in the bedroom of my dreams, that was created alternatively between day-dreaming on pinterest and nightmaring in my head on sleepless nights over the cost, timeline and infinite number of potentially bad decisions, one thing was always #realnews: i wanted wall-to-wall sisal carpet in the room.

it's always felt so indulgent to me, a whole carpeted bedroom.  like a lush landscape for tender morning feet to sink into, an expanse of sumptuous texture so that not a single square inch of unadorned flooring even peeks out, just a real treat for all the senses.

furthermore, in the words of my dear domino budgeteer turned duchess county pioneer of pretty, nick olsen: every room needs a bit of straw, for textural contrast.  he says he likes how it takes fancy furnishings down a notch.

well my plan is to take the fancy up a notch.  whereas i have some hodge podge finds, like an 80s dusty mauve leather couch i found in aspen, my tried and true linen headboard that wears a new garment thrown over it more often than i do, and a smattering of side tables, quirky lamps and plenty of mix-n-match bedding, i think the sisal will be the sacred ground for it all to work together.

it's like making a cake with all the expensive fresh market organic ingredients instead of going to food lion.  whatever you put on top is gonna shine.  so wall-to-wall sisal, be the tie that binds, please.

to bake my fancy bedroom cake, i went straight to eatman's interiors, here in raleigh, where they specialize in residential carpeting and designer rugs.  my friend betty and her team are the source de la source in raleigh when my decorating clients need a high-quality custom-cut natural fiber rug (which I tend to use all the time).  so i said ladies, please help a sister get fancy - show me all the sisals.





armed with knowing i wanted sisal, but not much else, betty, who's a third! generation eatman (her grandfather started the company in 1957) walked me through the process of choosing a style and color, educating me on what's realistic with my dogs, how to handle water spills (they will happen) and what's best for my general hard-living.  she also showed me some new tricks: potential bells, whistles, tapes, trims that can really add confection to your concoction.





i'm so glad too, because with all of the good-looking options in their showroom, i could've spent a lifetime just trying to decide.  it was really nice having someone to talk through the decision with - who knew what they were talking about, and spoke honestly about the products.

rug buying is intimidating.  often i hear from clients and customers that they don't know 1) what size rug they need 2) where to get odd or large sizes in sisal, or seagrass (or that they can have them custom cut to order), and 3) where to take a bigger-than-they-need rug to have it cut down.

well that's where eatman's comes in.  rather than ordering the things online, not knowing what they look like, if they're the right size, and who's gonna hold your hand when you need help problem-solving,or who's gonna help execute this rug install when the thing arrives...  raleigh people: you can just go straight to eatmans!  there you'll make some sound decisions, based on facts, with serious hand-holding, back-patting and all the rest, ensuring that you bake your cake with only the very best ingredients. yes!  and, because they stock a ton of really attractive rolls of natural fiber rugs, you can get your fancy-pants cake for a really good deal - seriously, custom-cut rugs don't have to be a total splurge.  they can just look like it.

case in point on those amazing options: this eye candy that kept distracting me whilst on my sisal-mission.  eatmans's carries stark studio rugs, and boy, are they something.  the public can buy stark directly from the showroom - they have all the samples there, and designers can order at trade pricing, without having to worry about delivery, receiving or any of those headaches.





their chic little corner of curated fabrics is fun to poke around in - you can always find some major inspo. you can order through them - brunschwig & fils, schumacher, cowtan & tout, and smaller boutique lines like molly mahon (hand blocked from UK), bob collins, and christopher farr.

betty says: 'basically anything we love to look at (and have used, will use or want to use!)'
i certainly do encourage you to visit eatmans if you're local, or shoot them an email or DM if you're not if you have a carpet project.  a job well done by a company with a tradition for elegance, an expertise based on experience and an emphasis on treating each customer with respect and fairness is absolutely unrivaled in the big box catalog world.  these guys are special, and they make you feel that way too.