Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Rugs USA.  As always, all words and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Almost ten years ago, I wrote a blog post sharing my decorating nemesis – rugs.  I just always found them so difficult to get right!  There are size considerations, materials, durability, comfort, not to mention how they work with the decor style and color palette of the room.  After trying many, many rugs in several rooms, I decided I would stick primarily with neutral rugs and those made from natural materials.  Braided jute rugs are a favorite because they are inexpensive, forgiving, work well with my antique pieces and decorating style, and feel nice underfoot.  Our bedroom is a long rectangle and really needed a large rug to properly fill it.  When I couldn’t find just the right jute rug to fit the space, I tried pairing together two 6 x 9 braided jute rugs from RugsUSA.  That worked pretty well, but I felt like a 10 x 14 rug would fill the space even better, so I kept an eye out for possible replacements.  (I have other places to use the braided jute rugs.)

I knew I could count on Rugs USA to come out with a rug that ticked all of the boxes of what I was looking for.  10 x 14 – check.  Neutral and natural materials – check.  Pet-friendly and durable – check.  Beautiful – check.  Reasonably priced – check.  Comfortable and soft underfoot – check and check.

The rug I selected is the Arrel Speckled wool blend rug from the Arvin Olano x Rugs USA collection.  I ordered it in Alabaster, but it comes in ten colors, and some of them, specifically the Verdan Green, Demin, and Sand.  I liked how quiet and neutral the Alabaster was, though, and the fact that it was labeled as pet-friendly, and good for use in high-traffic areas sold me on getting such a light-colored rug.

Since I get asked most often about how my rugs fair with two cats and a dog, let’s talk about the pet-friendly aspect of the rug.

The very first night we had our beautiful, soft, wool-blend rug in the room, I heard that sound that all cat owners know very well – the sound of a cat hacking up a hairball.  Oh, come on!  It hasn’t even been 24 hours, ladies!  It made me think of this meme that always makes me laugh.

It is just a fact of life with pets that your carpets need to be able to stand up to horks, hairballs, and accidents and my cats were more than happy to test out the pet-friendly label so we could give an honest review.  Well, I was able to clean up the inaugural hairball with some mild soap and water.  I just did a little blotting and gentle scrubbing and you can’t even see a hint of it.

The cats have been playing, wrestling, stretching, and pulling themselves across the rug and it’s taking all of it beautifully so far.

So, the pet-friendly label checks out and, honestly, it cleans up even better than my favorite braided jute rugs.

The thing I love most, though, is this rug is so, so soft.  It is comfortable, cushy, and the kind of rug you want to sprawl out on.  With a house full of hard-surface flooring, it’s rare to have such a deliciously cozy spot of floor.  No wonder it’s a magnet for the animals.  They all sprawl out on it.

We also have a luxury rug pad from Rugs USA underneath to prevent the rug from sliding on our wood floors and provide even more cushion.  I am a big fan of using rug pads and I think they make a big difference when it comes to extending the life of the rug, preventing shifting and slips, and protecting a hardwood floor.

I trimmed mine a little crooked, which is why it’s jagged!  I have found the pads are typically the exact size of the rug and, with natural rugs, there can be some variation in size, so I’ll trim off the excess to make a custom fit.

Sebastian was a little jealous that I was focused on the cats modeling the pet-friendly nature of the rug, so he made puppy dog eyes and sat in front of the camera to show that he liked the rug, too.

I feel like this rug gives us the comfort of wall-to-wall carpet, while still having the elegance, longevity, and classic look of wood floors.  It also fills the room in a way that doesn’t feel skimpy.

There is a generous amount of rug on either side of our king-sized bed, which is a nice greeting for our feet first thing in the morning.

I’m planning on putting some color and molding on the walls, so the neutral rug will look even better in contrast to that.

With so many hard surfaces in this house, I’m still playing around with the rugs to figure out the best solution for each space.  I think we have a winner for this room, though!

PS- I don’t know what Esmé is doing!