Enjoy the inspiration from the Mohawk flooring gallery

Over the past two months, it’s been so fun to be able to give you a peek into how our downstairs has slowly been transformed by the addition of our beautiful Mohawk laminate flooring with a hand-scraped look.

I can’t begin to tell you how fresh and clean the entire home feels, and while the photos show the dramatic difference, seeing it in real life takes the before/after to an entirely new level.

Such an amazing before and after with gorgeous new flooring

A video crew joined me last weekend, and we spent time in the kitchen shooting some fun, upcoming clips. After an entire day of dragging equipment around our place, the director noted our “hard wood” flooring. When I clarified that they were laminate, she determined that no one would ever know the difference.

Yes, in real life they are that convincing.

Since you’ve gotten to see the before and almost after shots of our living room and kitchen, I’m now taking you into our “great room.” As you can see, the kitchen and this area are one elongated living space. Life happens here, and this is the room that I spend the most time decorating and changing up.

Initially, you could see the great divide between the old vinyl in the kitchen and the carpet in the great room. Now, don’t roll your eyes, but when we built the house, I purposely chose white carpet for this room.

I know you are wondering what I was thinking since I had 3 children under the age of three. Many determined me insane for making that decision, but I wanted the light, airy feel.

Honestly, for the first eight years, I didn’t regret that decision. The carpet stayed beautiful because of my no shoes policy, and I was quick to wipe up spills. But as another nine years passed, our 4th and 5th children were quickly added to the mix, along with an indoor dog, and the white carpet turned to off- white. In the highly trafficked areas, the white turned to light tan.

For years, I had no area rug in the center. It was the main wrestling area, popcorn and movie eating spot, and many forts were built in the middle of that great room. But, as more spills occurred, they needed to be disguised. I didn’t have the benefit of Mohawk’s Smart Strand Stain resistant carpet back then, so adding an area rug was a great option.

Tips for using an area rug to warm up a room

What I came to realize were the many benefits of a beautiful area rug.

Area rugs aren’t just for covering up stains. Yes, they add protection to one’s carpet, which was my initial goal, but they also warm up a room dramatically both in appearance and practicality.

They are incredibly versatile. They can add a pop of color and change the whole feel of the room instantaneously without having to completely redo one’s flooring.

Even though I knew that our carpeting needed to be pulled out, there were other home renovation projects that took priority. I decided to switch out my existing smaller area rug to this large Mohawk rug. I picked the fun, colored polka dots with our third story attic floor in mind, but knew it would be perfect in our great room until our new floors arrived.

Before adding new flooring and area rug

This fun carpet and rug ensemble not only warmed up our entire downstairs; it also gave this area such a cozy feel. It defined the room and allowed me to love that space again.

But, no matter how many times I ran the carpet shampooer along the outskirts of the rug, the original carpet needed to go. Remember, we had it for 17 years and definitely got our wear and tear out of it. I have shared previously how the debate escalated in our home over whether we should replace the old carpet with new carpeting in this room.

Laying Handscraped Laminate flooring

Our kids didn’t want to lose the warmth and cozy factor that carpet provides, and I was leaning that way as well.

We lay around all the time in that space and yes, the big boys even still wrestle there. But, after a huge disaster that came about from a dog and a box of chocolate cake mix, I knew I couldn’t go back to carpet in that room. Once I promised to bring in a large, cozy bound carpet that mirrored the beauty and warmth of our existing carpet, they agreed.

Choosing an area rug

We enjoyed the polka dots for a few more weeks, but when the new Smart Strand bound carpet by Mohawk arrived, the change defined our new space and pulled the entire room together.

Playing in the carpet

(Once I was able to negotiate another hiding place with my precious nephew, that  is.)

It’s incredibly elegant, and the light color I chose (yes, I went light again) has such a rich contrast against the darker wood grain. SmartStrand carpet is super soft and durable too. It also has lifetime stain and soil resistance that’s built into the carpet fibers instead of sprayed on, so I never have to worry about it wearing or washing off. Most stains clean with just water or mild detergent.

There have already been accidents, which came right up, not to mention that this is a prime example of how adding a bound carpet can change the entire look of a room.

Smart Strand Carpet Bound Rug

What I want you to see.

Before and After of laying new flooring in a great room

What is really there. 🙂

My SmartStrand bound carpet serves as the perfect complement to my new laminate floors. With so many textures, patterns, colors and customizable sizes, bound carpets are a smart solution to one’s desire to update a look without breaking the budget. Look at them as a piece of art because they can add a dramatic difference to your room.

Home decor renovations is a process, not an event.

When we took out the furniture too add the flooring, I gained a new vision for this room.

When I posted this book shelf picture on instagram (my favorite social media spot), you pretty much made up my mind for me. It was a resounding, “DO IT!”

While my plan was to add built- ins to either the dining room renovation (see it here) or our “sitting room” (my name for the attached French door space that has no function), I’m leaning towards building them here based on this inspiration picture. Our ceilings are 9’8”, so they are tall, and I think they need to go all the way to the top.

I may ask for a bit of some design help with that large project since the off centered fire place throws me a bit, but this room will be breath taking.

Home Renovations are not an event. Enjoy the process!

No, it is breathtaking. Now, as is!!

I continue to remind myself that home renovations are a process, not an event. Don’t get swept up in these grand before and afters because the most enjoyable part of this journey has been to enjoy every single step of the process.  I am so content and while I list my home goals for this room, and even forgot to mention replacing the lighting fixtures, I guarantee it will take awhile for me to get there.  That’s part of the fun!

I appreciate every new step.

Now, it’s time for the best part of this post!

Thanks to my partnership with Mohawk, I am thrilled to be offering one of their gorgeous 6‘ x 9’ Smart Strand bound carpets.

Yes, one reader will get to work with your nearest Mohawk retailer and design a carpet that’s perfect for your space!!

Enter to Win: You have five chances to win, but only one entry is necessary.

1) Why do you want to win a Mohawk Smart Strand Bound Carpet?

(Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader, email or facebook.)

2.) Follow me on Pinterest, and Mohawk Flooring and pin any of my posts to one of your boards.

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This giveaway will close on Friday, April 11th at 11:00pm. A winner will be selected randomly and then have 48 hours to confirm.

I’m so thankful to Mohawk for providing product to share. You too can have your local aligned Mohawk retailer create a custom sized SmartStrand bound carpet for your space. Find your nearest retailer here