this thing's incredible

The Giant Rug My Instagram Followers Always Ask Me About Only Costs $80

Photo: Rio Viera-Newton

Two years ago, my sister asked if I could help her out on a shoot for her brand HVN. At the time, I was moving into a new apartment, and was about a month into looking for a new rug with no success — I’d spent weeks frustratedly hunting through $1,000 pieces the size of a bath mat. Which may explain the fact that when I got to the shoot, my eyes went immediately to the backdrop she was using to photograph the models against. It was a rug: a beautiful, bright, fuzzy lavender rug. I couldn’t believe my eyes: It was exactly what I’d been looking for — bright, cozy, and large— 6 feet by 9 feet. I assumed it was $4,000 and went about my job moving props on and off the set.

Later, I asked her where she got the rug. And much to my absolute and complete shock, she told me she’d found it on Overstock.com, for only $100 [editor’s note: The rug is available on Amazon for $80]. How nice the rug looked in person had even surprised her, she said. It was surprising — the rug looked downright fancy. After the shoot finished I began examining it more thoroughly, and while it didn’t feel as nice as it looked (slightly synthetic), every time I took my hand off it I found myself once again believing the thing was from ABC Carpet & Home. I had to have it. After some clever negotiation work (the rug would be my payment for a few days’ work on and off set), I dragged it into an Uber, and brought it back to my place.

When I got home and laid the rug down in my living room, my apartment completely changed. It went from a plain studio to a bright, lively space. And in the ensuing weeks, and months, and years, every time I’ve had friends over, the first thing they’ve asked is where the rug came from. A couple of months ago, it made an appearance in my Into the Gloss “Top Shelf.” And anytime I post a photo of my apartment on my Instagram, I without fail receive a slew of DMs, all asking the same question: “Where did you get that rug!?”

When I moved into my new apartment, I decided to take a leap of faith and buy a second version of the rug from Overstock, this time in bright yellow. I anxiously awaited its arrival, hoping that it would be as beautiful as its lavender predecessor. Once again, as soon as I laid it down, my entire apartment lit up. The yellow added a kind of warmth I didn’t even know my apartment was missing — it just looks good. Now, I’m considering springing for an orange runner for the doorway. These rugs are so (relatively) affordable, I could see my (pleasantly spare) apartment turning into something that looks closer to a colorful Overstock carpet showroom by winter’s end.

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The Giant Rug My Followers Always Ask About Only Costs $80