This was perfect for my teenaged son's room. Cool octopus design, not too childish. Its is a nice thick rug. We did not use padding. It has shed a little bit but not so much as to be considered a problem. I've vacuumed it three times in the last 10 days that we've had it in place. I'm really glad we bought the larger size. It is a true navy color. It was well packaged and arrived on time.