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Hang a Rug on a Wall + Sparking Joy

by | Feb 11, 2019 | Authentic Living, Decorating Inspiration, My Living Room, My Seattle House

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Hang a Rug on a Wall + Sparking Joy

Do you ever get paralyzed when it comes to hanging things on your walls? Or maybe you just feel like you are in a creative rut and want to mix things up a bit?

Recently I spotted this pretty embroidered rug. I was instantly smitten with it. I knew this rug had many creative possibilities, too, including becoming a wall hanging!

Here’s the thing. I’m an over-thinker. I’m indecisive and a procrastinator. I will tend to wait to hang something until I’ve explored all of the options and I’m totally positive it’s the right choice.

Hang a Rug on a Wall + Sparking Joy

The best motivator for me to get something done, quickly and potentially imperfectly, has always been a deadline, such as a party. By then I just want it done and don’t even care if it’s the perfect choice or not.

Remember when I hung my plate wall? Yep, people were on their way over for dinner.

When you’ve been stuck at home due to the ‘Snowpacalypse’ that is Seattle right now, and when there is another foot of snow and ice on the way, no one is coming over for dinner to motivate you. :)

But, the thing is, I didn’t even know if I would like this rug on the wall.

I wasn’t even sure WHERE I would put it, if I did want to hang it?

And, even if I had the perfect location, I didn’t have a rod or velcro to hang it from.

Besides, if I hung it on this wall, I might need to get a new table or at least a bench to put under it because I didn’t have the ideal pieces.

My long term plan for this wall (a corner between my living room and dining room) is actually a built in bookcase, so why do ANYTHING here that isn’t exactly what I want?

See what happens in my head?

Too many thoughts.

Too many decisions.

But then I thought one more thought…what could possibly happen if I just put it up on a wall?

Maybe it wouldn’t spark joy ;-).

Well, then I could just take it down.

But we’d have two new nail holes in the wall.

My husband said he would fill them, so no big deal there.

Or … maybe I would like it.

But what if no one else liked it? Or what if they didn’t like that I hung it by nails?

Or if I was judged for hanging a rug on a wall in the first place?

If I just say that it all sparked joy, who can argue with that?

After considering the actual risks involved in this decision, hanging the rug (even by nails or in the wrong location) didn’t sound like such a big risk any more.

Two seconds later, the rug was on a wall.

Hang a Rug on a Wall + Sparking Joy

Does it spark joy?

I still have no idea. Ha! It might come down today. But then again, maybe I will keep it!

Sometimes I need to live with a decorative change for awhile to get more comfortable with it, or play around with what’s around it, in order to decide what’s sparking and what isn’t.

My initial reaction to change (or someone else’s opinion of it) doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right or wrong decision. It’s OK to live with changes for awhile, and maybe then you will feel more comfortable with them.

It’s OK to try something new or different, even if you aren’t sure it’s going to work! Sometimes risks pay off, and sometimes they don’t. But you don’t always know until you try.

Honestly, sometimes I need to just just give myself the freedom to get things DONE and move on. That alone sparks joy, no need to over-think it all!

Are you an indecisive decorator?

PS…there is still a little time to apply for my Dwelling Launch Team!

See how in my recent post: Why Dwelling is the Most Important Book I’ve Ever Written!

Hang a Rug on a Wall + Sparking Joy
Hang a Rug on a Wall + Sparking Joy

Sources:

Embroidered Rug (on the wall)

Rug on floor

Console table: flea market find

Aged Brass Candlestick

Aged Brass Planter

Faux Peonies

Bench: I got it here awhile back!

Blue and White Lamp

Shop My House

Paint Colors

29 Comments

  1. Francesca gunn

    I am constantly moving decor, and sometimes furniture, around. Not because it doesn’t necessarily spark joy in the original locations, but because I like to get a fresh look in my home. Sometimes it works out well, other times not-so-much but it is always fun for me.

