My New--but Antique--Rug

I'm off to a late start this morning--potentially good things are a-brewin'--but I had to make time to share my recent purchase: a beautiful and well-worn antique rug now living in the den.

New Handwoven Rugs from Gypsya

A good rug, like a good man, is hard to find. And I should know because I've been on the hunt for a rug for the den and a rug for the living room (both to be layered on woven natural fiber rugs) for what seems like months. While on the hunt on Etsy, I discovered that Gypsya--a shop I've written about here before--is selling a collection of beautiful handwoven rugs.

Something tells me you'll like them as much as I do...

Rush, Rush

[Yep, that's a Paula Abdul reference; you're welcome.]

For Christmas, I received Ben Pentreath's book English Decoration and promptly began studying it. What appealed to me about the book was the English approach to interior design that Pentreath presents: imperfect, collected, aged, loved, layered. 

Aren't those adjectives we'd all like to use about our own homes?

Examining the pictures inside, I noticed a running theme, a recurrent element appearing in many of the homes featured in the book: the use of rush matting as a rug or rug underpinning. Traditional rush matting or baskets, like grasscloth or linen, is a staple in decorating with texture (and a decorating staple in England, in particular). So why not learn a little more about it?