A New Kitchen Rug!

My new kitchen rug came in the mail the other day! I have been looking for a rug for my kitchen floor for a long time now.  Most "kitchen" rugs are very small little rectangles that only "fit" beneath a kitchen sink. But those little rectangles do not do such a super job of protecting my floors from water. See, I have a dishwasher that doesn't dry too well. Every time I unload the dishwasher, there is water still on some of the dishes. So when I take them out to dry and put away, water drips on the floor. So I knew I needed a rug that would fit beneath the dishwasher and sink area since that is where I do my unloading/drying.

So I brought up a rug I had purchased last year,  from Joss and Main.

I quickly realized with my bold chevron wall that the rug didn't work with the wall. So I removed the rug and kept looking for a viable option. I kept looking at many of the Indoor/Outdoor options on Ballard Designs, but they were sold out of the pattern in the sizes I liked. Enter the Braided Jute Rug.

Braided Jute Rug from Ballard Designs

I've never had a Sisal or Jute rug in my house because I am all about softness and from reviews, I assumed that Jute rugs felt like Sisal rugs. Translated: scratchy and itchy and definitely not comfy on bare feet. (Because I hate socks, slippers, shoes, etc.)  But I read the reviews and softness was mentioned, and the only thing that had me hesitating to purchase was the fact that a couple reviewers said the rug sheds often and you should expect to vacuum daily. (Boy, talk about a turn-off. I don't think I see my vacuum but twice a month...)  But then I saw the magic words-Sale! The size I wanted was available for only $60. Sold.

The rug came yesterday. I was a little worried about the rug because when I pulled it out of the bag, the rug backing was damp. I don't know if the delivery guy had it sitting in the snow or if it was sitting in the warehouse accumulating moisture, but the rug was damp and had a bit of a smell to it. So I turned it over so the bottom was face-up and hauled out my blow-dryer and gave it a good dry. (Insanity, you may say, but I was desperate to see the rug face-up and didn't want the wet pad to touch my floor!)  Once it was all dry, I flipped her over and there she lays.

The rug is soft. Bumpy, too, like getting a little foot massage every time you walk on it. And, though it's hard to tell with the lighting in the picture, the color plays very well with the floors. I got the Natural color and it has some darker browns woven into it when you look up close. In pictures, you can see a couple stripes in the weave (which one reviewer did mention), but it's really not noticeable when you are looking at it (well, if you specifically stare at the spot you may see the stripes..but I like stripes so really, I'm not offended.)  What I like about it is that it plays nice with the wall. There's no fighting going on between patterns or color. It also brings some rustic texture into my kitchen, and that, I like.

Also, I tested it out by unloading the dishwasher. There were NO water drips for me to clean up. I call that a successful purchase!