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February 7, 2013

Return to Ryder's Room

Its been an awful long time since we've visited Ryder's Room, but with all the attention his little brother has been getting lately, it was about time that we give this room a little spiff.  You may remember that Ry's room was one of the very first rooms we worked on in this crazy project house.  We knew we were going to tear the big dump up, and that it would be a construction zone for quite awhile, so we wanted to create a space where our little guy could find some sanity.  In fact, one of my very first posts was about building the rocket shelf for this room, quickly followed by this post about refinishing all the furniture, something I did while we were still living in The Bungalow so it would be all ready when we moved in. 



So not very long after we moved in, I was able so show you this:


This pic is from the big reveal back in May of 2011. In that post I mentioned that we still needed to find a rug for this room, but that the search was tricky.  I'm sorry to say that nearly 2 years later, my baby's floor was still bare.  I don't want to over exaggerate, I mean really, it's just a rug right? Let's keep this in perspective, it's not like I haven't bathed him since then.  But the honest truth is that his floor is really, really cold.  I've mentioned that these 2 kid rooms were additions to the house, and Ry's is the most unique, as it is only connected to the house at one wall.  That means he has 3 exterior walls, a ceiling with nothing above it and since this space doesn't have a basement, just a small crawl space, a floor with nothing below it. Virtually a cube with 5 exterior walls.  And in a Minnesota winter that means some cold piggies, no matter how high your heat is turned up. 

I've been on the hunt for. ev. er.  Seriously.  We've looked at Home Goods, Ikea, Pier 1, World Market, Overstock, West Elm, CB2, Crate and Barrel, Ballard Designs, Land of Nod... all dozens of times.  I just couldn't find the right combination of soft yet durable, and big size but affordable.  And then, finally last week, this happened.


Overstock had this huge, nearly 8' x11' chevron rug on sale for under $130.  While the black and white was a little too contrasty for me, the light blue and white seemed to be a more muted version.  Actually, the navy got my attention first, I love how the pattern is a little more subtle with the dark colors.


But I worried that this color would be too dark in Ryderman's room with his dark blue walls.  So I did a quick coupon search and found an additional 15% off, making this rug just $115 all in with free shipping.  I've been holding my breath until it got here, and today was finally the day.

Tahhhh- Daaaaaaaa:



Sorry for the dark photos, but it was dark outside by the time I got myself and my munchkins finally home from work.  So I've gotta be honest... I just don't know.  It feels a little too busy to me.


It's also really big, almost too big as it comes really close to the dresser on the other side of the room.  It would be perfect if it was 8x10 and not 8x11.


But then again maybe its just the bit of fun and flare this kid's room needs.  Perhaps I'm just used to this room being "safe?"


Maybe the duvet is too busy?  Originally I loved this Land of Nod robo-duvet, but I have to admit it has been a challenge to design around.

So give it to me straight, because I'm crowd sourcing this decision.  Do you:

-Love the rug and the room.  Keep it all.
-Hate the rug.  Send it back for something more neutral like a soft charcoal gray.
-Love the rug, but not with the duvet. (Or the curtains?) More neutral fabrics will let that baby sing.

For those that don't want to get a cramp from the scrolling, here's the before and after again:




Let the dishing begin!  And thanks in advance for your opinion!

Update: I was able to take some photos in the daylight.  Repositioning the duvet slightly made a big difference in the busy factor too.




26 comments:

  1. Love the rug! I think bigger is better considering the cold-factor of the space. It definitely competes with the bedding though... Of the two, it seems like it'd be easier to find a good replacement for the duvet than for a big rug.

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  2. I REALLY love it! If you wanted to tone it down, you could always layer a solid runner style rug across the end of it -- this would complement the big stripe in the curtains. The duvet doesn't "read" as too busy in these pictures, but I can imagine that it might compete in person, so swapping it for a more subtle pattern or solid could also relax things. How does Ryder feel about the rug?

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  3. I love it! If you have to change something, I would change the bedding.

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  4. Love the rug! But it would bother me over time that it is so close to the dresser.

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  5. The rug is awesome! Like everyone else so far, I would switch up the bedding.

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  6. Love the rug! I find that especially after I've lived with a space unfinished for a while and finally add that last piece, I hate it because I've gotten used to the "bare" space. I just hung curtains in my living room, 3 years post-reno, and it looks so cluttered to me right now since I'm used to seeing bare walls. But I think I will come to love them.

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  7. I'm going to be the voice of dissent here. I like the rug but think the navy would be more subtle while still attaining a bit of likeable contrast. I think it's the white that makes it more busy than necessary. And think how that's going to age with your very active guy; that'll be light blue and gray in no time.

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  8. I do love it. And since you got such a screaming deal on the rug, you could spend $30 and get it trimmed and the edge bound. Maybe that would help? Congrats on the end of a long search! I have a tendency to get frustrated and then buy something I don't love just b/c it hits my "price point." Kudos on your patience.

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  9. I like it as is. Looks super cute. :)

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  10. I love it all, just as it is and I personally wouldn't change a thing. But maybe if it's too busy for you--could you add a solid color bedskirt to break up the patterns a bit? Just a thought, though I think the room is perfection :-)

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  11. I have been on the hunt for a living room rug for 2.5 years! I love the rug - what a great score! It does make the room a little busy, but that doesn't bother me. Could you move the rug away from the bed wall more so the dresser is on top of it?

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  12. Love the rug. I would switch the bedding to a very neutral duvet, and switch the curtains to more neutral colours (but I still like the different colours on the bottom of the curtains, maybe just 2 colours in all would be less busy)

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  13. Have to agree w/Alana.
    The navy would have been a better choice.

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  14. I like it! And if it's cold, cover that floor up! I like all the contrast, it looks like a
    great kids room! Does your kid like it? That is what REALLY matters! :)

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    1. You're right- the bottom line is Ryder loves it. He keeps asking me, "Mama- you're not going to take my rug away, are you?" You all might have answered the question for me. Hooray for blog communities!

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  15. Love the rug, love the curtains. Don't love the duvet quite as much, but it's workable and really I don't think it's necessary to change it unless you really want to.

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  16. Love the rug--for the price you can't beat it!

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  17. Love your rug! I think every thing is just perfect for a kids room.

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  18. I would maybe do a dust ruffle in that lovely lighter blue...then you could use under the bed for storage and it would break up the pattern a bit.

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  19. I absolutely love it as is. I think the rug and bedding give the room some great texture, while the walls and curtains bring some plain action. Looks great!

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  20. I like the rug, and since Ryder likes it, that's all that really matters. If he likes the robots keep the duvet cover too, if he's over robots, a solid might look better.

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  21. I love it all. It is a very fun looking room. And your son loves it. Don't change it!

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  22. I love all the different patterns and textures! I also think it's neutral enough to grow with him as he ages out of robots, or even be used in a different room in your home. If the amount of space by the dresser bothers you, then I would look into getting it trimmed, as another commenter suggested. That sounds like an easy solution. What a steal on that rug, though!

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  23. I love the rug but I would go with a solid color duvet. That was a great deal and I love the pattern too!

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