Rug Search

We are getting close to the decorating phase of the basement remodel and I can almost taste it.  I enjoy most other parts of the process just as well, but I think this is my favorite.  It is definitely the most fun.  No work, all play makes a happy wife and mom.  I keep telling B that I'm really not that hard to please, but for some reason he doesn't believe me.

To give you a quick update on the progress, the floors are all down and the molding and doors are up but I still haven't started tiling the shower in the bathroom.  That is pretty much the final piece of the contruction phase that is left.  Until I get the time/courage to do that, though, I am investing any free moments into finding fun, affordable, kid-friendly decor.  We already have a couch.  It's a white/blue stripe sectional that we have barely used.  I know what you are thinking, "didn't she just say "kid-friendly decor" and "white" all in the same breath.  Yep, I did.  But thankfully we were smart in our pre-baby days and bought the couch slipcovered and with scotchguard protection as well.  And I say "we" in the loosest sense of the word.  I'm honestly less worried about my son destroying than my husband.  I'm sure there are a lot of you out there that can relate.

At the moment, my current obsession is with rugs.  I want to warm up the space a little (not heat-wise, just fabric-wise) and make it a little cozier down there.  I have looked at a few online, but its so hard to tell how it feels if you aren't there to touch the fabric.  I am leaning towards an indoor/outdoor rug so that we can just hose it off if it gets dirty, but I'm worried it won't be very soft.  My next option is to do a berber material and keep it plain.  I did that for the stairs, but I am just worried it will be too boring.  The walls are a blue/gray, the couch is blue and white and then I would get some sort of blue solid patterned berber rug......hmm.  It just seems too blah.  Definitely practical, which is what I need....but I want it to be a little fun down there.

Any other suggestions for a durable, comfy, soft-ish, cool rug style for a basement? 

Here are some that I've been looking at so far on Dash & Albert:

The first one is wool and the second two are indoor/outdoor.  I used to like hooked wool rugs until I spent most of my days sitting or playing on them.  They shed a lot and I hate having the fibers all over me and my son.  We currently have one in our living room (from Home Goods) and although it has held up pretty well to constant wear and tear and its relatively comfy, I am just not sure I want to go down that road again with the basement.  The last rug from the photos above is a rope pattern which I like.  It's sort of boring since it's just one color, but the darker color is good for kids (or husbands) and the pattern gives is a little something.  I know I said I didn't want berber because it was boring and this is pretty much the same, but I am a woman and I change my mind.  All the time.  Even in the same 5 minutes it has been since I typed about the berber.....ah well.

Long story short (sort of), I bought a groupon for a local Rug Store - The Rug Merchant in Rockland, MA, so I need to buy the rug from them.  Groupons are great, but that means that I'm limited to the brands they carry.  So far, I know that they definitely carry Dash and Albert, but I'm not sure who else.  I will keep looking for inspiration photos and keep you posted.

Worst case scenario, I can always buy a rug for the guest bedroom/office in the basement or the second bedroom upstairs if I really can't find anything for the living area in the basement, but I would really just like to focus on one project at a time.  My brain (and my pinterest searches) can only handle so much at once!!