  2. Franki

    Well, I LOVE IT!! Nothing intrigues, pleases me more than “unique” uses for…anything! I honestly have thought of doing this but made mine into a gorgeous oversized pillow. franki

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you! I love a unique way of using things, too. A home has so much more personality that way. I bet your pillow is gorgeous, what a great idea, Franki!

  3. Corinna - TheBohoAbode

    That is such a lovely rug! I’d never buy it because I’d be worried about pets and family dirtying it up on the floor but it sure does make a pretty wall hanging. I’ll have to look at those rugs a little more differently now.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thanks, Corinna! So true, getting creative is a great way to love something you’d otherwise be hesitant to enjoy!

  4. peggy

    Man, I completely relate to your thought process! I love that rug on your wall!! It’s perfect. I’d be interested to know exactly how you did that. Did you just poke the nails through the rug?
    I’ve had some completely blank walls since August because we painted them, and now I’m paralyzed. I want to do two gallery walls of family photos, but I can’t stand the thought of making mistakes and having unnecessary nail holes in our perfect walls. Plus, I want to hang fewer photos than before and it’s agonizing to choose which pictures to omit. And, gallery walls require perfect measuring. So…..blank walls.??‍♀️
    Anyway, thank you for letting me know that I’m not alone in my paralysis by analysis and that maybe there’s hope for me. ?

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Ha!!! Definitely sounds like my brain at times. ? Yes I just put nails through it. The rug is fairly thin and the yarn will cover the holes, so it seemed to work just fine!

    • Mommaof7

      Peggy, use Velcro command strips! I hang almost everything up with them (even large/heavy stuff…they vary in weight limit & you can use multiply per pic if it’s heavy)! No holes, easy to move if you change your mind! Go for it- you’ll be so glad you changed those blank walls :)

  5. Deanna Rabe

    I can over think things sometimes, but usually I just whack a few nails into the rug and wall, and hang it up. I’m fairly good at picturing how things will look, so I feel pretty brave most of the time! (grin) I like your rug on the wall and the lovely turquoise table under it!

    If its going to be built in book cases one day, that’ll be awesome! In the mean time this is a pretty solution to that space!

  6. Pat M.

    In my years of decorating several homes (I’m 77), I’ve used rugs on walls as decor many times. They can be inexpensive for their size and will fill wall space very well. Hallways in particular are difficult to decorate due to being long and narrow with no place for furniture, but a rug on a hallway wall takes up no space and continues decor from one space to the next. I’ve used rugs on walls where there are high ceilings and hard floors, such as entryways or atriums – and love the fact that they will absorb empty space echos. My daughter is an artist, so I’ve used her handmade work, including one-of-a-kind woven rugs just as I would a picture or canvas. In my mind rugs belong on walls as well as floors, and I’ve never hesitated. People have asked me, “Is that a rug on the wall?” and I’ve answered, “Why yes, isn’t it lovely?” And mostly, they’ve agreed. :)

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Love it! My hall was another optional spot for it, for all the reasons you shared!

  7. Jo Jo

    I had to laugh when I read this post, Melissa! I saw myself in it! I remember debating for a YEAR whether or not to hang 3 beautiful handmade baskets ( that I used to use all the other time in my old house) in my dining room. They are both beautiful and functional, but I wasn’t using them anymore because they were hid in a cabinet because Injust couldn’t “ commit to hanging them in THIS house as my design astethic “ changed”…what to do?!? First world problems for sure! So after a YEAR I put in 3 small tack nails in the wall and hung them! Hubby didn’t even notice them! Ha! So much for other’s opinions…and they remain up and I’ve using them again! They look great, btw…So silly of me to be stalled by thinking that it wouldn’t work with my “ new” design…of course they’ll work…because it IS my astethic. You are not alone, Melissa. Not by a long shot. ????

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I relate to all of this, ha! Of course it all works, we can be so silly sometimes ?. Thank you, Jo Jo. Always lovely to chat with you, thanks for stopping by. ?

  8. Jo Jo

    Oooh, also wanted to say your beautiful rug looks great in the walk! Those pretty pinks and corals are right on trend too! Your decision sparks joy in me as well! ?

