Disclosure: For this post I received gifted product from Annie Selke. All opinions are my own and always will be! Thanks for supporting content that keeps Jojotastic going.
Did you know I used to design rugs for a living?? Yup! Because of that, I feel like more of a rug expert than, say, your typical lifestyle blogger. After 5+ years of designing rugs, I know the ins and outs of what goes into making rugs, why they cost what they do, etc. But I digress… because I’m here today to share my deeeeeep love of Dash & Albert rugs from Annie Selke, especially the indoor/outdoor ones. They are just so wonderful and I highly encourage you to consider using one in your dining room! Yup, an outdoor rug inside… here’s why:
Hot Take: You Should Definitely Get an Indoor/Outdoor Rug for Your Dining Room
Before I dig into the overall reasons why I suggest an indoor/outdoor rug for your dining room (or kitchen, entryway, bathroom, and kids rooms for that matter…), I want to make sure it’s obvious which rug is shown here! We chose the Marlo Shale Indoor/Outdoor rug. It’s a gorgeous, neutral shade of creamy white and rich charcoal woven into a pattern that feels like the best possible mix of a stripe and plaid. To me, it feels a bit Scandinavian, which is exactly the look I wanted for our cabin.
Ok let’s dig into the specifics:
Durability
As you can see, our dining room is the center of our home and very much a ‘pass through area.’ Because of that, we really needed a rug that could handle a LOT of foot traffic. I also feel like dining room rugs see a LOT of action when food is dropped and chairs are pulled out and pushed in. So the name of the game for a long-term dining room rug solution is durability.
Without getting too technical, Dash & Albert rugs are made of 100% polypropylene that is woven by artisans. This material is great because it’s classified as ultra-durable, water-resistant, and UV-treated. That means when you’ve invested in a rug you love, it will actually stay the color you want! We have a LOT of windows in the cabin, so I’m really pleased to know I won’t have to worry about fading from the sun.
Low profile
As much as I love a deliciously shaggy, high pile rug, they don’t work especially well for a dining room. First there’s the trip hazard aspect, but also a thicker rug can impede pulling out a chair. And don’t even get me started on getting food and spills out of a thick rug…
Our indoor/outdoor rug is only about 1/4″ thick because it’s a flat weave construction, meaning that it does not have vertical surface detail like tufting. If you prefer to have cushier rugs in your home, you can always add a rug pad underneath.
Washability
I highly recommend an indoor/outdoor rug for your dining room because they’re also washable and scrubbable. Also, I didn’t realize this until I was reading more about the Dash & Albert rugs, but they are bleachable, too!
To clean our rug, we regularly vacuum and shake it out outside every couple of months. This helps to keep the pet head tumbleweeds to a minimum!
Pet-friendly
This is the biggest reason why we chose an indoor/outdoor rug for our dining room. The fact is that we have 4 pets, 1 of which is a puppy. We definitely need everything in our home to be able to withstand all of the abuse they can possibly throw at it! This rug is easy to spot clean with soapy water as needed (note that Dash & Albert do not recommend machine washing or machine drying). For a deeper clean, I plan to take the rug (along with all of our others) outside for a hosing down and line dry this summer.
I will note that sometimes the corners of the rug flip up when the pets are playing. A bit of double-sided rug tape is great for holding it in place.
Mildew and Mold Resistant
It’s also worth noting that indoor/outdoor rugs are mildew and mold resistant, which is especially great to know if you have young children who spend time on the floor.
Soft handfeel
This is where my former textile design nerdiness comes out… there’s just something DIFFERENT about Dash & Albert indoor/outdoor rugs. They are truly softer than any other similar outdoor rug. And the funny part is that I’ve never known why. I’ve even had a former employer who shall remain nameless request that I design a rug in the same quality… and it still was not the same softness. I don’t know what dark magic they are doing, but this rug definitely does not feel like an outdoor rug at all.
Affordability
And lastly, I am always amazed by the price-to-quality ratio of Dash & Albert’s indoor/outdoor rug qualities. The size we have in our space is 5×8 and it cost $386 (disclosure, they gave me this rug in exchange for sharing it with you, but I have and will continue to buy their rugs myself in the future). considering how well made and soft it is, this is an amazing price for a rug that will hold up longer than other options.
So tell me: do you have any outdoor rugs inside your home? I’d love to know what you think of them and why you chose them!
