What rugs!

H B , I have seen people spend an incredible amount of time picking out their perfect sofa, the perfect paint color and perfect rug and when done put a generic mass produced non-collectible painting copy on the wall. While there is nothing wrong with that if the person likes it...it does takeaway a bit from the overall. In some cases the mass produced cost is more than one could get an original painting for. A painting that would be more of a "look" into who the home owner really is. It can't be money because one can even go on eBay and have some good choices under $100 directly from artists. So, I'm trying to understand.

I think probably the same amount. Though I have to admit most of my rugs (Persian) are family hand-me-downs, so I didn't have to think too hard about them!

I prefer vintage/antique rugs; vintage/antique accessories (I collect English transferware among other things); and original, antique, and vintage art, mostly lithographs, maps, and other prints.

My rugs are all orientals, picked up on my travels. None is especially valuable, but to me, they ARE art. Same as the things I have on my walls. You won't find any of them in a mass produced, choose your size, version.

I do, but that's because I make both the art and rugs within my house, I don't buy them :)

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jmm1837 agreed... :)

Coming from someone in the rug business, this isn't surprising - hahahaha :)

I like to call handmade rugs, "Art You Can Walk On". Rug-making factories use machines to follow codes repeating knots at exact repetitions. Rug weavers that use the looms invest their time into the art of individual knots. The talent of rug-making shows in every single loop.

My rugs are all Zapotec, picked up on my travels to Oaxaca, and I hang them on the walls. I do have one on the floor in front of the sofa, and it is the only one that is a more traditional geometric pattern. I've given most of my rugs away or else sold them, and I haven't been to Oaxaca since 2005.

All of the art that I own is very personal, and a fair amount of it is in storage, as I do not have room/walls to display all of it. I do rotate art, however, and this helps encourage my brother to paint more. The ceramics/pottery that I have are hand-made and signed. A large percentage of my friend are/have been artists, I have collected a lot of their work. I am not averse to prints, but I do hate seeing text on walls.

We have just a couple of rugs (mostly rubber-backed bathroom ones!), but our house is full of art representing some 50 years of combined life/wanders/collecting. Same with other "decor" -- I might buy a table lamp to fit a room, but most of the rest was bought because when I saw it, I (or Spouse) Had To Have It, after which it was just a matter of deciding what went where...

I get so much pleasure from my art collection, mostly by local artists. It is one thing I splurge on. I am more frugal with rugs and accessories, especially if they are mass-produced. Original art adds soul to a room.

I have much more art than I have rugs, so collectively I've put more time into the art. But most of my artwork was purchased rather impulsively (none of it is terribly expensive, though much of it is original). I'll then stick it in the room where I think it looks best. I don't think I've ever tried to find just the perfect painting for above the sofa (or any other wall in the house), so I haven't tended to obsess over my art purchases. I probably have spent more time looking for "just the perfect piece" for other people on these boards than I have for myself.

I love my artwork, but neither the purchases nor the display were particularly "thoughtful." The framing, maybe, but not the selection or the hanging of it.

I spent years looking at artwork before I purchased. I didn’t spend a huge amount of time choosing my rugs. I am also very thoughtful regarding my accessories. I am now having my bedroom redecorated and the designer we are using is using my favorite painting as inspiration for the room and sitting room. The rugs, bedding, sofa, bedside bench, and chairs were all chosen around the painting! My painting is very neutral so all the furnishings are going to in beiges, greys and creams and white, can’t wait!

I have two expensive rugs, one in the living room and one in the guest room. The one in the guest room was my dining room rug at my previous home, but that's the only room here that is large enough for it.

My other rugs are temporary, if you will, and I have no rug in my dining room for now. They're outdoor rugs because my grandkids can play on them without worrying about spills and damage. When they're older, I'll purchase better rugs.

I love original art and support my local artists, or artists in places I visit. My most expensive painting (by Jacob Cooley), I gave to my stepson as it was purchased by my late husband before we were married. I also have antique botanicals. I have a few temporary place holders on my walls -- awaiting the right piece -- I had canvas prints made of photos I took in Paris.

