It's as comfortable underfoot as others have mentioned due to the chenille, which is great as we do not wear shoes in the home. The dark stitching in the rug adds character and is a true charcoal color. The rug is NOT a true 5x8 though, which was important for me...it's about 3" shorter on the five foot side, which is annoying as it shows my thick rug pad underneath. A rug pad is necessary as it is very thin underfoot.