I have a seagrass rug I got at Homegoods. I like how it looks and like you I was influenced by the same look I have seen in many mags, design blogs etc. Since it is in a room that gets little use, I can't comment on its wearability but I can tell you it is NOT comfortable to walk on in bare feet! I'm glad I didn't pay much $ for it. It is a 9x13 I got for $199. I don't how people do it who have it in their bedrooms! It hurts! Again, don't know about chairs scooted on it and dirt or spills. I would suggest you walk on it barefoot before putting it in a room that will see a lot of foot traffic.

We have sisal in our breakfast area and it's been there for 5 years. It shows no sign of damage or wear from the chairs scooting back and forth.

I imagine if tomato sauce or gravy were to spill on it that it would leave a stain, but that hasn't happened here.

We have had puppy "Ooops" incidents on the rug, but I happen to swear by plain ole Lysol spray as a rug cleaner and all evidence was removed. I spray and wipe in the direction of the fibers. If you havem't tried Lysol as a rug cleaner, try it the next time there's a spot that needs cleaning. It doesn't leave a residue that grabs dirt; doesn't bleach the color out and disinfects at the same time. A carpet salesperson gave me this hint and I am very grateful to him.

We bought the 8 x 10 rug from Pottery Barn for $400 because that was what our budget allowed and we expected it would have needed replacing by now, but it's still looking good.

Seagrass is very, very durable. I had a seagrass mat from Pottery Barn in my living room for 5 years and loved it. It stood up very well in my small, busy house. I recently gave it away because I reconfigured my room and need a different size.

Sorry to hijack your thread, but has anyone seen a seagrass or jute rug with a spa blue border? I know Company Store had them for a while but they are sold out and I would love to find one elsewhere.

Thanks

Look around for different weaves. I've had 3 different weaves and they've all been different in terms of wearability. The larger weaves hide the stains better, but can look sort of packed down if they are in a well used pathway. The larger weaves are also comfy on the toes. Surya and Feizy are two companies to look at. Jute and seagrass are more durable than sisal.

Bnice, I just asked a similar question; I'm considering a seagrass rug for my dining room. Coincidentally I just got the latest issue of House Beautiful and it is chock full of fiber area rugs! Here is the cover:

And another view:

I also love the look and am almost certainly going to go for it in my dining room. Well, the rug if not the glorious decorator room above :).

Ann

We had a sisal rug under our dining room table in our last home - I think we used it for about six years. There were no problems with the chairs damaging the weave, but they definitely will stain. Not good if you have young children, but otherwise, I would get one. They always look great.

I love sisal, but I use it under my kilims and orientals. It's relatively cheap, which probably explains the reluctance of the carpet store. You can also get a sisal/seagrass mixed with wool, for more durability.

Runninginplace: Thanks for the pictures! I could just move right in. I like everything about the top photo! I knew the white slip covers would add work (cleaning) but the look is so fresh and I love that you can change pillows and make it look different. And the natural rugs help to "make" the look. I don't know if the room will come off with a nylon carpet/rug made to look like sisal. Easier on the feet, and easier to clean etc., but not the look the magazines keep showing. I am worried that if I order the nylon carpet/rug and put the room together, it will somehow be disappointing, without the natural rug to anchor it.

Any comment?

I have a seagrass rug in my DR (no kids) and I love it. It's a little scratchy to walk on, but we don't use this room everyday, so it really is fine. No problem pulling chairs back. Here's a pic before I got my chairs in there. Got mine from Overstock (8x10) for a great price. I really love the look. Still looks brand new.

Metromom,
I just saw a jute rug on Pottery Barn's website that is called "Chenille Jute Basketweave" and it has a Porcelain blue border and Restoration Hardware also has seagrass rugs with silver sage borders. They might be close to the spa blue you were looking for. Good luck!
Scooter

I have both natural and polypropylene rugs. They wear like iron. Easy to clean. No problem with chairs.

The polypropylene rugs look the same as natural fiber ones. You can't tell the difference by looking. I do think they seem to stay cleaner than natural fiber ones, but then my polypropylene rugs are not as old as the others either.

The natural fiber ones seem to darken with age and of course that would not happen with polypropylene rugs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Polypropylene Rugs with Sisal Look

I had a few sisal area rugs in our previous house and the runner on the front staircase was also sisal. These came with the house and would not have been my first choice. They were not comfortable to walk on, specially on the staircase!

Most stains will come out if cleaned right away. I was unable to completely remove a wine stain that I didn't discover until the following morning. If you get gooey stuff on them, it is best to let it dry first and them brush and vacuum.

