This rug is soft and has a nice raised texture.  However, it is very thin in the non-raised parts.  A rug pad is a must.  Something to note - there are grey striations running across the lighter parts, which isn't obvious in the photos.  Also, the color of the raisedlighter parts is very different depending on the angledirection that you're looking- almost white to medium grey.  The rug is a true grey.  No blueish tones.