If you’ve been following the commentary accompanying my original post, you know that lots of people have had lots of opinions on this topic. However, three clear favorites have emerged: the white and black damask, the pink and green circles, and the black with large pink and white dots.

Many of you brought up good arguments for and against certain choices. For example, a popular concern seemed to be that lint and dog hair would be a nightmare to keep off a mostly black rug. Duly noted. (Although truthfully, I am not all that concerned about pet hair since the pugs aren’t allowed in the playroom. They have a hard time differentiating between dog toys and kid toys, so we’ve found it’s best to just keep them – and their pointy little teeth – away from the playroom completely.)

I am definitely not a vacuuming freak – in fact I seriously hate vacuuming – so I know that lint might be an issue with a black rug. That said, the pink and green circle rug so many of you are fond of is primarily white, and to tell you the truth, I’m a little more scared of Playdoh, magic marker and dirt than I am of lint – enough so that I have pretty much now ruled out that rug.  (I know, I know – I’m sorry!)

That leaves the white and black damask rug:

White and Black Damask

and the black rug with the pink and white dots:

Pink and White Dots

So, here’s the funny thing.  Right before the holidays I’d pretty much decided on the black rug with the pink and white dots. But then a friend suggested that the combination of the dots on the valances, accent pillows AND the rug might be too many dots to squeeze into one space. I really did not want to hear that, having spent over a year trying to decide whether or not to buy that rug, and FINALLY HAVING MADE  A DECISION!

Well, me being me, I completely panicked and started the rug search all over again. I looked at dozens and dozens of rugs. I narrowed it down to a few favorites, then added several more I could live with, and opened it up to a vote.  Strangely, or maybe not strangely at all, before the voting began, my two favorites were the the above mentioned black with pink and white dots and – you guessed it – the white and black damask (I never would have thought I would want damask for that room, but it’s really a great rug.  I especially love the wide black border – it provides such a nice bit of punch.)

So now, I am once again torn.  I thought I might leave the decision up to Chloe but her (completely unaffordable) solution is to buy both rugs AND the circle rug and “have them all!” Yeah. Not going to happen.

The dot rug will show more lint. The damask rug will show more dirt. I worry about the white areas of the damask rug getting really dirty or stained, but truthfully, the white and pink areas on the dotted rug are just as vulnerable to dirt and stains.

I’m so conflicted about this. Could you tell? Maybe the fact that I’m having such a hard time deciding means that I need to keep looking???

Sigh!

I can spend months researching something as simple as a kitchen faucet. But even if I do eventually place an order, I will drive myself crazy wondering if I’ve made the right decision. I’m always absolutely certain I could have found something better – the “perfect” whatever – if only I’d searched a little bit longer.

What does this any of this have to do with Photoshop, you ask? Well, we really need to find a rug for the girls’ playroom. As you’ve seen in recent photos, the floor up there is rather bare and uninviting.

playroom in its current state

I’d love for Chloe and Ginger to be able to sprawl out comfortably while they play or read books, but that isn’t really an option on the cold hard floor.

As for what I’m looking for in a rug, I suppose I do have some ideas. For example I’m fairly certain I want some sort of pattern or print. I’m also pretty sure I’d prefer a rectangular rug to a round or oval-shaped rug, as that would provide the girls with more sprawl space.

The playroom has PLENTY of green in it already, so I think something black, white and/or pink would make more of an impact than something predominantly green.

The rug should be soft and comfy but also shouldn’t be so babyish that the girls will outgrow it in a year or two. Size-wise, I think 5′ x 8′ would be about perfect.

Did I mention that I don’t want to spend a bundle?

A pretty long list, I know. You’d think such a long list would narrow the field a bit, but honestly, it doesn’t. Basically, I’m now considering hundreds of rugs vs. the thousands I was considering prior to creating this list. So that’s where YOU can help. I’m thinking I should take a poll.

Maybe it’s inauguration fever, but I thought I would “rock the vote” and ask if any of the rugs below strike your fancy. Or do you think I should run straight back to the drawing board? (And by “drawing board,” I mean Google image search and Photoshop!)

So, what do you think?

Do any of these scream “Pick me!  I’m perfect!” or do they all leave you wanting to demand a recall?

White and Black Damask

Black and White Damask

Black with White Dots

Black and White Floral

Zebra Stripe

Large Pink and White Dots

Black and White Swirl (Whoa!)

solid round rug

Pink and Green Circles