Accessories -- I also have many original North Carolina pottery pieces, some truly old, some newer art pieces. I have original art sculptures, too. In my dining room, I have antique ironstone, Waterford crystal and Murano, but with a casual feel. I gave away all of my Greek pottery to my son, since he's an archaeologist and was with me on the trip, and he later worked on Crete at Knossos and another dig.

I'm obsessed with pillow covers! I always look in Paris for more, and I tend to buy a lot from West Elm, Pottery Barn, Serena and Lily, and Crate and Barrel -- to change the look from season to season. I rotate the covers.

Our floors throughout are brick, as ours is a modern, all-adobe hacienda. Rugs, large and small, are pretty much from the Middle East, which is also normal out here. I have always had an eye for what I like and what will look good in our home here. Whether it's rugs, accessories or art, I just immediately "know". I wish that it was equally as easy for me to read and understand technical directions or insurance policies!

You have a very good question... if I had unlimited funds, I’d have beautiful rugs. I wondered about the mass produced art, I think some folks are just looking for “tried and true” images that either they like and/or match their decor... perhaps they don’t have any art interest themselves, so choosing mass produced or common art ensures that the choices are fully mainstream? Personally I make art, Love art, and thoroughly enjoy the orIginals we have all over the house. Plus a few prints (engravings, etchings, by artists, signed, numbered etc).

We only have two area rugs, and we did spend a lot of time choosing them. They were both purchased for our living room, where we spend a lot of time on the floor with kids and pets, so we had high expectations in terms of both quality and aesthetics. The first one ended up feeling too small. It took me a long time (years) to find just the right replacement. Other than that, we just have a couple of entry rugs that aren't as special.

Choosing art and accessories is just a different process, not necessarily less thoughtful. I can think of only one prominent spot in our house where I had in mind what I wanted (size and "feel") and actively sought out the right piece. All other art we have was purchased because we came across it and loved it, and finding where to display it came later. There's another spot where I have something in mind and hope the right painting or print will come along, but I'm not going to go out looking for it.

This is a terrific thread, one reason I spend more time with the art than the rugs -- not as comfortable selecting (and paying for) rugs...eastautumn has articulated some of those thoughts, thank you!! Our art -- we have picked it up when we liked it, and found places to put it after....but sometimes that has taken some time to figure out, and moving pieces around. Rugs -- well, usually one has a location in mind first? We have wall to wall carpet in our LR and I was contemplating whether it would "work" to put a rug down (for more color, to cover all stains, to help pull a main area of the room together)... but I definitely feel more like a fish out of water trying to figure that out!

More. My mother didn't take me to art galleries from the time I was a wee gal for nothing!

The art and some accessories are far more important than most of the rugs I currently own. I have a few smallish kilims and hand knotted rugs but the room size ones usually get replaced every 6-8 years. The art on my walls are all originals, either inherited or purchased locally and I've never wanted to replace any of them.

Good question! Whenever you see an interior in a shelter magazine, website or designer portfolio you can best believe there has been a lot of consideration on all the furnishings. I never recommend rushing into purchasing anything just because you have an opening on a shelf, table or on the wall. Carefully consider all your purchases whether they are $50 or $50,000! Here's the main criteria: do you love it, does it give you joy? If so, then proceed with the purchase. Good luck and have fun!

I obsess over EVERYTHING that goes into my house! Yes, EVERYTHING! About the only thing one can go cheap on is a rug and then it's getting a seagrass rug, not just a "cheap" rug. Cheap art, cheap lamps - takes away from everything else.

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Whether it's rugs, accessories, artwork, window treatments etc. all should be thought out. There is not one that's more important than the other! They are all part of the "grand plan".

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I think if I add up all paintings and drawings(not incredibly expensive), and netsuke and ceramics bought from galleries and festivals and travels, and some fabrics..I'd be able to afford a rug I like.

