floors Archives - Emily A. Clark

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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Our Antelope Stair Runner (Before & After)

Aug142017

One of the things I was most excited about updating in this house was the stairway. It greets you as soon as you walk in the front door, and 30-year-old carpet (topped off with a good two years of abuse from the Clark kids) just wasn’t saying “welcome.”

As part of our upstairs renovation, we had the carpet pulled up and replaced with wood treads and an antelope stair runner:

When I went to the carpet store, I had my heart set on a natural fiber runner like sisal or seagrass. But, once I got there and spotted the antelope, I was pretty smitten. (It’s kind of like going to get your hair trimmed but when you get there, you get braver and come home with a short bob.)

It’s made by Karastan and the pattern name is “Savanna Scenes”. We went with the more golden colorway, and I think it’s the perfect fit for disguising the dirty that’s bound to happen in this very busy spot. It’s nylon but gives me the look of wool–at a much better price point. The saleslady was very reassuring about its durability.

A couple of quick details to point out, in case you’re installing a new runner at any point. We had it inset at 4″ from the wall on each side, starting at the top. And, we ended the runner right under the first tread. I’ve seen it done other ways but this is my favorite finished look.

We also had new railing installed and stuck to classic black and white.

wallpaper – framed silhouettes – lighting (similar) – table (thrifted)

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