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you ?…the colors were what first caught my eye, too! I love coral.

  9. HeatherB

    This totally sounds like a conversation right out of MY brain! LOL Glad it isn’t just me, and even for a “professional” like you–the struggle is real.

    BTW: I LOOOOOVE the rug–so beautiful! The colors are a bit different than I think you usually feature, which may cause your hesitation, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Enjoy!

  10. Jenelle

    I love having unusual things on the wall, and have indeed hung a rug! They are art after all, plus add color and texture and fun. :) Currently, the most unusual thing on our walls is a beautiful leaded glass fireplace screen we bought when we were first married. But three young children and two dogs do not allow for a leaded glass fireplace screen to sit on the floor. So up on the wall it went! It was supposed to be temporary, but we liked it so much we left it.

  11. Sarah

    I have used command strips to hang rugs on walls before. Works pretty well! Your rug is so pretty!

  12. Bonnie Stoltzfoos

    Yes!! I am the same way. I have been motivated by that thought above lately, that sometimes risks DO pay off and you won’t know until you try. This weekend I chalk painted my dining room chairs – so inexpensive but I wasn’t sure if it was a good move or not. I am still in the middle of the project but I’m glad I gave it a try! I think it’s going to brighten up the room a lot. :) The rug is so beautiful!!

  13. Kathie

    I bought a pretty woven rug that didn’t work on the floor where I’d intended it. I ended up using it on a dining table and it was spectacular!

  14. Patty

    The rug looks so lovely, Melissa! I love your style – especially the beautiful kitchen! The dogs always make me smile – they are the best for making a room feel loved:) It is good to hear an honest opinion from a decorator – that you, too, procrastinate or feel stuck. It makes the rest of us not feel so bad about having the same decorating “issues”! Thanks for all the ideas that you pass along to us and for being so honest – I’ve never been disappointed with anything that you’ve shared!

  15. Susan Horton

    Call it a tapestry and instantly it is appropriate for a wall!

  16. Jeannine

    Gosh, I understand completely – over thinking, procrastinating, having to uncover all the possible choices before making a decision, etc., etc. It seems my strength is also my weakness, but isn’t that how it tends to go? Impulsive is not me at all! Fly by the seat of my pants? Nope! Thanks for all you share.

  17. kathie

    I bought a pretty woven rug that didn’t work on the floor where I’d intended it. I ended up using it on a dining table and it was spectacular!

  18. Janice Boettcher

    What room do you have this displayed in? Love it!!!

  19. Mommaof7

    Hi Melissa,
    Reading this post it seems like it’s about indecisiveness, the dreaded nail holes, or even just a rug. But you spoke straight to my heart on such a deeper level than decorating. It was this-

    “It’s OK to live with changes for awhile, and maybe then you will feel more comfortable with them…It’s OK to try something new or different, even if you aren’t sure it’s going to work! Sometimes risks pay off, and sometimes they don’t. But you don’t always know until you try.”

    There’s so much truth to this. I’ve been struggling with the decision to move my Mom in with us (we’ve seen some health decline & don’t feel there are great options to care for her…but she can be tough and our relationship hard). I’ve waivered and painstakingly thought through “When’s the best time? How will it effect my marriage, our kids?” and so much more.

    The Lord has brought us to a place (literally;) where we moved in the past month to a home we think has space (basement!) we can finish and make a forever home for the rest of her days. I pray my heart will feel more and more comfortable (peace that passes all understanding!) as we take on this change…this “risk”…this new journey. We won’t ever know unless we try.

    Thank you for your beautiful words of wisdom here. Much love!
    -Shelagh

  20. Terry Ellen Cross

    Yep! That’s me, paralyzed by too many choices. That’s why the new beautiful rustic pavilion on our back deck has no furniture as spring approaches. I’m frozen by the thought of getting the wrong table which probably won’t match the chairs I wanted to repurpose oh, and what if the white paint doesn’t match etc etc etc. We may be eating on the floor. ?

 

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