But since I can't buy just any rug either..it should be something I absolutely love and most likely wool and hand knotted and blahblah..I simply don't have a rug

So I pour thoughts into rugs they just never come to any fruition lol

Art, I'm very impulsive..I know that so I can wait for months and years..sometimes I make myself wait if it's more expensive than X..if I obsessively return to it it means it's THE art. I can give myself a week. Or several months, as with last painting

(now I'm afraid to open it. By the way. They shipped it in a tube..I have this fear I'll cut it when opening or something. Maybe I'm a bit afraid to meet it..))

Some art, I know what I want...approximately..because I saw it many years ago and can't find it anymore. I know where it should come from though. Will it be same or different I don't know. The artsist was very old even back then..in his eighties or nineties..

But when I'll travel I'll plan for these galleries..where I might have a chance of seeing this piece. Not neccessarily this one..but the one that'd hit me as hard as that painting, many years ago..

Remember "Judith"? I won't go into it too much..but it changed my life, to some extent. I m not sure I became happier. Not now for sure. It's a process. But the ability of somebody other's imagination and talent to transform itself into that storm that shakes your existence..it makes you wonder about many, many things. It can cover you when you cold and hold you-and uncover you when you hold on to these covers for your dear life. And you never know when and what and how..until you see it..sometimes not until you look at it for a long time.

So I have things that make me smile, and make me think and make me dream and make me remember. Some are so happy and some are painful. I don't know how they live together. I guess a house is like a person. It contains many things. At some point you understand that all of them are you. You can present them to the world or not. That you can choose. And will change with time, as we change a bit too. But they're there.

thank you for opening this thread justerrilynn..it was on my mind but in some unfinished form..and I couldn't shape my thoughts..well not that I can do now:)

by the way I realize I'm much more okay with "unfinished" than probably many other people..including houses..maybe because unfinishedness has this Mona Lisa's smile about it...

We have three oriental rugs bought within an hour in the first store we visited and have loved them for years and have also switched them up in different rooms to give them new life. We knew what we wanted and could envision how they would make the room and us feel, so didn't struggle. Art is a bit more difficult for my husband and I to decide on, given the vast array of artists and styles and evolving tastes. Don't spend a lot of time on selecting commonly found accessories such as pillows or drapes, lamps, etc. given they are the first to go to update a room for little cost. The items that I cherish from travelling or special gifts are keepers though; have masks from Thailand, Bali, and Africa; Japanese and Chinese charcoal drawings, an ostrich egg from Africa, carved boxes from various islands and an Inuit sketch. My parents both painted, so house is full of their art and I feel very fortunate to be able to remember my dad and with my mom being 94, her art is important to me as well - not sure my kids feel the same though!

Aprilneverends, I love the way you write.

Hubby and I love going to local art galleries and have been doing so for years. However our last home had very little space to fill with art, and we also lacked the funds to invest, as we were saving up for kids' college educations. In that home, the rugs played the starring role, as we had several orientals, all of them gifted or inherited (i.e., not what we might have picked ourselves). We let the rugs guide us in decorating the rest.

Now that we are empty nesters and have moved to a place that is perfect for showcasing art, we are enjoying art shopping with a purpose. We deliberately painted all the walls white, to showcase future art we'd acquire.

Downstairs we have spacious walls that we are slowly filling with art we love, so the two rugs are understated and meant to be more of a backdrop. Upstairs (our bedroom) there is less wall space for art so we went all in on a patterned carpet which is as our designers called it a "design moment" in and of itself.

As for accessories, I prefer minimalism and less items to dust / dust around, but otherwise I suck at picking out accessories and deliberate forever. For me, shopping for accessories is a dreaded chore, but shopping for art is a hobby.

thank you so much Yayagal..

Sometimes yes! Accessories. art, and rugs can be that special piece in your room that you are proud of to have showcased. Lets say you got a beautiful painting from a trip and you decide to hang above a console table by your entry. The accessories surrounding it doesn't necessarily have to match it complete or clutter it. They need to compliment it (for example by color, shape, size) and help showcase your prized piece!

More. Much more. Nobody looks at rugs.

When people look at my home they see my history.

