floors Archives - Emily A. Clark

Smart Design: Animal Print Rugs

Oct232018

The decision to go with an animal print for our stair runner was a last minute one, but it’s working out great for this ridiculously busy spot in our home. (More details and the before and after shots can be found here.)

There are several reasons why I love an animal print rug for a “well-loved” home:

-Animal print adds pattern but still acts as a neutral. Seriously–you can pair it with almost any other pattern. (Case in point: our blue and white trellis wallpaper.)

-It’s so good for instantly warming up a space. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to animal print rugs and pillows (and clothing) in the Fall.

-It’s a classic. So many patterns are trendy but a good cheetah, leopard, zebra or antelope rarely goes out of style. Look at older issues of some of the high end shelter magazines. I’ll bet it’s there.

-The busy pattern makes it kid and pet friendly. Our stair runner shows almost nothing.

Domino

10 Hardworking Runners for the Entry or Kitchen

Apr182018

I added a seagrass runner to our kitchen several months ago because I thought it could use a little texture and honestly, because it was $32. I thought it was worth taking a chance even if it didn’t hold up to this extremely high traffic area between our island and stove.

hardworking-runners-kitchen-entryway

As it turns out, I had this post halfway put together when, on my way out the door to church with all five kids, I dropped an entire smoothie on the rug (and myself). The kids thought this was hysterical, of course. I did not. So, I can personally attest to the fact that this is a fabulous option for the kitchen. I threw it out in the driveway, hosed it off and let it dry in the sun. You can’t see any evidence of the smoothie.

jute-kitchen-runner (In case you’re wondering: sandals, jeans)

My other requirements for a hardworking runner in the kitchen and/or entryway? It has to be easy to vacuum in a great texture or else, a very forgiving pattern. Here are a few more good options:

By the way, I ordered the 6′ option for our kitchen but it also comes in a 8′ option. (I didn’t need a rug pad.)

kitchen and entry runner rugs

You can read more about our honed granite countertops here.

And, the full “before and after” kitchen renovation can be found here.

Styling a Photoshoot with eSaleRugs

Oct112017

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to work with eSaleRugs on styling a photoshoot for several of their rugs. They asked me to put a mood board together to show the concept for three totally different looks, and I thought you might like to see my thought process, what we used and how the final shots turned out. You could think along the same lines when decorating a room in your home. I don’t think a rug should be an afterthought. In fact, it can be great starting point if you’re trying to pull everything together at one time.

The Monaco rug I styled is overall a really traditional pattern but the over dyed look is so on trend right now. I wanted to show how you can use a somewhat serious, muted rug and play it up with bold color and modern furniture and artwork:

This rug, from the Hamedan collection, is a one-of-a-kind Persian and is by far my favorite look. It would instantly warm up a room and I wanted to keep the overall feel for this shoot a bit more masculine, using a lot of texture (brass, leather, velvet, etc.) And, see the that bit of blue in the rug? I found a velvet bench that accentuated that even more:

The colors in the Spectrum rug instantly make me think “playful” but you don’t have to limit this rug to just a playroom. I wanted to pair it with a few modern accessories to show how this rug can also work to brighten up a more grown up space:

Also, a quick note about eSaleRugs in case you’re not familiar them. Although they’re based really close to where I live, I only vaguely knew about them before this project. . .

Here’s what I learned: they’re a family-owned company and have thousands upon thousands of rugs in their football field sized warehouses–both new and vintage (over 30,000 collections!). And, the best part (in my opinion): they offer FREE SHIPPING and RETURNS! How awesome is that? The single scariest thing about ordering a rug online, sight unseen, is the risk/expense of return shipping if you’re not happy with it in your space. None of that worry with eSaleRugs!

You can see more behind-the-scenes and styling tips here.

Thanks to eSaleRugs for sponsoring this project and post.

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