Creating an outdoor living area around our pool was a priority this year. Many of our days are spent poolside during the summer and last year, my mom and I decided to chip in together and purchase a few new lounge chairs, cushions and seating. If you purchase a little each summer the economic burden isn’t that bad. Although, that is a benefit of our multigenerational living arrangement. My mom loves to chip in for decor!I was a little slow this year getting motivated to setup the pool area but when Mohawk offered to send me two complimentary outdoor carpets, I thought, “it’s time to get motivated Jess”.

No worries, all opinions are 100% mine. I don’t endorse, nor would I ever put something “unattractive” to my eye, in our home!

I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of their rugs, in fact, I may even order their gorgeous brown and green chevron rug for another space. For our poolside area, I chose this vibrant blue geometric patterned rug. Mohawk flooring, the nation’s largest flooring retailer, just launched a gorgeous new line of indoor/outdoor rugs that are trendy and stylish.

Can I just tell you, it is super soft and gorgeous in person. We have had two rainstorms since laying these rugs poolside and I am happy to report, they dry quickly!

We are fortunate to have a beautiful green hedge (which is a pain to keep trimmed I might add but it’s still pretty)  as a backdrop so when setting up your outdoor space, I would suggest to try and aim for a natural green backdrop if possible. This doesn’t mean you have to have a hedge but any shrubbery or greenery will work.

For me, I like to use my rug as a foundation and a starting point when decorating. Sometimes I can get so overwhelmed with pillows, cushions, patterns and colors so I try to pick my rug first. Mixing in inexpensive plant stands to incorporate a varying height of flowery plants is also another way to add flowering greens.

Did you know that you can leave knockout roses in large oversized planters? I had no idea! The woman at the nursery suggested that I dig a whole and plant them (in the planter) for the winter and then remove next spring. I will definitely try this as I love the look of flowering shrubs “in a pot”.

We still have some work to do around the pool area regarding clean up but the space is waking up, thanks to our new rugs from Mohawk! My mom is so pleased with the addition of the rugs and how the space turned out.

I used our outdoor pillows that I made last summer featuring orange, yellow, green and pink. I decided to mix the geometric rug, flowered pillow and a solid green pillow to tie in the green in the hedges and flower pillows. Geometric + a flower pattern + a solid = coordination, “the easy way”  in my book. I am far from a professional decorator so I try to keep it simple.

Ok, so are you ready to enter to win your own gorgeous outdoor rug from Mohawk?

Enter here via rafflecopter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner may choose any Mohawk Home rug up to size 5×8  and up to $150 value.  The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. Good luck and be sure to share this giveaway with your friends via facebook or twitter!

In case you are wondering, this rug is called “Indoor/ Outdoor Intertwined Blue Rug by Mohawk” and is currently on sale at overstock. My rug sizes shown above are 8×10. You can see the other colors and patterns  by searching “Mohawk indoor/outdoor rugs” on the overstock site. Be sure to also check out Mohawk Home’s  new “Still Made in America by Mohawk Home”  video as well.

There are also a couple other ways to search for rugs. You can use the Area Rug Search on Mohawk Home website as well as the Where to Buy link to see what each retailer carries (clicking on their logo).

All opinions are 100% mine.

Be sure to check out this outdoor room idea… it is SO pretty!