!! Good price too!
Emily,
Love this post! I am loving that room pic you gave with the blue chair with dark wood frame. Anyway, I actually have a very natural looking rug that I got at Pier One on clearance a while back for my bedroom. I have to say I loved it but it is almost white and is more of a cloth and picks up so much dirt and is hard to clean. Anyway, still love Pier One which I did a post about today. I am really wanting to get a natural rug for my living room since I am really trying to lighten it up and go for that more relaxed feel. I will definitely want to know how it goes with yours. So excited for you and your new house!
I love the look, and have had several over the last few years…while they don’t really show dirt, I have had problems with them changing colors when cleaning out something that has spilled. After this happened to me a few times, I did some research and apparently that can happen they almost loose there color in some spots almost turned white or a lighter shade! So be careful what you use to clean it with! I didn’t use anything too drastic either!
Almost broke down and bought a BP one the other day, it was soooo soft! Can’t wait to see what your experience is with it!
I do have a natural rug. Just recently I got rid of the flower rug I had in my family room. It was pretty when I first bought it but after wear and tear, esp by my cat, it just brought the whole room down. No matter how clean the room was, the rug made it look dirty if you know what I mean. The natural rug I have now, has floated from room to room over the years. It was a quick fix and is too small for the room. But it’s so true, it makes the room feel clean. The rug never looks worn out. I have been thinking lately in layering rugs. I’m liking that look and might try it in the future.
I have never used jute but seagrass has been my best friend for 20 years…..I love the way all the natural rugs look…and the natural elegance they add to a room. You can’t beat the texture.
I have the same rug from PB in my living room, and I went through the same “tests” as you did! My son, at the time, was still crawling, and I wanted something still soft enough for his little legs to be on. This rug was so perfect in every way, and I can say a year and a half later, it’s the best purchase I’ve ever made. No, I don’t vacuum it enough. Yes, I let my 2 1/2 year old son eat his crackers and many a crumb goes unattended to. The dog rolls around on it. And it still looks *almost* like new. So beautiful- you’ll love it!
I love natural rugs! They add such elegance to a space. You just have to be careful because they can sometimes not be the most comfortable on your feet, but it just depends on the quality.
Kristy
http://www.idesignlove.com
Just bought the Pottery Barn Felted Wool/Jute rug for our new Living room…it’s my first natural rug purchase too! Hoping it meets all my expectations (considering what I paid for it!)!!
I absolutely love natural rugs! Yours is gorgeous and I love the idea of getting a mixture so it will be softer. That thing will last you for years I’m sure!
I bought one for my bedroom that is under my bed, it is natural (I got it at homedepot as a quick fix) and I love it! It is so much nicer to have an area rug than full carpets or a cold, bare wood floor!
I have a seagrass run in my living room. It’s fine to walk on, but kneel, not so much. It definitely takes a beating when it comes to stains and traffic…great for high traffic areas!
Hi Emily, I’m new to your blog. Congrats on your new home! We have seagrass rugs in our home, which I love. They are so durable and especially great in eating areas. We also have one in our living room, and I do find that I sometimes wish we had something softer. I love the look and feel of jute, but I’ve always worried about it not holding up as well to abuse. Years ago I had a jute rug from Pier 1 and after a vase of flowers fell on it and water splashed everywhere, it was ruined (the water stain would never dry). It was a flatter rug, with less pile so maybe that makes a difference? I hope I’m wrong b/c I’d love to use jute sometime in the future!! xoxo
ps. I also meant to tell you that I just put up a link to our kitchen/dining room makeover on our blog. A project from your last home’s kitchen inspired me! :) xoxo
Yes — i actually have the diamond patterned one from natural home!!! i love it, it’s very soft (not scratchy), and two sided, so i can flip it after the inevitable spills. Yours is beautiful too!
In our last house we had seagrass in the the bedrooms–wall to wall. Loved it. In our new house at the beach, we have new wood floors and I am enjoying NO carpets. But that will probably change.
In our last house we had seagrass in the the bedrooms–wall to wall. Loved it. In our new house at the beach, we have new wood floors and I am enjoying NO carpets. But that will probably change.
