DIY Painted Rugs

Well summer is officially over.... This summer we have jam packed as much as humanly possible in the short time we had off. I kicked off the summer in Atlanta, then we went to Wisconsin, near the Dells. The kids were on a swim team that practiced every morning until late July. Dana and I traveled to Switzerland. The kids did a week long camp up at Clear Lake, we visited friends at Lake Witmer, went to Holiday World (the greatest kid's water/amusement park ever...in my opinion) and spent labor day up in Harbor Springs in Northern Michigan. Whew! It has been a great summer and we had a blast but now it's time for what I crave most, routine! Oh, and what I love most, staring at my house (in silence) and re evaluating what should change next:) Dana and I had an 8 hour car ride to and from Michigan to discuss a couple things coming down the pipe for the house! The first of which requires a lot of garage time, a mask and a couple bottles of bleach! Look out neighbors!! And I can't wait to reveal a client dining room I have been working on for some time! We took a shopping trip last week and I am excited to see it all come together soon!

Until then I want to share something I have been obsessing about and is on my project DIY list for fall/winter. Painting my own rug!! So intriguing to me to be able to control the colors and the design to create the perfect statement piece for a room. 

I have always been under the impression that a rug can be like a great piece of art! Now there are so many cool stencils out there you could use to create a unique design. If you are like me you have a million samples of paint colors piled up in your basement and what a great way to finally use some! The possibilities for the canvas are endless... a cheap cotton rug or an old tired sea grass or natural rug you already had, a piece of canvas from the craft store or even a drop cloth from the hardware store. So without further ado and since pictures tell the best stories... here are some great examples!

First I will start with a Moroccan inspired painted rug done by one of my favorite DIY bloggers, Sarah M. Dorsey Designs. She used a plain Ikea rug and a stencil she cut out of plywood to design this amazing rug. It looks awesome in her room, yes?!?

via: Sarah M Dorsey Designs

via: Sarah M Dorsey Designs

Here is another simple design but looks so great in the room. I love the gold, a huge color this year and a perfect rug for a kids space. This design was made on a cotton Ikea rug and the full tutorial can be found here.

Above photo and three below via: Emily Winters

I was stunned when I saw this DIY Aztec painted rug on Nellie Bellie Blog. The best part, she painted the design on a drop cloth.....yes, a drop cloth! I love the colors, the detail and the uniqueness of this! Do you agree?!?

via: Nellie Bellie

via: Nellie Bellie

via: Nellie Bellie

I love the idea of making a traditional Persian rug design like the one below!! These babies are expensive to buy but they are versatile enough to go well with modern, eclectic and traditional design. Because of their lofty price in the stores I would love to try one like this! Awesome. 

via: My Hands Made It 

via: My Hands Made It

We have all seen the cowhide and other animal print rugs and they can be very expensive! Love this copycat look on the cheap! This awesome tutorial is on the Home Depot site! Here are some snapshots of the process and you can get very detailed instructions on the link above. 

Above photo and next three below via: Home Depot 

via: Pinterest

So what's it gonna be?! You could find a cool rug and recreate it or design your own! Would you DIY paint a rug??

To see more of these cool painted rug options link to House Envy Blog on Pinterest. I also have some cool painted wood floor options pinned on the rugs board. 

And...If you don't already....

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Hope you enjoy and cheers!! {Laura}