My Light & Bright Dining Nook

Late last summer, my boyfriend and I moved to a new apartment here in Seattle. It’s almost twice as big as our last space, and I’ve been slowly pulling it together ever since. (More on that later.) Luckily, around the same time, I heard from Ohh Happy Home, an affordable Australian fair trade rug brand that we’d posted about in our ethically made rugs guide (among others). They wanted us to see what their washable rugs were like IRL, especially because they now ship to the US! Given my prior space only had room for one rug, I was pretty excited to check another off the list. The rug arrived folded nicely in a large cotton bag and ready to roll on out. I wasn’t sure if it should go in my bedroom, office, or the sunny dining nook just waiting to be embellished:

My initial idea was to throw the rug down here and then try it out in the other two spaces (I figured a round rug might be more fitting here?), but I fell in love with this look. As for the rug, it’s not only pretty but absolutely the softest rug my tootsies have ever walked across. Therefore it needed to be in this high-traffic area, from which I admittedly work more than eat. This Berber style pink and toffee dots rug is 100% cotton, chemical-free, and Goodweave accredited. It’s also machine washable (what?)! On their website, you can see it styled beautifully in a nursery/kids room. Which this colorway is perfect for (besides a pastel-lover’s dining nook, obviously). You can find this rug in other colors and styles too. This one is 4’11” X 6’11”, which is almost the exact size of my nook. Now that I had a rug to anchor the whole design, I got to styling my quiet little corner!

First, I decided on a simple table and two identical benches to give it the dining nook feel. I spent some time looking into custom benches and cushions, and tried to find sustainable sources, but as expected there wasn’t anything in my small budget. I looked on Craigslist, Marketplace etc but given the small size of the room didn’t score like I hoped. So, I just bought these not-so-eco furniture items new online. Thankfully they worked out well and I know I’ll get a lot of use out of them.

I brought these West Elm curtains and velvet pillow from the living room of our last place. I’ve had them for several years now. The like their new home!

The pillows are a mix of Zuahaza designs (read more about them here), with one super old Etsy purchase mixed in. The “throw” blanket on the right is actually a Zuahaza scarf, which is so cozy no matter how you use it. The pink woven throw blanket is one featured in our shop. It’s lightweight and super cozy.

You can find the blockprint napkins from the tabletop in the shop as well.

The centerpiece here are the very last flowers I bought before blooms officially went out of season here in Seattle. Sigh!

Lastly, the beautiful woven wall art you see above is by another member, Will + Atlas! I’ve had it for years now (and three apartments) and always find a special new space for it everywhere I go.

That’s about it for my new dining nook! Several months later, it’s still one of the few spaces that feels complete in this new place. Next up I’ll be working on an art wall for the living room, and I’m hoping to carve out a corner devoted to my morning routine of journaling, reading, and meditation.

After reviewing and loving the rug, Ohh Happy Home is now a member of our sustainable shop directory. If you are in the US and shop from them, you can use ECOCLUBFREE for free shipping!

PS Find more ethically made rugs we love here.