Rugs Aren't Just For Floors

I will easily admit that I spend too much time on the Internet...blogs, Pinterest, browsing the web, Amazon.  It is a bad thing because I end up sitting too much.  But is is a good thing because I find lots of inspiration.  My latest find is the website, Engineer Your Space, created by Isabelle LaRue.  She refers to herself as the love child of MacGyver and Martha Stewart.  In that story, I would be her aunt.

I Love to Design With Power Tools

In a recent blog,  Isabelle showed how she used a rug to dress up a wall in her Los Angeles apartment.

I Was Inspired

I am not very successful choosing rugs.  To be more honest...I am terrible.  I could go into detail on my history with rugs, but this blog would end up sounding like a daytime soap opera...love, betrayal and desertion.  I have four large rugs with three of them rolled up and abandoned stored in closets and the garage.  The fourth rug is the first big rug I bought and I didn't want to give up on it.  So Isabelle's wall hanging sounded great.

I have tried the rug in many rooms...too big, too small, and just when I thought I found a spot...I had to admit it was not right there also.  But I refuse to roll up this rug and hide it in a closet.

I gathered my supplies and tools...

Brian and I agreed on our plan of attack.  I measured out the boards.  Remember the woodworkers motto:

Measure Twice...Cut Once

I painted the boards the same color as the wall to help hide the legs.  We assembled the piece in the dining room because it would never fit through the front door.  

I choose to use corner braces to connect the boards rather than screws...for no other reason than it sounded easier to me.  Time will tell if there are any structural problems.

Also, I attached the rug using 1/2" staples.  The rug pile hides the staples.  The assembly and stapling was done in 30 minutes.  After all that work, I realized the piece may not fit through the sliding doors between the dining room and the lanai.   The piece is 92" tall and the door opening is 94".  Wow, I never thought to check those measurements.  

Here is the BEFORE and AFTER

Honestly, it was an easy project.  For me the hardest part was painting the boards.  I ended up with paint all over me, my fitness band and my new Sketchers!  A small price to pay to save a rug from storage.