I, too, am a sucker for the sisal rugs that I see in just about every decorating magazine. However, we did get one, two actutally, from Pottery Barn and were disappointed. Not in the actual product, per se, but in the wear and tear and comfort factor. Now that we have a toddler and one on the way I wouldn't be able to have the sisal for the comfort factor alone. My little one would have had bleeding knees if we would have kept them. Also, even water stains the rugs and I found mine hard to clean. I'm really exicted, though, to hear that the sea grass might offer the same look with better wear and comfort. That look is so great :). I'm actually considering on from RH that is a tibetan striped rug b/c I thought it *might* have a similar look.

Good luck deciding! :)

Scooter, thank you! I swear that Pottery Barn one wasn't on their website last week. But it's perfect!

I had one in my last home and I found the cotton boarder edge difficult to keep clean. It was beige, so I think a dark boarder would show less dirt. I had mine in a high traffic kitchen area. I love the look also, but I could not keep it looking good

I think you have to be prepared that they may not last as long due to stains. I have an inexpensive PB sisal in my living room. With cats who sometimes throw up, it's a pain, though any rug is that way. The care instructions say not to wash the rug, but I would haul it outside and scrub the soiled area with a little bit of soapy water, and rinse. That didn't seem to be a problem with this particular rug. Someone else I know, however, had one under their kitchen table (believe it was the same one from PB though), and all the food spills from the kids destroyed the rug. The Woolite rug cleaner and whatever other products she tried also left stains. She hated it. I also knew someone who was working with a designer. She was told the rug was a bad choice with kids. That rug might have been a wool/sisal. It was a very expensive, fine rug. The light color might have been an issue with the designer too. She decided to get it anyway, along with white upholstered pieces, and just replace if they were trashed.

The edge on mine rolled up at a corner or two. Not sure what you can do about something like that.

As far as texture, I was surprised it was so rough when I first got it, though now I kind of like that stimulating feel on bare feet! I'm usually in socks though, so it doesn't matter. It's tough on kids, though, when they get down on their hands and knees to play.

Your rug store probably doesn't want to deal with unhappy customers or those who want returns later, as it's just not a rug for everyone and the spills/stains can be a problem. I guess it's possible that their performance varies between manufacturers, as they may put stain resist treatments on them, or the quality/type of weave, etc., as someone above mentioned.

I absolutely love the look of the natural woven rugs and will be venturing in again, though won't spend lots of money on it or expect it to last forever.

Wow, some great information from some ealier posts regarding sisal flooring...but no one mentioned wall to wall which is what I am thinking of doing in the bedroom....it is expensive and has to be glued to the floor, ugh!! anyone have experience with sisal wall to wall??

I would stay away from gluing it to the floor. If you have a large enough piece that goes up to the edges of the room, with enough weight it should be fine. This will save on installation, and will be easily removed down the road saving expensive "reversing" costs should you want to go back to hardwood or other.

on another note, these sisal rugs are still in style, a lot of celebrities have them in their homes, they are durable if you get good quality from the right company

Here is a link that might be useful: Chuck Liddell and Simon Cowell like

Love the look of this type of rug altho don't have one. I've read that seagrass does not stain like sisal tho and is washable (presumably one would hose it off outside). Might be something to research for those planning to buy.

I have wall to wall sisal in my home in Arizona. I LOVE how it looks, and would even like to put it in my home in Utah (hubby says no) I've had it about 10 years and here's the truth. It stains EASILY. You cannot put water on it....water stains it. There is a dry cleaning method that is used to clean it....I've used someone in phoenix to do this, and it worked like a charm, even on the areas that my dog did his business on. But this last time we had it cleaned it left white marks all over it...still trying to figure out how to proceed with this. Another thing, it can leave splinters in your feet...not often. It also miraculously seems to have stains fade over time. There once was a red wine stain on the carpet where my husband dropped an entire bottle of red wine. We had it professionally cleaned, but it was still there, until one day it seemed to disappear! Water leaves the worst stains of all go figure.

I ordered a custom size seagrass rug for my foyer and cut it to fit around the stair case that descends into the middle of the entry. It looks amazing and gets a ton of traffic. The border is darker so hides dirt well. About a year in and still totally satisfied. I probably wouldn't want babies crawling on it a lot but I find it to feel great on my bare feet, in a good massage (not soft cloud) kind of way.

Love the look!!! When I next need an area rug it'll be on my list to search for.