I bought this hoping it would be a softer alternative to a jute rug for our living room. The braiding was pretty and it was smooth although not particularly soft. My issue with it was that it had a sort of shiny plastic-ey appearance. The material reminded me of what they use for sand bags- like a synthetic burlap. I think it would look okay as an outdoor rug but not as an indoor living room rug. I also would be concerned about how the braids would hold together. The rug is essentially a bunch of braids stiched together and stitching seemed minimals. If you were to pull apart the tassles, I think you could pretty easily rip the rug in half. Needless to say, we ended up returning the rug, which thankfully has been a very easy process so far. With a few clicks, we have a shipping label printed and FedEx is scheduled to pick it up tomorrow (all for free!).