My FLOR Catalog Feature + 3 Types of Family-Friendly Rugs That Work with Kids and Pets

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Guys — I have some pretty exciting news to share with you today! (Spoiler alert: If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know what I’m about to say.)

If you get the FLOR catalog in the mail and haven’t looked at it yet, go check out pages 33 and 34. Here’s what you’ll see:

I am still over here pinching myself.

I was beyond thrilled and humbled when FLOR reached out to me and asked if I would answer a few questions for inclusion in their spring 2018 catalog.

Some of you probably already know this, but I’m a huge fan of FLOR rugs. In fact, we have two of them in our home — one in the kids playroom and another in our dining room with our IKEA Henriksdal chairs. Yes, they were a bit of an investment but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. I love that they’re not only pretty and available in tons of colors and patterns, but more importantly they are SO GOOD if you have kids and/or pets in your home. They’re highly durable and very easy to clean. We’ve spilled coffee and juice on them, and my kids have taken markers and crayons to them multiple times, and in four years there’s only been one stain that I couldn’t remove. Not a bad track record if you ask me!

Which brings me to what I want to talk about today — the three kinds of rugs that are appropriate for those of us with kiddos and pets in our homes.

We all know that creating a stylish home that stands up to active family life has its challenges, but if you know the right materials and finishes to look for when you’re decorating, then the process becomes sooooo much easier. And this goes for rugs too. Rugs always take a beating (at least in my house!) and need to weather plenty of dirt and spills, making it SUPER important to get something that’s going to be both beautiful and durable.

Here are the three kinds of rugs that are the most family-friendly, and why they’re so great, explained in plain English for you as opposed to designer-ish terms. You’re welcome!

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FLAT WEAVE RUGS

Flat weave rugs are great because — you guessed it — the material of the rug is tightly woven, meaning that the fibers don’t sit too far off the ground. Compared to plush rugs that seem to be a catch all for every crumb imaginable, flat weave rugs make cleanup easier because dirt and spills typically don’t get ground deep into your rug.

What’s even better? There are a TON of great-looking flat weave rugs available, many at awesome price points. If you’re in the market for a new rug and want to make sure the options you’re looking at are indeed of the flat weave variety, you can always Google “flat weave rugs,” or look for terms like dhurrie and kilim, two popular styles of rugs that are both flat woven. Many natural fiber rugs also fall into this category (pro tip: Overstock is a great spot for finding good seagrass or sisal rugs).

Here are a couple of my favorite flat weave rugs:

INDOOR / OUTDOOR RUGS

For high-traffic areas, indoor/outdoor rugs can be an amazing choice. These bad boys are often made of synthetic materials and are designed to stand up to spills, crummy weather, and more….so naturally they’re more durable than some of the more plush options out there. They are also not as soft underfoot as other options, but that’s one of the trade offs when you need your rug to hide dog hair and apple juice stains. I mean, am I right about that last part?! That’s life, you guys.  #momproblems

My one word of caution about indoor/outdoor rugs is that some can look cheap. So if you’re interested in going this route, stick with a tried and true retailer like Pottery Barn that has an excellent selection of high quality indoor/outdoor rugs. Annie Selke rugs are also a go-to — yes, they’re a bit pricey, but they’re very well made.

Here are a couple faves for ya:

CARPET TILES

Carpet tiles are amazing for so many reasons, many of which I mentioned above when I was talking about my love of FLOR rugs.

First, their durability can’t be beat. And if one or two tiles fall victim to a really awful spill, the good news is that you can simply pitch those one or two tiles and replace them, saving yourself the hassle and cost of buying a brand new rug.

While a handful of retailers sell carpet tiles (including Home Depot which has a pretty basic selection), FLOR is my absolute favorite. FLOR rugs are both durable AND aesthetically a step above all other carpet tiles I’ve come across.

Now even though I’m a total fan girl of FLOR, I do want to address a concern that has come up among you guys a couple times now. When I’ve talked about FLOR before, a few of you have commented on being overwhelmed by the process of basically putting together your own rug. The beauty of FLOR, though, is that you can either pick and choose all the individual carpet tiles you want, OR you can browse their selection of pre-designed area rugs. If you go the latter route, they’ve already done the work for you and have created a foolproof design, which in my mind totally takes the pressure off.

For example, we have the Kensington Blossom area rug in our dining room and I freaking LOVE it. (See below!) If you’ve stayed away from FLOR before because the process/design pressure feels overwhelming, I promise you it’s not!

Here are two of my favorite FLOR area rug patterns,in addition to ours shown above:

FLOR area rug in Cut Corners

FLOR area rug in Reoriented

Now it’s your turn! Do you have any of the rug styles I’ve mentioned above? What do you like or dislike about them? And what other questions can I answer about finding rugs that don’t fall prey to your two-year old?! Leave me a comment below!

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