Rug Shopping

Memorial Day Monday was glorious here. As are the Common Rhododendrons, the real harbingers of Summer in my garden.

I like bumble bees. 

Besides gardening and taking pictures, what else have I been up to these last postless weeks?

Lots. Not all makes for scintillating copy though. But you might enjoy this as much as I did: finding a large rug for a client. I love rug shopping. Here's the short version.

Dash and Albert's Lakehouse Stripe had everything going for it, modest price, nice fresh green, white-white stripes. A 2'x3' was ordered so we could see it in real life. I still love it but not for this project. The green was not quite right and the feel was too casual for the room and the clients.

Another option, an indoor/outdoor trellis pattern from Distinctive Carpets. Stylish, hard wearing, easy to clean and can be made exactly to size. In a room with a neutral palette it will work beautifully. Not enough color for this client.

On to hand made. A 10'ish x 12' is the ideal size for this project, but an uncommon creature in hand made rugs after we factor in color, style and how much we prefer not to spend (note clever avoidance of my least favorite word, budget). For once I took my own advice, "do not overlook your local rug store" from this post When to Choose the Rug First.

Landry and Arcari in Salem, MA is my local rug store. Heaven on earth, provided your version of paradise is paved with piles of rugs. I love rug shopping.

A great summer job for young men. Carting rugs around all day might make them tired enough to get into less trouble.

Landry and Arcari has rugs at many price points, and always something interesting on sale. Like the green (might be an option) 10'x14' Soumak above. Beautiful design and a great value if you have a big room and the colors work.

These two 12'x12' Mizrapur's are a better size for this project. Tight knots and fine wool give them a lush feel underfoot.

Rich, saturated color with an overall design rather than a center medallion. This option would provide dramatic contrast for our project. The guy in the blue T is patiently waiting for a yea or nay.  His partner is out of camera shot. A yea and it stays on the floor so we can easily compare it to the next option. A nay and he and partner bundle it back up and cart it away.

The light filled showroom has plenty of open floor space to spread rugs that are pulled from the piles or fetched from the hundreds baled and stacked in the back.

Bernie Pine, Landry and Arcari's extremely knowledgeable associate.
Softer colors than the one above, has more green.

However great a rug looks on the showroom floor, there is no substitute for seeing it in your home. A reputable firm will let you take rugs home to try out. And Landry and Arcari is nothing if not top notch and reputable. Plus they'll deliver and pick up. I love rug shopping!

But I wanted to see them in situ, stat, and could not wait a few short days to have them delivered. Besides, we're strong, right? So the guys in blue loaded a few rugs into my client's SUV and off we went. I'm sure the neighbors were amused as we wrestled rugs from car to house. Let's just say they're far heavier than they look.

What did the clients end up with? You'll have to wait for the pictures. Did I say I love rug shopping?

Thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan

see more from my garden on my pinterest board