OVERSTOCK has great rugs. Don't know if they ship to Canada..I got an entryway and family room rug, and a friend just got a dining room and fam rug. Excellent prices and huge selection of wool rugs.

Your ID is absolutely correct that a viscose rug will not last like a wool rug. If you need a rug that will last for decades, or virtually *forever* then wool is the better choice. However, I've found that I like to change things more often so don't expect things to last forever and have had viscose rugs that lasted 'long enough'. They are much cheaper so one doesn't expect longevity.

I'm in Canada also and since HomeSense stores are located near metro areas so there must be some rugs stores within driving distance. I have seen great quality rugs at the Bay and nice but lesser quality rugs at Sears. There are Sears outlets in many small towns and you can return easily there. There are also rugs at Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart altho admittedly not high-end. Urban Barn is in 5 provinces and has contemporary rugs. If you are in BC or Alberta there is Jordan's which has very fine quality as well as less expensive repros. Ikea has some nice rugs altho not high-end and you can order online.

Here are some online possibilities altho I'd recommend checking with the BBB and online for reviews.

"Select Rugs"

"Alexanian" is a company with a long history.

If you want to buy Fair Trade rugs you can order online from "Ten Thousand Villages"

I have had good luck finding wool rugs on-line at Tuesday Morning.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tuesday Morning-rugs

Tuesday Morning does not ship to Canada.

I have a viscose rug from HomeSense, At first every time we vacummed it lost a ton of fibre. Then I did some research online and found out that you must never use a vaccum with a beater bar on viscose. We bought an inexpensive Eureka Maxima vacuum on sale & the rug has been holding up fine. We don't wear our shoes in the room, but we do have a cat.

Although I do like the rug, it was bought to fit in with the things that were already in the room. If I could do it over I would look for a rug that really 'spoke to me' with colours and pattern that I really really love, and then use that as the starting point to begin decorating the room from there.

Hi, I have looked around at wool rugs but haven't found anything I like as much as the viscose rug. I don't want the rug to last forever, but would like to get at least 5 - 7 years out of it. My ID's position is that a wool rug is much more classic and elegant, which is why I believe he's nudging me in that direction.

Also, his rationale is that if you're going to decorate around a rug and spend some $$ doing that, it should last. I guess I'm thinking 5-7 years should be OK and hopefully it won't be that difficult to find another rug when the other one shows wear.

Hard decisions, hard shopping....decorating is a lot of work, isn't it?

I would avoid a viscose rug like the plague. Buy a good wool rug and not have to go through this in 5 to 7 years...IF it lasts that long.
Viscose soils and holds dirt...wool is self cleaning ( sort of!)
I can't imagine spending thousands of dollars decorating around a cheap rug.

How much traffic is this room going to get? Is it the daily meeting place for a gang of teenagers watching tv and playing video games, with the associated snacks, or it is used in the evenings by you and your DH for a quiet drink and chat?

A viscose rug won't hold up in the first instance, but could last for years and years in the second instance.

Also, how often do you like to change things? Do you want to buy a rug for thousands of dollars and have it for 8-10 decades? Or do you prefer buying less expensive things and changing them out every 10 years? Neither way is right or wrong, but if you have a preference for one or the other, it is good to know that, so you spend your money wisely.

I have a small, 2x3 viscose rug in front of my front door. It's about 10 years old and gets stepped on daily. It's doing fine. Will it last another 10 years? I doubt it.

On the other hand, my sister has my great-grandparents' wool Oriental from the 1920's. It was in their dining room, my grandparents' dining room and our parents' living room. It's a bit worn around the edges, but the center of the rug is fine, having been protected by various dining tables over the years. It's in Sis's living room now, and clearly has a lot more life ahead of it.

IMO decorating one's home should be fun, not a lot of work, but there are many things to take into consideration and it's not something to be rushed.

I have viscose rugs that have lasted for many years, just depends on how much abuse they get.

