So now we’ve moved house, I now have two nurseries to create - one for Dexter, and something slightly more girly for the new baby (although not pink. Repeat. NOT pink). To say I’ve got a job on my hands is an understatement. Dexter has some bunting up, but his room still looks incredibly bare, and I have nightmares thinking about the neutral carpet in there. Although he hasn’t discovered the wonders of felt tips yet (on our firs attempt last weekend he bit all the tips off), it’s only a matter of time before he gets his mitts on a bottle of something fragrant from the bathroom and decides to squeeze the contents on his carpet.
I’m a massive fan of rugs from a protection stance. They may have slipped out of vogue for a while, but they’re absolutely back in and essential for a modern-day family where every room has cream carpets and off-white walls. As this house is rented, it’ll just give us peace of mind that the brand new carpets in here will stay bright and stain-free (think runaway-bum-changes and spaghetti-throwing… sigh…).
For me, rugs also bring a bit of personality to a room. We’ve just gone and bought a huge long pile rug for the lounge (who needs slippers when you have this under your feet), and they’ll be one in both of the children’s rooms too. In a rented home where you can’t paint the walls, rugs are often the ideal opportunity to add splashes of colour.
As Dexter’s room is currently white with a hint of blue, I’m thinking I’ll use a blue rug to tie everything together. He had a sheepskin rug when he was tiny, but now this has turned a curious shade of brown and really needs to go. To warm up the room I’d like something really quite big (his room is a double in its own right) and eye-catching to hide a multitude of sins and counteract the whiteness of the walls. These are the current front-runners from the children’s range at Inhouse Rugs. I really like the idea of the ABC or racetrack ones so he’s encouraged to play and learn in his bedroom.
For the baby, her room is much smaller. Current plans include a yellow and grey theme that is appropriately frilly without screaming ‘Girl’ at you from 5 miles away. I already have a grey mini cot from Mokee which I absolutely love. As I plan on breastfeeding in there, we’ll have soft lighting and relaxing colours that look as nice at 3am as they do in the sunlight. I plan on popping a distinctly more adult rug in there that will help keep the room lovely and warm for late night feeding. Here’s a mini moodboard of my plans! What do you think? Too grown-up?
With this in mind, here are my favourite coordinating rugs. I really like the idea of adding extra texture by plumping for something soft and shaggy. I can already see my nappy-clad baby rolling around in the long pile. If nothing else - it’ll be great for photos!
What do you think of my choices?
In collaboration with Inhouse Rugs
