A Cozy New Rug Collection

Decor

Hello friends! Praise be, the election is over and I just marked my birthday over the weekend – my official holiday season milestone. Whenever the calendar passes November 8, I feel like I can finally turn 100% of my attention to all things holiday. Obviously, the holidays are going to look and feel very different than years past. Perhaps instead of the holiday season, we should start referring to the next few months as the hunker down season. Because that’s what holidays in the time of Covid are going to require of us. But I’m not entirely mad about the idea of holing up at home. I’ll take a very valid excuse to look for ways to make my home as cozy, comforting, and beautiful as possible.

Enter the new rug collection from Beni Rugs, designed by my style soul twin, Colin King.

Called the Shape of Color, this new rug collection offers eleven Moroccan style rugs. Each rug features shocks of color inspired by Tangier and Marrakech. The hues are deeply saturated in simple geometric shapes or big bold stripes.

While I typically eschew color, rugs are a wonderful spot to inject something fresh into a room. I used a bold colored rug in my own living room. The particularly nice thing about a rug – it’s an easy way to reenergize a space without really having to change anything else.

There are a few secrets to picking out a rug. First, you want to think about size. A common mistake is getting a rug that is too small. You want all (or nearly all) your furniture in a space to sit on your rug. That helps a room feel anchored and like everything is working together. A too-small rug will actually make a small space feel even smaller!

Next, you want to think about foot traffic. If you’re looking to put a rug in a high foot traffic area, you’ll want to ensure any rug you select will withstand an onslaught of dirt and use.

Finally, when adding a colorful rug to your space you don’t need to “match your decor. You just want to keep everything in the same design family. Do you decorate with mostly warm colors or cooler tones? That will help you pick your colors.

If you’re looking to upgrade the coziness of your home before the holidays hit, I definitely think one of these rugs would be a great way to do it. I’m already debating which one I might add to our house. I do have a home office refresh in the works! If I pick out one of these rugs – I’ll be sure to share.

How are you planning on sprucing up your spaces for the holidays?

images c/o beni rugs

This New Rug Collection is So Good it’s Almost Sold Out!

Shopping

If you don’t know interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel – well you really should. She’s already had two projects grace the covers of major design magazines, her own homes are always amazing (she’s currently renovating a gorgeous fixer-upper in Michigan) and well, basically everything she touches turns to design gold (she actually designed a custom serving board for our holiday shop more than five years ago!). Hence why it’s no surprise her new rug and pillow collection for Lulu & Georgia launched just yesterday and is already nearly sold out!

It makes total sense. The entire collection is so so good. Inspired by her love of the vintage Morrocan and kilim rugs she’s constantly sourcing for clients, Sarah decided to create a cohesive collection of go-to styles that work in nearly any space – all at crazy affordable price points. Both her rugs and pillows feature fun tactile designs making them as satisfying to touch as they are to look at. The collection’s earthy neutral color palette and a minimalist modern take on the ubiquitous beni ourain rugs feels fresh but also timeless. You really can’t go wrong with any option you choose.

One of the things I appreciate most about Saraha’s designs is her knack for combing design styles. Her look isn’t strickly California casual or mid-century or bohemian. She strikes a balance by combining eras, styles and finishes to create elevated casual rooms that could work in nearly any kind of home. The living room above is a perfect example. While the rattan ottomans feel bohemian, the curved clean-lined sofas add an air of sophistication. The Serge Mouille inspired swing arm lamp is a classic, while the ceramics add a structural, mid-century vibe. The addition of Sarah’s (sold out!) Iconic Stripe Rug and a mix of her pillows soften the space a bit more.

I also love the mix of the brutalist bedside table’s hard lines juxtaposed with the soft curves in this bedroom (hello channel tufted bed!). The Arches rug looks great small (see below), but I also really love it in this oversized scale.

Look out – rust orange is making a comeback! But in all seriousness, a bold color is a great way to anchor an otherwise neutral monochromatic room.

I’ll take this entire bathroom, please and thank you.

Very seriously considering the Stripe Break Rug for This Old Victorian.

Sarah’s collection was more than two years in the making and the attention to detail, the meticulous construction and the pitch-perfect color palette shows all the hard work that went into these designs. While I’m struggling to pick a favorite option, I’ve included my top three picks below. Just shop fast because I have a strong feeling they’re not going to be available for long.

Congratulations Sarah and Lulu & Georgia!

SHOP THIS STORY

moroccan flat weave rug

Shop now

iconic stripe lumbar pillow

Shop now

stripe break rug

Shop now

Rug Life

Decor

As progress on our house continues, ever slowly but ever surely, I’m turning my sights to our living room. It’s been the most neglected to date- really serving as our dumping ground while the rooms around it have taken shape. (Check out my dining room, media room and even a kitchen sneak peek in case you missed them). But I’m ok with really taking my time in the living room because eventually, it’s going to be the heart of our home. That’s why I custom designed a sofa (that’s coming any day now!), insisted on built-in shelving (which you can see here) and am being incredibly choosy about every piece of furniture I add to the space. I want to make sure I get this room right and fill it only with treasures that I truly love.

