If you’re looking for a new rug, we can only assume you’re overwhelmed by all your options. When purchasing online, it can be especially hard to tell which rugs are worth their cost. After trying it out for a few weeks, we’re ready to dish on Dash and Albert’s Herringbone Hand Woven Area Rug. The indoor cotton rug is available in everything from a hallway runner to a large 9 x 12-foot size. We chose to test the 6 x 9-foot area rug in our high-traffic living room; read on to find out how it fared.
Material and Texture: Thin, lightweight cotton
This rug is crafted entirely from 100-percent hand-woven cotton. It’s very, very thin, but still has a considerable amount of “squish” when stepped on. Because it’s so thin, it’s also very lightweight and easy to place. Despite its light build, the rug is comprised of hearty threads. Even though our cat occasionally clawed at it, we didn’t find any loose or out-of-place fibers. Note that while a few weeks of use hasn’t resulted in any deterioration in our rug, some reviews do complain of durability issues with longer-term use. When we initially unrolled the rug, we weighed down the edges in order to train it to lay flat. After 24 hours, we found the edges still wouldn’t lay completely flat, so patience was required to make it through the few days the rug took to unfurl itself. If you’re placing the rug on a smooth surface like wood or tile, it absolutely needs a rug pad. Without it, the rug slips around and moves easily underfoot.
Design: Classically modern
The herringbone design of Dash and Albert’s hand-woven rug feels both timeless and modern, making it a seamless fit in most living rooms. Currently, the rug is available in multiple colors from the dark indigo we tested to a bright sky blue and vibrant coral. Our 6 x 9-foot area rug perfectly pulls together our living room, but it comes in a variety of different purpose-serving sizes from a 2’6 x 8-foot runner to an enormous 9 x 12-foot option.
Care: Regular vacuuming and occasional professional cleanings
The manufacturer suggests regular vacuuming and the occasional shake to keep the rug in tip-top shape. If you find it getting dirty and needing something a little more thorough, professional cleaning may be required. During our use, the rug stayed clean despite a cat that loved to lay on it. We vacuumed it daily with a robotic vacuum, but the vacuum tended to flip up the thin sides rather than drive right over them. Still, dust and hair were easily sucked up and if anything was left behind, it disappeared into the herringbone pattern. Additional good news: The rug is reversible, so should you happen to stain one side, you can flip it over and pretend it never happened (until it happens again).
Price: Understandably expensive
While priced in line with other high-quality rugs of its size, the Dash and Albert rug is much thinner than one would expect for its cost. Our 6 x 9-foot area rug rang up around $336, but prices range from around $44 for a small, 2 x 3-foot mat all the way up to $658 for a 9 x 12-foot area rug. Despite its thin silhouette, the high prices makes sense when you consider that the rug is 100-percent cotton, hand-woven in India, and reversible.
Competition: Quality is roughly the same, design is different
We tried another rug in the same price category with a classic “antique” design. Though they are the same size, World Menagerie Wilkins Hand-Tufted Indoor Area Rug is much thicker and comprised of dense wool. It feels softer and is heavy enough to not slide around like the Dash and Albert rug, but it does come with some negatives. For one, the Wilkins rug sheds a lot while the Dash and Albert rug doesn’t. Secondly, the material and texture of the Wilkins rug tends to hold in hair and crumbs while the Dash and Albert rug doesn’t. We personally prefer the Dash and Albert Herringbone Rug, but in this case, we feel it comes down to your aesthetic preference. If you’re going to invest in an area rug, Dash and Albert’s herringbone rug is a great choice so long as you go in with the expectations we’ve laid out. If you purchase it expecting a thick, plush rug you’ll be disappointed. But anyone looking for a high-quality, easy-to-clean, stylish rug will certainly appreciate it.
