a new bedroom rug changes everything!

I almost didn’t post this piece today.  It seems that every time I turn on the news, another horrific attack has happened and everything else seems trivial in comparison.  But I think in my own way, by creating beautiful, comfortable places to call home, it makes me feel safer.  Our homes are our sanctuaries away from all the atrocities happening in the world.  And isn’t it nice to have an oasis if even for a little while?  So here is my post:

So a few days ago I came across a Dash & Albert rug online that I thought would be perfect for my bedroom. I ordered it and soon after it arrived I decided it was time for a mini bedroom refresh. How difficult could it be?  I just had to swap out my too small World Market rug (that was always meant to be temporary) with my new cotton color-blocked Dash and Albert rug.  I assured my husband as he left for LA that I was perfectly capable of handling this rug switch by myself.  Did I mention I’m a perfectionist Virgo, artist, and a stylist?  That adds up to a whole lot of crazy!  Here’s how my bedroom looked before…

It was ok but geez that rug was way too small.  It was on sale and at the time that was the largest size they had, so I made do.  In order to get the old rug out, all I had to do was take the mattress off, lift the bed (and this bed has 6 posts instead of your normal 4), and then attempt to roll the bulky thing out. Can you sense the sarcasm? After pushing, prodding, pulling, and a whole lot of sweating I managed to remove the rug.  The new one needed a pad so that had to go under first. Now for the rug… I lined it up and after much difficulty trying to keep it even over the pad, success! Or so I thought…

Unfortunately, I was not loving that blue color block square front and center when I walked into the room.  Maybe if I changed the art. Oh, and now the bench doesn’t quite work either!  I tried many different art pieces (all on the small side in case of an earthquake).  Here’s one look…

Still not feeling it…  So I tried changing things on my “book” bench, and took out the sweet little bench at the end of the bed.  I didn’t like the watercolor painting there and was still bothered by the blue square.  How about going for a nature inspired look?  I grabbed my piece of Big Sur driftwood, stuck some screws in it, and hung it over my bed.  Now I had this…

Meh! I’d been avoiding the obvious.  I needed to rotate the rug.  Off came the mattress… again.  I managed to take the rug out and turn it around and put the bed back together for a second time.   It was getting late and I was exhausted and while it looked better, it still didn’t feel quite right.  I decided to tackle it in the morning with fresh eyes (and back).  I’d never slept beneath a piece of driftwood!

My husband laughed at my story when he called the next morning and suggested I just send the rug back.  But I felt I was getting close and I wasn’t ready to give up on the rug quite yet. Down came the driftwood.  I “shopped” my home and found a vintage bread bowl, stuck a screw and hanger in it and hung that above the bed. Well that’s kind of cool.  Then I brought back my little bench because now it works again with the new “art” (and I missed having a place to put my pillows at night!)   A few more times rearranging things on the other bench, and I was satisfied at last…or at least for now! Who knows what next week will bring.