Put a rug on it.

Rug shopping is the worst. Who's with me? They're either cheap, like, way cheap and cheap looking, or so expensive. And for something that expensive, you kind of want to see it in person - feel the texture, the weight... and even still, for high-traffic rooms, do you want to spend a lot of money on a rug that may not hold up over time? And I feel like, even if you live in a bigger city with more in-person-shopping opportunities, stores really don't carry that many rugs. It is for this reason that I've suffered through this cheap Target rug (nothing against Target, it just hasn't held up well over an extended period of time) that hasn't matched our kitchen (it was green when we first moved in) in two years... through snags, paint stains, doesn't-even-kind-of-hide-dog-hair-ness, and a lot of "I'm so sick of looking at you."

Not the worst. And in another space, I wouldn't have such nasty feelings about it. But we've both been SO over it for so long, I want to call it lots of mean names.

Well, over Christmas, the woman who used to live here got a catalog for Ballard Designs, a company I'd never heard of before. On the cover was THE RUG. I showed it to Brad and he seemed mildly swoony over it as well. And it was an indoor/outdoor rug, which is perfect for all the wear and tear (and dog hair) it is likely to endure. And it wasn't too expensive, and it had a ton of positive reviews. So we finally just went for it and FINALLY ordered a new kitchen rug - our new kitchen deserves it, right???

Three days later (seriously!), she arrived.

It's not a big room so it's hard to get a good photo that shows the full effect, but it really ties the kitchen together. It's sturdy material that doesn't seem likely to snag the first time a dog catches a paw on it, and, so far, it seems to slightly repel and/or camouflage the blonde tumbleweeds. After a lot of slippy and slidey [Brad and the dogs], it did require a giant rug mat - but now it's solid. It's not soft - I wouldn't want to cozy up and take a nap on it - but it is exactly what we need. And I do believe our little friends approve, as well.

I like it over here....

I like it far...

I like it near!

I suppose I like it with HIM, too.... ;)