Living Room Update: Our Willowmere Rug From Serena & Lily.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed the NEW RUG (!) that we added to our living room a few months ago. It’s the Willowmere Hand-Knotted Rug from Serena & Lily and this morning, I’m sharing my full review of it!

I’ll admit that I’ve swapped one too many rugs in and out of this room over the years (something my husband hasn’t been entirely thrilled about…) but none of those rugs ever felt “just right” to me. When we first moved into our home, we added a very popular and affordable rug that lasted us a few years but unfortunately didn’t hold up to spills (it’s since been moved to our basement playroom). I replaced it with another affordable rug that ended up not being the right style for us, and then replaced that one with two affordable rugs to give the layered look a try (which I decided is not for me). In the end, I donated or gave all of these rugs to friends and family and then I was on the hunt for something new.

For a few months, I had my eye on the Willowmere as well as the Hillsborough rug and went back and forth for some time trying to decide which rug would better complement our living room. The Hillsborough is more neutral and much lighter in color — something that I would naturally gravitate towards — but I had done that before (quite a few times). Alternatively, the Willowmere while still being a solid neutral, has a much deeper color and provides more contrast paired with our lighter furniture in the room. In the end, I went with the Willowmere and we have been so, so happy with our decision!

Close-up of the pattern and color without any filter.

Although it’s technically an indoor/outdoor rug, The Willowmere is soft and looks incredibly luxe. It feels like a regular hand-knotted rug underfoot with the only difference being that it’s performance so it holds up beautifully against spills, kids and pets! Our kids along with Chewie eat snacks and treats all over it, and if there’s ever a spill, it cleans up perfectly (I just blot the spill with some soapy water and it’s gone!).

Prior to adding this rug to our living room, we had a few other rugs in here that were more affordable but unfortunately just didn’t hold up to daily use. Either spills didn’t wipe clean or the rugs showed every crumb and dog hair. This rug looks and feels like a traditional hand-knotted rug but with the durability of an indoor/outdoor rug perfect for high-traffic areas.

And I love how the deep blue tones of the rug work beautifully with the room, adding just the right amount of contrast to the space. One thing I’ll flag is that this rug, while beautiful, is definitely a lighter color in person as compared to the online photos. Online, the rug looks to be a very dark navy. In reality, the rug has various hues of blue ranging from light and a marine blue, to navy. There are also strokes of cream woven in, which I love. The rug is a beauty! Similar to how you’d order fabric samples for an upholstered piece of furniture you plan to buy, I always recommend ordering rug swatches. It’s the only way to see the true color of a rug and it also gives you an opportunity to feel it! When I get a rug sample in, I lay it on the floor and walk on it barefoot just as you would a real rug. It’s the best test you can do before purchasing!

The Willowmere is tightly hand-knotted and has a low pile, which means it’s easy to vacuum. Both our hand-held Dyson and our robovac vacuum it easily. And despite having a dog who rolls all over it, we haven’t had any issues with pulls since it’s so tightly knotted.

Can you see how this rug works so beautifully in our living room?! I love how the deeper blue tones contrast with our lighter furniture.

I know I mentioned how durable this rug is but I have to reiterate that this feature is what drew me to this particular rug over all of the others. We are not the cleanest people; coffee is spilled almost daily and the amount of goldfish crumbs is obscene but everything cleans up perfectly and easily!

We’ve added a number of Serena & Lily rugs to our home and clients’ homes over the years and they never disappoint. Yes, they are an investment — but it’s an investment worth making because in addition to looking beautiful, they last!

Below are a few other favorites of mine that I’ve used in past projects:

We’ve had this rug for close to four months now and absolutely LOVE it. It’s one of those rugs that you hang on to and pass down over the years, which is exactly what we plan to do. I can honestly see it always living somewhere in our home whether it be our living room, a bedroom, or a home office. It’s stunning and versatile and the perfect mix between traditional and coastal.

This post is in partnership with Serena & Lily and contains affiliate links. All opinions are entirely my own. I only share the brands and products that I truly love and support.