In the Press

How It All Started:

The Wall Street Journal - March 19, 1999

     In the ‘70s there was shag; the ‘80s gave us kilim; and in the ’90s, we have sisal. We’re talking rugs, of course.

     You’ve seen sisal rugs- they’re the itchy-looking, scratchy-feeling, neutral-colored mats that are turning up everywhere, from well-appointed dining rooms to college dorm floors. And why not; an average-size sisal rug (6 by 9 feet) costs about $250 to $400, peanuts compared with the thousands you could spend on a Persian. 

     But bagging a good sisal (pronounced SIGH-zul, not SISS-uhl) is no stroll through the bazaar; you can’t just go by color and fabric. The “Café Brasilia” sisal from Sisal Rugs Direct, for example, won our hearts because it had a thick and strong border that looking like it could survive its share of cocktail parties. It also had a rubbery coating on its underside, so you don’t need to buy an anti-slip pad. 

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     In contrast, the borders on the Pottery Barn rug were thin and looked chintzy. Crate and Barrel’s mat, which was the cheapest we ordered, had no bottom lining, no borders, and rug fibers so rough that our feet hurt after a few steps. Worst of all, it smelled bad! (The burlap wrapping it came with left an intense, barnyard-like stench.)

     The Company Store offered an attractive alternative: rugs made of jute, a fabric similar in appearance but softer to the touch than sisal. We also liked its manicured borders, but noticed a few too many frayed fibers, especially for a brand-new product.

     But our most important lesson: mail delivery. “Rush” deliveries took a week to 10 days at half of the companies we ordered from. And that doesn’t count the one we didn’t order from Domestications. The company first couldn’t say when our choice would arrive, then told us it might not have it in stock-problem we just couldn’t sweep under the rug. 

-Jonathan B. Weinbach