Lovely cotton rugs

Like any design magazine junkie, I've long lusted after Madeline Weinrib's rugs and home goodies, but thought that they were all way too high-end for little old me. I've just discovered, though, that her cotton rugs are not so terribly expensive—about $1k for a room-spanning one (though I need to do a little more research and am not sure if the ones shown above ring up at that price). Although that's hardly spare change, I know that MW's throw pillows can easily cost one third of that, so I was a little surprised. The three gorgeous ones above would all be pretty family-friendly (i.e. stain and dirt masking!) but not at all in the horrible way that that term is usually used when it comes to interiors.

Exotic accent

Vivaterra creates these takes of traditional moroccan wedding capes, which can be used as throws or rugs or, I suppose, wall hangings. A friend of mine uses one as a living room rug and it looks lovely and very cool--a "what is that and where did you get it and how were you smart enough to think of it?" sort of item. You'll have to trust me that the sequins and fringe really do look quite cool on the floor.

Now the white hue isn't terribly family-friendly, but it's really more of an off-white, and that combined with the texture means that you could live on it for quite a while before it started to look really dirty I'd think. And, since it's technically a blanket it shouldn't contain a lot of glues or possibly harmful backings . .

These Moroccan rugs are often used with mid-century modern furniture, and really warm it up a lot, so don't think you have to have an exotic or haute hippie look going on to use one of these.

More rug possibilities

While not as fantabulous as the coveted John Robshaw dhurries, the flat woven cotton rugs from Dash and Albert seem like a fail-proof option for a family home. They've got a country vibe going on, but many of the striped styles are simple enough to work with urban or contemporary furniture I think. And they're cheap--around $400 for a 9 x 12. Interestingly (I guess) my googling led me to discover a blue and white striped dhurrie known as the "beach house rug" from the movie "Something's Gotta Give". I remember a decorator friend of my mother-in-law's telling me a few years ago that ALL of her clients were obsessed with recreating the Diane Keaton character's house in that movie. Apparently people are still fixated on it, because this rug is sold out until October 2008.

If I had it in me to start a business right now, I would think that stylish cotton rugs would be a money machine--really seems like demand is exceeding supply, doesn't it?

Dhurrie lust

I am currently obsessed with dhurrie rugs—I need a big area rug that's relatively easy to clean, patterned (to hide stains pre-cleaning and when cleaning fails), and with no PFC stain coatings or toxic glues or backings. Oh, and it can't be too expensive either! You would think that almost every family with young kids would need just such a rug, so why is it so difficult to find?

I thought that my quest had come to a delightful end when I discovered the super-stylish, versatile dhurries on John Robshaw's website but, alas, they seem to be out of stock, with no indication that they'll be back in stock any time soon. I've sent them an email asking for details on the apparently in-demand dhurries (every color/pattern and size is sold out, so clearly I'm not the only one craving these exact rugs). Stay tuned.