Have you ever heard someone say that they love the look of seagrass or sisal for their stairs but have heard some problems about using it there?

One of my socks that I’ve washed 3 times and they still come out like this! These are fibers from my seagrass rug. I love seagrass and use it often, but now there is another option that doesn’t do this.

Maybe they’ve heard it can be slippery over time on stairs, that the fibers loosen and ruin dark socks, that sisal stains easily, that these types of natural fibers have a bit of an odd organic smell to them?

Yes. Those are valid complaints.

I have several seagrass rugs in my house and put them in many homes. They are a great way to make a formal space feel more casual and relateable as well as being easy on the budget, if you’ve used a lot of your dollars on remodeling and new furniture.

Here are a few projects where seagrass and sisal rugs made the more formal furniture come across very fresh and approachable.

(Click on the images to go to the before and after posts about each project.)

Light sisal, natural fiber rug in this dining room gave a more informal and fresh look to the space. Blue dining room, Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Colleen Scott | #diningroom #sisalrug #diningroomideas #naturalfiberrug

Blue dining room with a seagrass, natural fiber rug that adds a light, fresh look to the space. Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Miro Dvorscak | #diningroom #sisalrug #diningroomideas #naturalfiberrug

The seagrass rug in this dining room contrasts nicely with the more formal style dining chairs and table, giving it a more updated look. Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Miro Dvorscak | #diningroom #sisalrug #diningroomideas #naturalfiberrug

Seagrass And Sisal Are Often Designer Go-Tos

They make a lovely base for any style of furniture and you see them in all levels of homes, from budget basic to luxury high end.

I always feel like it is my secret budget weapon when we are maxed out, but I have to get a rug in the job. Sometimes I even regard it as a place holder, like the one in my entry hall, seen below.

I haven’t been able to find what I want there or make that decision for years, but my seagrass with a subtle pattern looks intentional and just lovely as is. :-)

Entry hall foyer with seagrass, natural fiber rug | Carla Aston, Designer | Photographer: Miro Dvorscak #seagrassrug #entryhall #foyer #naturalfiberrug

So, because I’m a working designer, because I have to do some CEU’s or continuing education every year to keep my ASID professional affiliation, I attended a seminar about carpet fibers at a local showroom this past week.

I pick and choose these seminars throughout the year to get info on products and keep up to date on changes in our industry so I can bring my clients the latest and best knowledge when I spec their products.

(Because internet research alone can really be a bit unreliable and out of date, if you know what I mean. :-)

This is a great way for local showrooms to get designers in their doors and be able to share the latest and greatest products. They can also answer questions first hand from designers out there who are risking their businesses purchasing products like this and installing in their clients’ homes.

One of my very popular posts about natural stone countertops came from information gleaned through one of these valuable CEU’s.

Designer Flooring Showroom Offered CEU On Carpet Construction And Fibers

Manchester Floors, a trade only resource in the Houston Design Center, hosted us this past week and I appreciate that they had several carpet reps in attendance, sharing some of the new product intros in their lines.

So, here’s the product I was excited to see.

This carpet looks like a seagrass or sisal rug but is made of polypropylene and has none of the problems that some people have with natural fiber products.

These are nice colorways available in this carpet that looks like a seagrass or sisal. It’s made of polypropylene and has none of the problems of natural fibers.

This new intro from Stanton, that gives the look of a natural seagrass or sisal but it is made of polypropylene.

It’s basically a man-made fiber, sometimes made out of recycled plastic bottles, and can go indoors or out.

These beautiful rolled goods have the look of a natural product, but without some of the problems.

You can cut them to any size or shape, they don’t shed fibers, are easy to clean and won’t stain, there’s no musty organic smell that often accompanies a natural fiber rug, and they aren’t slippery on stairs.

Lots of nice attributes for a stair carpet or any rug, I would say!

It’s a thin material too, so I see that it would make a neat and tidy installation over stair treads and not look bulky, like a heavier seagrass material would.

Now, I’ve seen polypropylene products before, but this was the most natural looking I’ve seen yet. It wasn’t shiny and didn’t look like plastic at all. It really looked like a natural fiber rug.

Take a look at this other flatweave look that I thought would look great on stairs or as rugs. Also, polypropylene.

Nice colorways available in this carpet that looks like a flatweave type, natural fiber rug. It’s made of polypropylene and has none of the problems of natural fibers.

I checked out some new patterned carpet too.

Okay, we all love the Stark antelope pattern, right? I’ve used it in these jobs below and everyone loves it.

This antelope pattern carpet hides all kinds of soil and wears well on stairs. #animalprintcarpet #rugideas #rugs #stairrunner

The antelope rug here makes a dynamic statement in this navy music room. #rugs #animalprintcarpet #rugideas #musicroom

The antelope pattern rug here sets off this natural stone coffee table and it’s decor, perfectly. #animalprintcarpet #rugideas #coffeetabledecor

Another animal print carpet option

This new pattern from Stanton may give the antelope a new run for the money. It’s a bit different, actually a little more mottled in pattern, which could be great for hiding soil and wear, and has some nice colorways.