I actually own the one you bought from pottery barn. It was soft enough to convince my husband to fork over the money. I vaccum it and our dog lays on it all the time. So far (one year into it) the rug has performed well. Good luck with yours!
I just bought a beautiful natural rug from West Elm. It’s called the Panama Braided Jute Rug. It adds a lovely texture on top of my hardwoods. Highly recommend!
Hi Emily! I’m a faithful reader of yours and loved that you did this post. I was in the market for a natural rug but was hesitant as was my husband about how soft one would be. I ordered the diamond patterned rug you mentioned in your post from Natural Area Rugs. It came this past weekend and it’s awesome!! Thanks again for being one of my favorite blogs to read!
Naturally beautiful. Well made.
krk realty
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We went with the bamboo look… both flooring and wall decor, etc. Got some great deals on line. Our favorite place to shop is BestBambooMats.com http://bestbamboomats.com
How has it worn? We got a jute rug from West Elm and within two weeks, pieces were pulled up and it was fraying and coming apart. And, it’s just the two of us with minimal use. Argh. Returned it. Got a shag, but it’s also fraying – has never happened before. So, thinking about the jute chenilled herringbone rug at West Elm. Thoughts?
Emily,
We finally pulled up our carpet (which I despised) in our living room to find beautiful hardwood floors in quite good condition. Went to Ikea today to find a rug and didn’t realize the one I got was square rather than rectangular until I got home! lol Just checked out the Jute Boucle ivory rug on West Elm and am in love with it! Definitely purchasing it soon and can’t wait to see how it looks on our “new” hardwood floors. Thanks for this post…I remember reading it a while back and it proved to be a huge help in deciding on a natural rug.
Liz
http://www.elisabethmichael.com
we just purchased the west elm jute chenille rug and as beautiful as it was returned it because the carpet fibers were everywhere. i was just wondering if you find the carpet fibers all over your clothes and hardwood with this PB rug?
I’m looking for a soft, natural rug to layer under a smaller wool rug and wondering if the Heathered Chenille Jute would be too thick? Hard to tell from pictures.
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This stuff is down to earth, hats off buds out there.braided area rugs
Thanks for the post. Do you have an update regarding wear and tear and shedding?
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We are thinking of buying this rug. I just got a swatch in the mail yesterday. I am doing some reading online to see how people like it and would love to hear how it has done for your family? Is it still in good shape? Did it shed? Did the fibers unravel from vacuuming? Any information you can give would be so appreciated.
We are thinking of buying this rug. I just got a swatch in the mail yesterday. I am doing some reading online to see how people like it and would love to hear how it has done for your family? Is it still in good shape? Did it shed? Did the fibers unravel from vacuuming? Any information you can give would be so appreciated.
Thanks for sharing the information. That’s a awesome article you posted. I found the post very useful as well as interesting. I will come back to read some more furniture manufacturers
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Would love to know how this rug has been for your family since your original post? Feel? Wear? Cleaning? etc. I have small children and would like something soft. Trying to decide whether to go back to wool or do a natural blend. My kids love to camp out on the floor to watch tv….so need something kid friendly. Also need something pet friendly.
Hi Emily! I would love to know if you are still happy with this rug. How has it worn with a house full of kids? :) I have three little ones of my own and wonder how the addition of chenille affects the durability of the rug? I came across this rug on our local Craigslist; before I go for it, I thought I’d see if you were still a fan! Thanks!
Yes! I love it. It’s amazing how good it still looks after the abuse it’s taken so far. I would highly recommend.
We just purchased this same rug for our living room. It looks beautiful, but after just a few days of high traffic, we have small tufts sticking up all over. We have 3 young children, and I wanted to know if you would still recommend this rug? Do you feel like it has held up well?
Thank you!!!
I really love the rug and haven’t had the tufting problem you’re talking about..
Hello.
I know this post is 6 years old. However, I was just wondering if you still have the Hethered Chenille Jute rug from PB. I was thinking of purchasing for a family room. I, like you would like the natural look but prefer a softer feel. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Jennifer Feucht
(AKA loyal blog follower)
Still have it! Still love it :)