Area Rug Round Up

Our living room rug takes a beating. We are not a “no shoes” household, Paul and I eat dinner at the coffee table EVERY night, and I am generally a spill-prone person, especially when I’m trying extra hard not to spill. I’m also inclined to change things up, frequently. Hence, we got a new rug (pictures coming Friday)! Considering we live in toddlerville at the moment, Paul and I made the collective decision to buy inexpensive, comfortable rugs and continue to switch them out every 2-3 years. 

I scoured the internet for discounted rugs, hitting up the usual sites: Wayfair, RugsUSA, Overstock, Ikea… I was finding plenty of rugs I loved, but not at prices I could live with – especially knowing Roswelle will inevitably spill milk on it soon after its arrival. My mom suggested I look at the rugs on HomeDepot’s website. I skeptically browsed the site, and was pleasantly surprised to find not one, but multiple affordable rugs that I actually liked, even loved! (this post is not sponsored, but it might as well be)

Below I have categorized my favorite area rugs at price points of $300, $600, and $900; all from HomeDepot.com. My advice when searching for your new rug is to keep it simple, keep it classic. I have fallen into the trap of buying a trendy rug, hello espresso Chevron 5x8 rug of 2012 (if you search back far enough on the blog, you will find it!). Everything about it was wrong, the pattern was trendy, the color was bold, and the size was WAY too small – none of the furniture even touched the edges! I’ve come a long way since then, and I now select complimentary, comfy, cost-efficient rugs.


I haven’t personally tested these rugs, so I would rely heavily on customer reviews if considering to purchase.  I will say the return process is seamless.  I had a rug shipped to my local Home Depot store, changed my mind as I found a similar, slightly less expensive one at HomeGoods, and was able to return the rug for a full refund from the store without ever bringing home! We are in need of a new bedroom rug as well and I will be returning to this list when I decide to buy it!



Area Rugs // Under $300


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 1 |  2 |  3 | 4 | 56 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12




Area Rugs // Under $600

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Area Rugs // Under $900

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (on sale now!!) | 5 | 6

Itsy-bitsy Back Patio



I've lived in our Dorchester townhouse for 4 years and I can't believe it has taken me this long to make use of our back patio.  It is super small but it is such a game changer in the warmer months.

This past Mother's day all I wanted was to fix up the teeny space. One Ikea trip, one amazon purchase, and one trip to Home Depot; we were set. I've detailed the items with source links at the end. When we set this up in the beginning of May, we were coming out of a very chilly, gray "spring" so I added lots of color to the space; hence the variety of selections in flowers. I'm looking forward to changing the style of the flower boxes in the different seasons.

Every morning I have the same routine.  Paul gets Roswelle up (mostly because she literally wakes up calling out for "da-da") and while they say their good mornings, I go downstairs to flip on the coffee, open the blinds/windows, and open our kitchen door to our little back patio. We have a screen door that keeps any pests out but lets the cool morning air in and opens up our kitchen for a breezy, feel good start to our day. I will grab my cup of coffee and spend some time outside clipping any dead leaves and checking on the soil. Roswelle loves the task of watering the plants. Even if it is only a few minutes, it can be a really meditative way start the day.

To really appreciate the update, I feel that before pictures are in order.

And now onto the details...
Lucky for me, my mom, who has a wonderful green thumb, was in town to help.  I was clueless!
{line any baskets with some strong plastic to help with water absorption. We cut up a large trash bag and it has worked well}

{make sure to poke the lining with skewers or a knife to allow healthy draining}
{start with one layer of soil before adding your plants}
{look outsdie the box and up to hanging baskets! repurposing the flowers to boxes is a great option}
{break up the rooted soil before re-planting}
{thank goodness for IKEA when decorating city spaces}


1. Amazon Flower Boxes  (comes with coconut liner)
2. Ikea outdoor rug
3. Ikea Table and Chair set 
4. Potting Soil
5. Miracle Grow Quick Start
6. All flowers were from Home Depot