Rugs.
*sigh*
I sure do love looking at them, but oh how Max loves to lunch on them! If it’s got fibers that stand up, you can bet your bottom dollar he’s going to pull out a little patch of them whenever he’s feeling naughty.
For some reason, he doesn’t mess with the little rugs in the kitchen or bathrooms, but in bigger rooms, we’ve learned (the hard way) (more than once) that we need to stick to floor coverings that are very tightly woven.
Enter: our friends at Flor! Their carpet squares are the bomb!! 😀
They hooked us up with Roadside Attraction in Eggnog in Sweet P’s room…
…and now we’ve got a great big rectangle of Suit Yourself in Flax in the living room…
I wanted something that was big enough for all the furniture to sit on…
…and because I love the look/feel of layered rugs, I’d love to add a smaller (8’x10′) striped (Dash & Albert) rug on top of the carpet squares in the future. (Something tightly-woven, of course) 🙂
My favorite thing about the Flor rug is that it looks like sisal, but it’s soft, not scratchy. Another thing I love is that if any part of it gets dirty/ruined, all we have to do is wash/replace the affected squares…we don’t have to throw the whole (10’x14′) thing away.
We’ve gone without a rug in the living room since last year, so it’s been really neat to have something soft underfoot in there again!
And speaking of “going without”- our (Whirlpool) fridge broke a couple of weeks ago and after two service calls with the folks that Lowes sent out, it’s official: it’s dead for good. 🙁 (Something about oil in all the lines?) It’s only a year and half old, but it’s no longer covered by a warranty, and apparently we didn’t pay for an extended one- grrr.
I’ve spent the last several days researching TONS of refrigerators, and I don’t feel like I’m any closer to making a decision about what to buy.
Do you love your fridge? If so, can you share with me where you bought it, what kind it is, and why you love it? I sure would appreciate it. In the meantime, you can probably find me adding more ice to that big blue cooler on the counter. 😉
I love my kitchenaid single door with the freezer on bottom. It has an interior water dispenser on the left side. No exterior water/ice dispenser means we have tons of door storage. The freezer has an ice maker with two large storage bins! Love it
We bought a Frigidaire Gallery, SS, counter depth, french door, bottom freezer 2 years ago from AJ Madison online. The ice maker isn’t in the door, it’s in the freezer. All the shelves are adjustable and removable, they also pull out to make it easier to access items in the back. We’ve been really happy with it and have not had any issues. The ice maker takes more than 24 hours to fill up the ice bin, so if your family are heavy ice users it could be an issue. We’re not heavy users so we don’t have problems. Also, we didn’t have any issues from AJ Madison, they offered free shipping during a President’s day sale and could deliver the fridge faster than the local big box stores, since none had it in stock.
Good luck on your fridge search!
When our fridge died a few years ago, we got a black samsung french door with ice maker/water in the door from bestbuy. We love it!!,
I have a 10+ year old Whirlpool which is working as fine as the day it was pirchased. I don’t go for any bells and whistles. It is just a one-door, freezer on top model, no water or ice maker. My theory is that the more add-ons, the more there is to break. And I’ve seen too many water lines to the refrigerator become black with mold after a few years.
The record in my family is the “garage refrigerator” which my son ask for after my mother’s death. He didn’t want her new one, he wanted the old one. My parents purchased it in 1952. My son hauled it for ten hours lying on its back because his utility trailer which he was pulling has a low roof line. It took three men to haul it to his basement because of its weight – it’s made of steel. It has only required two repairs. The door handle was broken by some grandsons who were using it to ancor their running swing around a corner as they were playing chase. The handles were no longer being manufactured for the then thirty-plus-year-old refrigerator, so a make-shift handle was made by my father. Also, over the years the door gasket has been replaced. It is 62 years old and is still purring. They just don’t make things like they used to. My son loves it, and his friends are in awe of its history. I was worried that his electric bill might rise, but he said he didn’t notice any difference in it. Good luck with your search for a new one. I would recommend checking Consimer Reports magazine at the library for information.