One of the biggest decisions I’ve yet to make is a rug choice. Rugs can set the tone for an entire room. While the beni ourain trend still has a vice grip on our style subconscious, I’m craving something equally timeless, but decidedly different. Here are just a few of the rug ideas I’m currently considering.

Still Moroccan, still vintage but in a noticeably different style and color. I’m loving the mix of a grid and squares in the example above. It would be a really interesting conversation piece.

I’ve talked about layering rugs before but hadn’t thought about it for my living room until now. It would make it easier since I wouldn’t have to hunt down something in the over 12′ range. It would allow more flexibility for switching up styles down the road. It would let me play with tone and texture…color me intrigued.

A flatweave with black stripes would create a striking visual and would be a fun way to mix and match print and pattern in the room.

I am leaving heavily toward a vintage option and I’m liking the darker tones of the rug in this picture. It would ground the room and give it depth.

While I tend to shy away from color, I’m into this multi-toned striped rug idea. It still feels neutral even though it includes some blush and earthy brown tones. Something like that would play well off of our light oak floors.

When mixed with an eclectic grouping of furniture a classic blue and white stripe goes from feeling nautical to feeling modern. Hmmmm.

But then I come back to a beni ourain. A good vintage one with asymmetrical, unique patterns really does feel classic. But is classic a cop out?

What would you do??

To check out my living room design inspiration, CLICK HERE

For all the updates on our renovation and the reveals to date, CLICK HERE

image sources 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

How to Add Color to Your Home with Rugs

Decor

As you may have noticed, I’m a bit obsessed with neutral interiors. Our house is a whole lotta white (as you can see here) – in a good way if I do say so myself. But I do want to inject a bit of color here and there. A colorful rug is the perfect way to add a touch of personality to a neutral room.

Especially if they look as good as these hand selected Moroccan rugs from Australian company Tigmi Trading. I would like one of each please!

While the neutral beni ourain rugs have been the design de jour, I’m loving the look of these pink, peach, and magenta tones. They feel fresh, modern and interesting. A rug with a mix of peach tones can looks soft and warm, while a rug with a black ground can look really dramatic (obsessed!).

You could make a major statement with a really large rug in a bedroom, but these rugs would also look good in smaller versions for use in a bathroom, in the kitchen or in a walk-in closet. You could even create a the ultimate outdoor setting (though you wouldn’t want to leave it out there obviously). While you need to be a little brave to take on such a bold color choice, the best thing about a rug? It’s easy to swap out for something new!

For our design inspiration archive CLICK HERE.

Idea to Steal: {Layering Rugs}

Bedrooms

If you’re like us, you’re constantly looking for fresh ways to give your space an updated look. But unlike clothing, the whole “out with the old, in with the new” approach isn’t as practical or realistic when it comes to room decor. That’s why one of our go-to room makeover tricks is to play with rugs. We’re always adding or swapping them, but recently we’ve been kind of obsessed with layering them!

There are a few different approaches you can take when it comes to rug layering. First, there’s the tried and true combination of a bold patterned or textured rug with a neutral base. Layering also works when you take a more organic shaped piece {like a cowhide!} and pair it with a traditional rectangular rug {love this one!}. Another option is to choose rugs of various sizes and patterns, but that are of the same general color palate–like what’s happening in the image above. So good.

If you’re craving even more design tips and tricks, click HERE!

Copy by Editorial Intern, Ali Hartwell // Image via Yatzer

On The Hunt for The Perfect Rug

Decor

The loft is currently undergoing a MAJ nesting overhaul. We’ve flipped floors around {quite literally, our bedroom is now on the ground floor!}, repainted, reorganized and sadly, had to get rid of our team Apartment 34 office in the process.

While the room was a great for an office space, now our bedroom occupies the only room in the loft with uncarpeted cement floors and things are feeling more than a little cold! And needing to get up a million times a night to care for a newborn {eek!!}, we need a solution to this situation asap! A rug is the answer – it instantly warms up a space, adding texture and dimension, but finding a well made, timeless option isn’t always so easy. So we’re on an intense hunt for the perfect rug!

But what to do? We could go graphic with a bold print. Or be uber “now” and go Moroccan. I love the way some rugs instantly bring color or pattern to play into the space! I’m slowly turning the corner on the idea of injecting color into the loft, but per usual I’m leaning towards something in a neutral color palette at the moment. The great thing about a neutral rug is that it could quite literally more from one room to the next. From the bedroom to the living room, play room or dining room, investing in something that can be a utility player around the house {and in my case, from one house to the next!} is so important. I’m really loving the options that Loloi Rugs has to offer. The sophisticated prints will stand the test of trending times and they have quite the selection from tribal to contemporary!

Now, just to pick one! Which rug do you vote? I’m leaning towards #5. I’d love something really graphic with a hint of black, but they’re all so gorgeous it makes it hard to decide. I would so appreciate your help on this one. I can’t wait to get something soft over that concrete.