Does your ID want you to buy the rug *thru* him? In that case he may be making more money on a more expensive rug. Otherwise he's giving you advise which you may or may not take. I now look at a lot of the decor I buy as being semi-disposable as I am retired and play around with my decor more than I did when I was a busy working Mom. Even tho many at my age are not planning to redecorate much I hope to redecorate my house several times before it all becomes my kids problem! Therefore I have no intention of spending many thousands on a rug. I also won't buy top quality upholstered pieces altho still want good quality. I'm decorating exclusively for myself and don't have to impress anyone.

Really what you buy depends so much on where you are in life and your own personal requirements, not what anyone else thinks might be best for you.

Camlan and Luckygal have brought up some excellent points.

(If Lindac comes to visit I'll just roll up my viscose and hide it in the closet, but my laminate floors might be just as offensive LOL)

As long as your viscose rug isn't ruffling and isn't stained and scuffed, I'm fine...Laminate floors?? maybe not so much! LOL! But if it's a choice between laminate and asbestos tile...I'll take the laminate!!

many many years ago, my father told me that the most expensive things I buy are the cheap things. The chair you have to replace in 4 years, the coat that begins to look saggy and out of shape after the first season. His advice was, if you can afford to buy kitch or temporary style, go for it, but it's not the best use of your money.
So it you are OK spending a bundle decorating around a temporary rug....and are willing to spend the time trying to find something else that goes with your room when the viscose rug is toast....go for it! But if your feeling is...lets do it now and not worry about it for a while....then look for a good long wearing rug.

Thanks for sharing your ideas, experiences and opinions. My decorator doesn't get any $ one way or another, he is just saying I guess what Linda (and/or her father) is saying...buy quality so you don't have to go through this again in a short while.

I don't necessarily need the rug to last a long time, but I do want quality. So I will continue to search for a wool rug. The viscose rug is from HomeSense and I think I have 30 days to return it, so I think I'll return it on Day 29, then buy it back again, just to give myself more time, just in case I don't find anything in wool.

Thanks, I will continue to do research and educate myself about area rugs, and hopefully can find a nice wool rug that I like as much as the viscose one!

Do you have pictures of the rug you like?

Hi gmp3, I do. Attached are a few photos of the area. I will be replacing the carpet with hardwood floors, medium colour. I will be keeping the black piano and maybe the 2 wing chairs, but everything else is going.

I was thinking that getting the area rug was the first step in my decorating plan, then choosing the other elements around the rug. With this rug, I love the colours (brown, grey, ivory, taupe), the pattern and the way the hint of black really picks up on my piano.

Hi Fillagirl, Overstock does ship to Canada now.

I love your existing area rug and your little dog is cute.

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Remember, too, that with a wool rug, the tighter the weave, the better the wear. I had a wool oriental in my dining room for 17 years that was a low quality, loose weave. After 17 years, it was worn & haggard. But it served its purpose very well -- a dark, patterned rug that didn't show stains and held up to years of growing boys & their friends playing games in the dining room. (Also three cats inflicting their share of damage.) I bought it knowing it wasn't quality, expecting to replace it after the family years.

My "good" oriental with a really tight weave, on the other hand, looks as good as it did when I bought it in 1988. It has spent its life in rooms that weren't heavily used, but it still has had a fair amount of traffic on it, plus strong sunlight, the occasional spill, and more than a few hairballs. I haven't babied it, that's for sure.

I have a viscose rug that I put under my dog dishes. DIdn't really give it a lot of thought other than the size worked and it went with another rug we have. It wasn't expensive enough to fret over. I've had it there a couple of years, with drips from the water bowl and a recent barf that I stuck under the faucet to clean up -- then put it outside to dry. By accounts I've read recently, it should be ruined now. I'm about to put it back down and it looks fine. Do I expect to pass it down to my sons? No, but I doubt they will care either way.

I'd love to know what Fillagirl decided, whether she kept the rug in the pic or opted for something else (it's been two and a half years since she started this post). I just bought my second viscose rug from Home Sense. The first one is still holding up fine. If money was no object I would look into wool, but until I win the lottery viscose will have to do.