Decorating Question

1 1/2 minutes into new room.

<snork>

Exactly.

I love those paw prints! Hee!

Me, I'm an oriental rug fan. I have a slew of 'em -- some Actual Antiques, others from IKEA, which has pretty amazing prices for oriental rugs. One reason I like them is that the darker ones (most of mine are predominantly red with black, beige, copper, green etc. accents) are great at hiding dirt.

Here's one of mine in the background of this pic, it's an IKEA one:


truer color:

With two dogs and a baby I would not buy any carpet at all. It is a dining room and you just have to go over with a damp cloth.
It is not unusual now in Scandinavia to have dining areas without a carpet.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iJ6cjRUpQbw/SDvdWf91YLI/AAAAAAAAAWs/WmhcEA2a8kg/s400/spisestue_coastalliving_jeanallsopp.jpg

http://www.fjellerupstrand.dk/fotos/spisestue.jpg

http://www.dragheim.dk/Web_billeder/spisestue_gl.jpg

That assumes she has hardwood under the carpet, though -- many newer homes don't.

If she does have hardwood though, sure, that'd look good.

Actually, on second thought, dogs' claws can wreak havoc on hardwood, and babies don't like it much -- we have both hardwood and carpeted areas and when my kid was little she'd always gravitate toward either the carpet or the rug on the hardwood.

I have some washable rugs - two of them are sort of rag rugs (same rugs, they were cheapo, each something like 6 x 9.) I used to keep one under my easel.. My washing machine will take one of them, and when I washed both at the same time, I brought them to a laundramat for one of those big washers. And, truth be told, I've run some of the bigger rugs on a cable clothes line and hosed them down, after vacuuming. Not my best rug, though.

Anyone remember rya rugs? That's another one I wish I still had. Well, had two of those too.

Looks like ryas are still around -

I had one sort of like this:

Rya carpets are still around in Sweden anyway.
Never liked them. All the dirt which collects in the long threads. If you lost a needle or anything small you could not find it.
Decades ago it was modern to make them yourself. Seemed to be lots of fun - I never did it.

They are even keeping up with the latest news.
Here is an Obama rya. Nice looking.

http://www.ullmansmattor.se/default.aspx

When you get the page, on the left is Ryamattor, go there and down the page a bit and you will find the Obama rya.

I don´t know how to get pictures into A2K

Tai Chi has two good suggestions but with the dogs I think I'd stay clear of any authentic Persian or Oriental rugs as they are silk, wool or a mix of the two. A contemporary rug with a bold pattern would pep up the room (not make it too somber) and they are usually woven with synthetics or a mix of cotton and synthetics, and can be treated with moisture and soil repellent. I'd consider repeating the wall color in the rug, or a mix of the curtain and wall color.

That makes sense, lightwizard.

On the ryas, I was really just reminiscing, more of a tangent.

Call CSI immediately -- that looks like blood splatter!