m21 tip: west elm rug (blah, blah, blah)

m21 just did a mini-installation over at a client's, and one of the items included in the installation was this zig zag rug from west elm. while we're not ready to share pictures of our client's room just yet, we wanted to share the rug with you now, as it really looked terrific. you know how it is with mass retailers like west elm- we've all had experience with items that look great in the catalog, but not so great once you place them into your home- not so with this rug (8' x 10' in ivory/expresso). it looks a little bit modern, a little bit ethnic, and is far better looking in person than it's low price would suggest. m21 was just thrilled.
also, not everyone has a west elm store close by to check out the goods in person, so we wanted to pass along our personal seal of approval, in case anyone was thinking of ordering but on the fence; plus, our local west elm no longer has the rug on display, and it's not in the latest catalog, so we thought time might be of the essence as m21 has a theory with mass market furniture retailers- if he likes something, it's soon to be discontinued, and if he thinks it's boring, it will stay in their line forever...

m21 was drawn to the charmingly mis-matched legs of this pair of vintage 1940's tub chairs. they look a little sad here, but we recovered them in a bright blue woven cotton/linen, and they are gorgeous!

and yes, as promised, we'll share pictures of our client's finished room as soon as we've added the final touches- we still need to get a few more key pieces like a convex mirror from empiric, a side table or two, and the funnest part of all, shopping for lots of chic vintage accessories- can't get enough of cool old things, and they are especially important when using new retail items (like a west elm rug)- really helps to take the mass-market edge off. we want this room- even with a brand new west elm rug, and an off-the-rack room and board sofa- to look like it's been assembled over generations (like your grandparents were super cool, and you got some of their old stuff), so we are adding in as much vintage as we can squeeze into a small space- like the pair of vintage 40's tub chairs, and a pair of john keal for brown saltman side tables bunched as a coffee table (below). so far, so good- we are excited!

our tables are teak with wood tops, but very similar to this pair available at fat chance here in los angeles (via 1stdibs).

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