And I don't do 'accessories'.

I'm fairly minimalist, and everything has some meaning in my life, and it doesn't come from a décor store. I've been fortunate to know many talented people, and I've collected as I can.

I totally look at rugs. A rug can be art. Just ask the people who hand knot them! I also love spending time at an arts festival. I live pottery, and folk art, blown glass, you name it!

More. To me, most rugs are decor (even though I do have an antique persian rug from my husband's family that I like and value). Art is something more permanent. I don't imagine ever every getting rid of the art I have. I have a personal connection to most of the artists.

Art resonates with me on such a personal level. It evokes emotion on so many levels and in so many ways. I read so much into it. I personally don’t feel that way about rugs, they don’t speak to my soul. I did see a quilt at the Smithsonian that resonated with me as it had hair woven into it.

With me, EVERYTHING is permanent! I don't buy accessories that I tire of and replace. I buy wonderful things that I will cherish forever. I'm not a fad kind of gal, and I detest stuff that looks "cute" from gift/accessory stores.

My daughter could not afford good oriental rugs for her LR and DR when they bought their house 19 years ago; 19 years later with a child going to college next year, they still can't. They bought custom sized seagrass rugs for both rooms, and they still look fabulous. They are the perfect choice when one must spend ones decorating budget on other things but doesn't want a cheap "place-keeper" rug. One will often see them in the grandest of English country houses - they work well with antiques or contemporary furniture. Great design works everywhere.

"Nobody looks at rugs." They do at my house. Maybe that's because I spend as much time choosing them as choosing art ;) And in looking at my rugs, just as in looking at my art, people see something of my history and who I am.

The rugs say that I've spent time in the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent, that I like tribal art, and that I'm not afraid to hang rugs and "rug-like objects" on my walls as art as well as place them underfoot.

The art says I've got eclectic taste, like different materials and media, and do not buy art as decor. Some of the first things I bought, over 40 years ago, have been in homes on four continents and there's always been a place for them because they're important to me.

Same goes for the "accessories" (and I confess, I'm no minimalist!) I love the shapes and workmanship of a lot of Islamic things - trays, water jugs, even a chapati container. But I've also got a couple of beautiful bowls inlaid with mother of pearl from Fiji, some Greek ceramics, Murano glass, a framed piece of a Hindu temple door, and a Haida carving from my native BC. Essentially, these are the story of my life.

None of my things were expensive or are particularly valuable - but they matter to me more than the most perfect Persian silk carpet or the most expensive oil painting because I can tell a story about each one of them.

To me rugs, even nice orientals, and furniture, can be shopped or chosen, but I really don't think you can shop for art, except maybe as a placeholder. Because we are moving to a new and very different house, I spent much more time choosing the oriental rug than art, because although my old rug was beautiful and in great shape it was too forma, but I love my art and I am not buying anything new for the new house (although there is that small watercolor I saw at a gallery last weekend that is haunting me). I never have shopped art for a room, it chooses me, or speaks to me, and invariably it finds a home in my home. In fact, I still remember buying my first real original art 43 years ago when I was 19 and at university. It was a large watercolor of a country road that I bought with money my Dad gave me to buy a new coat. I happened across it, kept thinking about it and going back to see it while holding on to the coat money (my old coat was fine). It has been in every place I have lived since then and will hang in our new master. I still wonder what lies down that road.

Accessories are a passion, since I collect antique Chinese porcelain, and I don't even want to think about what it cost, but I need to have it around me, and have loved the journey and the learning, which has given me such a great appreciation of it. I have oil paintings, watercolors and drawings, a good number painted by my husband but also bought over the years in many different places. Without these it wouldn't be my home, but I've also spent quite a bit of time on buying Oriental rugs (and then agonizing over my choices here). To me everything in a house should be carefully thought out, but on the other hand I have cheap furniture picked up here and there so I don't always follow that rule. When it comes to buying a new couch or a piece of porcelain, the porcelain generally wins out. It's one of those things you can't help, your heart goes off on its own without any attachment to the head.