Layla – i can tell you which one NOT to buy! The Samsung model RF217ACBP. Its a french door/freezer bottom drawer style and has been a problem since day 1! Design flaws. Run away fast! I will say my sister has the upgraded version of same and hers is really awesome. Good luck!
I have a Samsung French door model and love it. I got it at Lowe’s and found it in their scratch and dent section. I always look there first because usually it’s just a tiny flaw and I get a great price and you still get the warranty and everything. I found my dishwasher that way too. They even delivered mine the exact same day since it was right there in the store.
I’ve purchased all our appliances at Sears – Kenmore brand. Always been very happy. I just replaced our Kenmore Refrigerator and Stove – they were 16 years old and still running perfectly, but I remodeled the kitchen. ( Donated them to Habitat ) I replaced them with Sears Kenmore again. The refrigerator is a “frenchdoor’ model and so far I love it. Makes lots of ice, very quiet and very cold !
Thank you so much for sharing! My boys room is long and narrow so conventional rug sizes don’t work. I had completely forgotten to consider flor! Yours look gorgeous!
Our fridge died last fall the day after we got home from a beach trip. We were without a fridge for 10 days while we shopped and researched. We ended up buying a Jenn-Air side-by-side from a builder’s supply store (they sell higher end appliances than the big box stores). I dislike french door and freezer drawer fridges (hate bending over for frozen stuff, and always end up opening both fridge doors to find what I need). There is ice and water in our freezer door, the model is counter depth, and I love the long, slightly curved handles (I don’t like handles that look like archery bows!). So far, so good. Although smaller than our standard fridge, this counter-depth model has a ton of storage, and I love the ramp-up “theater” LED lighting in both the fridge AND freezer. Only one complaint: the ice in the door tends to stick together, so when you ask for ice cubes, you tend to get chunky crushed ice. We don’t use a lot of ice, so not a big problem for us. This was a pricey purchase for us, but we did get a Jenn-Air “Fire and Ice” rebate in the form of a Master Card debit card. Good luck from someone who knows what it’s like to be without a fridge (although not in the middle of summer!)
We had a Maytag french door that had zero issues in 8 years, we left it when we sold the house. Now we have a GE french door with water/ice in front.. Just ok on the fridge part as I was partial to the extra room in the may tag with no ice in the door, but I do love the upgrade in freezer layout the GE model has, as well as the 2 ice makers. I didn’t realize how small our old freezer was!
Also, FLOR giveaway pretty please! New home needs rug help stat and I would LOVE this!
Hi Layla!
I love the FLOR tiles in your living room. I am considering doing this at my house. I am tired of replacing great big rugs after our two huskies get to munching! One question–How do the edges look? Since it’s not a rug, they aren’t bound, correct? Do they look unfinished? (I guess that was 3 questions…) Thanks!
Layla contact Whirlpool directly. 1 1/2 years is crazy! With your blog readers THEY DO NOT WANT BAD PUBLICITY. It’s worth a try. My Whirlpool is still clicking at 10 years. You got a lemon.
We had a similar situation with a Kenmore Elite through Sears. Be sure and check the owner’s manual and see if the compressor is a sealed unit. If so, they are usually covered for 5 years. I know how upsetting it feels!
Also, I just read through all of the comments as we are getting ready to remodel this home ( fridge that broke was in a condo in Destin, FL) I saw someone else tell you what I mentioned above. Check it out!
Hi Layla, Love the rug and flor tiles. Re your refrig, I have an 11 year old Kenmore Elite side by side in black. It’s been repaired twice. It has an ice maker and water dispenser but I stopped buying the filters because they were $$$ and hard to install and then switch out. I like my adjustable shelves. I also have a Kenmore Elite dishwasher that’s four years old in black. Both are easy to keep clean. I never wanted to deal with stainless and fingerprint smudges. I’d try to exhaust your other options w/ your credit card company, warranty, etc. before buying another refrig – they’re so expensive. Save the $ for yourselves and Sweet P.!
We bought a Whirlpool Gold series stainless side by side frig(one without showing handprints) from Lowe’s about 5 years ago. My parents had the same frig and it is great. Love the pull out shelves in freezer and the icemaker works like a dream. Very nice door handles and easy to clean shelves. We have experienced the best, most knowledgeable delivery personnel from Lowe’s. Good luck!
