We got a new big entry rug and Charly has a new favorite spot.
The runner we got for this space a couple months ago is a perfect fit for the laundry room, so we set our sites on something bigger. Ideally, we were looking for something in the 5x14 range. So, that's nuts. I looked into a custom-sized sisal which ended up being so much more than I wanted to spend for not the exact look I wanted. I also spent some time on ebay where they have so many beautiful, large vintage rugs that are so perfect and then also $2000. Not perfect.
I am so, so glad we landed on Flor tiles, which you knew if you saw the mood board. We got the exact size we needed and this Suit Yourself design (the color is Linen) is a part of their Better Than Sisal category--great for high traffic area, cool design, soft under feet (and paws) and hi, washable. It seemed like the best possible rug for our entry with a dog in house, too. We used Flor tiles in my studio, so this wasn't our first rodeo but it was exciting all over again seeing a new design come to life.
I decided to center the carpet tiles on the floor in between the wall to the right and the banister since that is the closest space. And since our design used 10 squares in length, I laid those out second so they went from the door to under the bench. Filling in the rest was fun. I decided to have them all go the same direction, instead of parqueting the tiles--which is also a good look, but with the wallpaper going on on the back wall and the huge painting to soon be hung on the wall to the right, there was pa-lenty to catch your eye already.
The carpet itself has a subtle herringbone design that is a little random which only makes it more interesting. I love unpredictable.
Our new Target bench also got here!
Greta has already attempted a nap on it. It's cushy and the perfect size for that wall. The legs aren't quite as red as they are appearing in these photos, but I wish they were a little less saturated. Enough to strip and re-stain? Meh. The blue is a really good tie-in to our big living room rug, too. We hope to figure out a mirror situation this weekend and hang the hooks! I have never been so nervous to hang something. Putting holes into the new wallpaper? I can't look.
Happy Halloween, friends! I'm sure I'll be overgramming (@chrislovesjulia) all weekend. ;)
Ps. Looks like Flor extended their 25% off sale! Run!!
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Hello! I'm wanting to cover our ugly linoleum in our laundry room and I'm think about flor tiles! Having something soft underfoot to fold clothes and do laundry sounds appealing to me, and if there was ever a leak/spill, they can be pulled up! Question is - do you prefer the Suit Yourself in the entry or the Roadside Attraction in your office? Do you prefer one over the other? Also, is the linen really "creamish" in real life or does it feel light and bright? Thanks!
I love this look and that you can make your own size! Did you have to adhere it to the tile at all? We seem to have issues with our rugs sliding/not staying in place so after our very energetic dog runs by a few times the rugs can be couple feet from where they originated (we also have tile floors)!
It doesn't adhere to the tile, but they stick to each other with "flor dots." They also have a kind of rubber backing that keeps them in place, which is something we needed for our dog that loves to slide into home as soon as Chris walks in the door.
I love the Flor Tiles. Can you tell me which color of Suit Yourself that is?
Linen!
Hi Julia! I voted all black and I would even go so far as to paint all your interior doors black as well...The house looks great - LOVE, LOVE the wallpaper!
Thanks, Jackie! The doors are on our radar.
I think the black & white combo is less visually distracting. The spindles kind of disappear and your eye is drawn to the beautiful lines the handrail makes. I also think it's the better choice if you are going to do a gallery wall there. But that is just my two cents. Haha!
Ugh, this comment was meant for the other post, but I guess you figured that out already. I'm blaming a long evening and lack of coffee. *facepalm*
I LOVE Charly!!!!
thanks for showing us these intermediate phases before the reveal, it is really helpful. When I first saw the mood board I had a hard time envisioning it, plus the wallpaper was a surprise. However, you are quiet skilled and it is coming together. I love it. I also loved that you as a family decided that your original layout was not working and you weren't afraid to change it and start all over.
PS that wallpaper looks better every time I see it. Guess it was just a bold shocker at first. The space is really shaping up. Alison
Much better size than that old "too skinny" rug. Don't know how you keep the floors that clean with a dog and children! Happy Halloween to you. Alison
This looks gorgeous! do you have the link to the bench?
Here ya go, Brittany!
http://www.target.com/p/mid-century-modern-bench/-/A-15089309#prodSlot=medium_1_9&term=bench
This looks much more proportional and really cozy too! Did you end up with a different size rug than 5'x14'? Those tiles are about 20" each, so it looks like you'd end up with a 5'x16' rug? I'm asking because I didn't have good luck cutting Flor tiles in the past so wondered if you just went with the size you could get or did you cut them and if you did - HOW?!?!
Yes! We decided to just keep it 5x16--we definitely weren't opposed to something a little longer. I have never tried cutting them. They say to use a new blade in a box cutter going from the back side. No dice?
The FLOR tiles look so interesting....but not very plush underfoot compared to an actual rug. Is that accurate? And the other thing I would be concerned about would be visible seams...in the photos of your space that doesn't seem to be an issue though. It is such a cool product, but I am afraid to pull the trigger! I think your awesome runner is definitely convincing me though.
No. These are low pile, for sure. Which is what we wanted for the entry. However, they are very soft--especially compared to the jute we had in place before. As for seams, from experience, they kind of fade away with time and vacuuming, ;)
May I ask why you're putting the bench and wallpaper on the wall by the half bath instead of the wall at the top of the stairs? It seems like that makes more sense as a feature wall... and that's where you initially had your bench, etc.
Hi Karen, I talked about that decision in a few past posts, but to summarize, in the long term, this entry will serve more for guests than us. We will come through the garage and utilize the future mudroom. So after we threw together the bench and hooks, we realized a few things were wrong with that setup. 1. The hooks were front and center right when you walk into our home--which wasn't a very pleasant entry. 2. We had to keep the bench slim because that wall sticks out and we didn't want it crowding the entry. Moving the bench and hooks to the back wall solved both of those problems and we plan to hang a painting on that first wall you see. For us, it was a way to have form and function. Hopefully as it all comes together, it will makes sense to you, too.
So wait- (possible dumb question), do the tiles adhere to the floor? I'm confused how they stay in their formation without budging.
I definitely should have put that information in there! Not a dumb question at all. The tiles come with what they call "flor dots"--basically large transparent stickers. After everything is where you want it, you put one connecting every 4 corners and the edges, too. They say after 2 hours, the bond should be so great that you could move it around like a whole, but also be able to pop one off to clean if need be, too. Really a very cool product.
That sounds like a dream product for us floridians because homes are mainly tile so having a large area rug for a fraction of what most large dimension rugs can run is a dream come true. Gonna keep this product in mind until we get a house!
Love Flor! Not only do they fit odd sized spaces-- but when a dog, ahem, "stains" part of the rug, you can lift out the square, rinse it and put it back. We switched all our area rugs to Flor tiles this year! And now that we are mid-move-- I can reconfigure them and add more squares if necessary!