My {kind-of} IKEA Stockholm Rug

Erica and I love to thrift shop {ohhh-kay, maybe we just like to shop in general}. But even with all my thrifting, yard sale-ing, and consigning, I've never bought one thing off Craigslist.

That is, until Tuesday.

I wasn't even on Craigslist to shop. I'd seen a blogger who had done a kitchen remodel and got a brand new set of stainless steel appliances off Craigslist. What a find, right? So, I was "researching" the availability of new appliances on Craigslist in case we have to do a kitchen remodel in our new home, after we move. We've seen a lot of fixer uppers for sale, so this is not a stretch by any means.

After my appliance research was complete, I decided to check out rugs. I could probably classify this Craigslist search as "research" too {sounds more responsible than shopping, right?}, since after living with our hardwood floors for 3 years, we know we love them and will use them throughout our next home.

Lo and behold, a 5x8 $50 rug that looked so similar to the IKEA Stockholm rug that I've considered purchasing many a time.

Now, experienced Craiglist-ers don't judge me. I tried to bargain. But they didn't seem interested in coming down. It was gently used and in good condition. She'd paid $150 for it. So I told them, if it's truly a flatweave, and in the expected condition, I'll pay $50.

IKEA's version starts at $299, and even if could I find this $150 version she bought retail, I'd still be paying three times her asking price. So, I paid full price on Craigslist. Yes, it's true. But it was my first time, folks!

I've gotten SO picky about rugs. We bought this rug from Rugs USA and it drives me crazy. It's a beautiful thick hand-hooked wool but it still sheds 4 months later. I vacuum it at least weekly and the texture is uneven {the trellis is higher than the navy background} so it isn't even easy to clean.

On the other hand I have a $30 thrifted 3x5 rug in our sunroom that I love {shown below, to the left of my herb garden}. It feels used and soft and it's flatweave so it's easy to clean.

So, at least for now, any rug I'll be buying will be flatweave -- and I'm not afraid to buy a used one either. Especially since you can throw them in the washer, as long as they aren't too big.

I'll leave you with some more images of why I've been eyeing the IKEA Stockholm rug for some time now. The black and white graphic print is so versatile. It can be used in so many rooms, and with so many styles.

So how did I do with my first Craigslist purchase? Any bargaining tips from the experts? Would you have bought this rug?

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7 Comments

ooh, love it! I have the same Rugs USA rug. So far I don't mind all of the vacuuming, but I have to vacuum constantly anyway with an almost crawling baby and all the dogs and cats :). Great find--I hardly ever bargain with Craigslist anyway. It's a gamble....most of the time if something good and reasonably priced is listed, the people will get a bunch of e-mails about it quickly, so you can miss out altogether by trying to talk them down--they'll just move on to someone who's offering full price.

Maybe I should be embarrassed that frequency of cleaning causes me to avoid a product, haha 🙂 Glad to hear your experience with Craigslist, makes me feel I wasn't a total novice!

I don't know how to buy at Craigslist but I think your $50 dollars were very well spent 🙂 I've always loved this IKEA rug and you having one very similar to the IKEA one is nice and a real bargain! 🙂 love the pictures too! & sorry, I don't have any tips for Craigslist, I have never bought anything yet! 😉
hope you are having a lovely Sunday evening! 🙂