Our feet thank you for your advice in advance!

image 1+ 3 via Home Adore // 2 via Artek

This post is in partnership with Loloi Rugs. All thoughts and opinions are 100% our own. Thank you for supporting posts that keep Apartment 34’s doors open.

Loft Life Refresh for 2015

Decor

After being settled in our loft for nearly two and half years now, it’s easy to feel like there isn’t really much more for me to do design-wise. Given the small space, we’re pretty set with what we’ve got. But as I finally finished getting all the holiday razzle dazzle put away, I was really getting the itch to make the space feel new again…without making any major changes. With the new house renovations about to get going {finally!!}, I’m looking to tread design water for a while. And that’s a tough pill for a constant rearranger like me to swallow! I’m quite confident many of you can relate.

To scratch my decorating itch I surveyed our main living space looking for one little change that would have a big impact – and I think found it! By making a simple switch up, our living room suddenly feels brand spanking new. Can you spot what’s different? {You can check out before shots here!}.

I swapped our living room rug! Tucking my lovely shag Moroccan into storage for safe keeping, I wanted to bring in something with a bit more pop and this bold graphic option from Loloi Rug’s Alder Collection was just perfect! Loloi Rugs is a bit of a hidden gem since they’re a wholesaler, so be sure to ask your favorite design store or online retailer to add them to their rug line! Laid down right on top of our existing sisal, there was no need for a rug pad – the sisal adds the cushion needed to buffer the rug’s flat weave. I love that the new rug is nice and neutral, yet the geometric print adds life to the room without being overpowering. Coincidentally, it also played right into my current obsession with camel + black decor.

After that, all I needed to do was remerchandise some of my existing accessories! After having all the holiday ~~crap~~ accoutrements around, I’m in a very minimalist mood. Instead of adding things, for this update I focused on taking things away. I swapped pillows from the office for a new look on our window seat, switched around some hides {decorating secret weapons!} and rotated in my favorite snake plant, a couple design books and only a choice selection of knick knacks. If I wasn’t loving looking at it right now, it was out {lucky for Goodwill!}.

My proudest little DIY moment? Reurposing some empty frames for a fresh focal point over our fireplace! I’m hesitant to invest in any new art until I’ve finalized the design direction for the house, so this is the perfect placeholder. A few strips of 3M stickies and voila – a little abstract gallery wall should get me through the next few months quite nicely.

I don’t know about you, but I’m rather pleased with how this mini-makeover came together – and in a single afternoon mind you! {thank you football playoffs!}. The room feels clean, open, refreshed and revitalized and so do I!

Up next – making room for le bebe! Details on that to come soon since we’ve only got a couple months to go. How the heck did that happen??

More ways to update your space for 2015 HERE

A rug related DIY HERE

photography for apartment 34 by Bianca Sotelo // photobombs by Chloe & Bailey

***This post is in partnership with Loloi Rugs. Thoughts, opinions and design 100% our own. Thanks for supporting posts that keep Apartment 34’s doors open.***

This is Very Pinteresting {Kilim Rugs}

Decor

Everyone was so enthusiastic about the debut of our new coloum, This is Very Pinteresting, so we decided to keep er goin’! For the second installment, we’re talking traditional Kilim rugs, specifically in modern spaces.

There’s no denying why Kilim rugs are oh so popular right now. They bring instant color, warmth and texture to a home, balancing out hard edges and grounding the stark minimalism of modern pieces. Not to mention, Kilims bring an international flare making a room look more collected and eclectic. They look especially good in a kitchen {which tends to be the most modern room of the home with stainless steel appliances and the latest cooking gadgets}.

However, Kilims have taken a place in virtually every room of the house! Let’s have a look.

Kilim {a Turkish word} is used to describe flat weave rugs made in the region between the Balkans and Pakistan. So, to clear this up for us geographically challenged folk, that includes big countries like Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran {formerly Persia, hence the synonym: Persian rug}, parts of North Africa and Asia. Besides the intricate patterns, geometric shapes and bold colors, the main characteristic of a Kilim is that it is pileless {Editors note: there is nothing that grosses me out more than pile rugs! It must be the dog owner in me!}

Kilim rugs are one of the oldest design traditions in the world, making vintage Kilims a sought after piece in the design world, often having a hefty price tag. To find the best deals on vintage Kilims keep up on sites like eBay and Etsy. I’ve been on the lookout for a perfect blue Kilim for a while now. I found one at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and was devastated that it was in horrible condition. However, I regret not getting it because I could have salvaged the good parts of the rug and made some awesome pillows!

What do you all think of adding a pop of color and eclecticism to a modern space? Have you had your eye on Kilim too? We’ll give you our Etsy secrets if you give us yours!

image 1 via // image 2 via // image 3 via // image 4 via // image 5 via // image 6 via // image 7 via // images 8 via

This is Very Pinteresting is brought to you by our editorial intern Bianca of A Fabulous Challenge!

Subscribe via Email

SHOP THIS STORY