Love the carpet tiles – especially that this looks just like a large rug and not tiles!
We have a french door Samsung and LOVE it. The bottom freezer is sometimes a little difficult if I want to free a large cake, but other than that, it’s perfect.
Only 18 months and they’re blowing you off?! This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about awful customer service from Lowes. If there is still a locally owned appliance store near you, strongly consider supporting them so they can support you. To Lowes, you’re nothing.
Oh, Layla. So sorry to hear about your fridge. We just had our dishwasher die a violent and watery death all over our kitchen floor two weeks ago, so I feel your pain there.
We bought our fridge about a year and a half ago now, and it’s been WONDERFUL. We bought a Kenmore (from Sears, obviously) french door with bottom freezer and water/ice dispenser. This looks a lot like it if it isn’t it exactly: http://www.sears.com/kenmore-25-cu-ft-french-door-bottom-freezer/p-04670323000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
I find that the in-door ice dispenser has been great for not taking away much-needed fridge space and the tiny shelves that go on that door are PERFECT for holding juice boxes and ketchup bottles. Hope you find one you love! It’s so hard, especially when everything is so dang expensive. Someone else said that the fridge filters are expensive for Kenmore, and that’s true — every 6 months you replace it and I want to say it’s about $60 each time. But it’s really yummy water! Not a deal-breaker for us. Good luck!
Hi-
I previously worked at a corporate headquarters in the refrigeration area for a big box company. Knowing the companies and how consumer friendly they are, I would easily recommend either Samsung or LG. They are first in class in innovation and as more recent companies to enter into appliances, they are much more concerned with keeping their new consumers happy. I personally prefer the French door models, which you clearly are already accustomed to. Good luck!
I concur with the “no extra bells or whistles” camp. One of my colleagues had his house flood completely while on vacation due to a malfunction in his fridge’s water/ice maker. Our vanilla Sears Kenmore model has stood us in good stead for 15 years.
We’ve always had Sears Kenmore appliances (kitchen and laundry) and have had no problems with any of them. I would recommend them to anyone.
Favorite Fridge AMANA! Sometimes the simplest fridge is the best. More bells and whistles = more to break. It’s a fridge – needs to keep food cold and make some ice cubes. Other than that – I’m good with simple. Good Luck 1 1/2 years is unacceptable – it should last a good 7 years!
I’ll be anxious to hear how the fridge breakdown turns out. We’ve had Whirlpool appliances that we were very happy with, but I’ll be VERY disappointed in Whirlpool if they don’t make it right for a fridge that’s only a year and a half old, regardless of what the warranty says. At the price of new refrigerators they had BETTER last longer than 18 months! Surely Whirlpool would make an exception in a case like this. If not, I’d consider myself forewarned against buying that brand in the future! I’m betting (and praying) they’ll do the right thing and repair or replace your refrigerator.
Layla,
Where did you get the gray tufted chair on wheels? Love it!
Hi Melissa!
It’s not on wheels, but it came from Pottery Barn! 🙂
Thanks for the info- I was wondering the same thing 🙂
So you know the name of he fabric you upholstered it in? There are a ton of choices!! Love it!
I bought an LG french door bottom freezer, after a lot of research and checking consumer reports. It has more frige room bc the ice maker is in the door rather than the top left of the fridge. It has been great and very energy efficient. The door flap is a bit annoying but they all have them. I did not purchase the extended warranty and its 4 years old no issues. knock on wood* Also I would like to BOO WHIRLPOOL!
I haven’t read all your posts about your fridge, but this one caught my eye. We bought the same fridge from Lowes in 2012. Ice make went out last Fall, we’ve been buying bagged ice. Now there is water leaking from the bottom…..not what we expected from a $2,200 fridge. 🙁 guess you haven’t sound a resolution huh?
We purchased a Samsung French Door refrigerator 4 years ago when we moved into our house, and we still love it, and have not had any problems with it. I love the sliding / adjustable shelves and the fact that we can fit 6 gallons of milk (I have two teenage boys) PLUS leftovers, etc. The only thing I don’t like about it is the stainless steel shows fingerprints and with two teenage boys, there are a LOT of fingerprints! We shopped around and found that Sears had the best sales. Best of luck on your search!
Don’t go for Kenmore!! I could tell you a story that would last over a year about my saga…Whirlpool supplies Sears we found out after a long lengthy battle. Anyway..my vote is against Kenmore..they are not the products we grew up with any longer.
The very kind repair man told us some stories as well.
All the best in your hunt
Not sure if you’ve bought your fridge since this post appeared, but one of the first things I did when shopping was to put my hands all over it. Between our kids and other people’s kids, and heck, even myself when I’m cooking, the fingerprint issue gets dirty in a hurry. Even the so-called “fingerprint free” fridges still show fingerprints! It’s impossible to find a 100% free fridge, unless you add cabinet panels, but it does help to find one that resists them.
I have a seven year old Kenmore side by side, but we have had a lot of problems with the icemaker. Otherwise, it works great.
I’d love to know if the Flor carpet squares that you bought are soft underfoot?
Hi Laura!
Our current (broken) fridge is a fingerprint-free “stainless steel” and we will definitely go that route again when we get a new one! And, yes, I like the carpet squares because they look like sisal, but they’re soft! 😀
Thank you! I’ll head over to Flor, now, and I will tell them you sent me! We have four dogs here, so you may need to pray for my carpet as well. 🙂 Thanks for your reply and good luck in your refrigerator search!
opps, sorry about the typos there. I just cringed when I read my previous comment and once again I realized I really do need to proofread before hitting send! “100% free fridge?” Did I just type that??! Time for stronger coffee.
Layla – I love your FLOR “rug” – have been considering doing that very thing in our Master bedroom – now, I am convinced!! On the subject of refrigerators, i don’t know if you have considered or researched SubZero. We have had ours 13 years, since we first built our home, & have never had a single trouble with it – ever. We’ve replaced our clothes washer & dryer, & our dishwasher seems like it may be getting ready to die… we’ve had our (separate) icemaker (we live in SOUTH Georgia, where it is HOT 9 months of the year) repaired about 15 times, & have just replaced our gas cooktop. Our SubZero has the freezer on the bottom, & I love it. I love the fact that it is cabinet-depth & doesn’t stick out into the room & physically and VISUALLY seem like a monstrosity! The vent for it is above the refridge, not near the floor, so it hardly ever needs to be cleaned – no dog hair/dust bunnies! Would buy another in a heartbeat! I got panels made for it that match our cabinets, so it is very unobtrusive. Good luck making your choice!!
We have a similar experience but with a Whirlpool microwave purchased at Lowes. 18 months later it died and it was out of warranty. Nothing Lowes would/could do. Not sure what Whirlpool is doing with their products these days. If you purchased with a credit card, the cc company may cover you for 2 years. Our Whirlpool fridge seems to be holding up well, now 4 years old (purchased with the microwave). Good luck!
Not sure if you are still looking or not, but we love our Daewoo brand fridge. The guy at our local appliance store told us that he has to service more whirlpool refrigerators than any other brands. And after the issues with my Washer, I no longer trust Kenmore appliances – I don’t think they are the quality they used to be back in the day.
Ugh! They sure don’t make appliances like they used to, do they? We’ve had trouble with our fridge, too. It’s a little older than a year and a half, but still, you expect them to last a little longer, ya know?
Also, a few years ago, we bought a new fancy front loader washer, and it was dead within a couple of years. So we bought an older top loader, and that thing has been washing away like mad.
My mom and mother in law both have refridgerators from the 80’s, and my mother in law has a fridge from the fifties, and they all still work. It seems we pay more for appliances these days, but don’t get a whole lot out of them. Okay, so that’s enough ranting. 🙂
The refridgerator that we have been looking at is the GE Artistry fridge in white. You know, the ones that are made to look vintage. I’m sure we’ll regret our desicion, though, and wish that we would have just bought a true vintage fridge. I don’t know. There’s just way too many choices. 🙂
Good luck making a choice!
Beth.