Love love love this rug.  It's so soft to the touch, and the colors are beautiful.  I think it's a little more "shimmery" than it appears in the photos (which to me is a good thing!).  The blue is light, but definitely blue (even if it looks grey-ish in my photo).  We put the "Wayfair Basics premium dual surface non-slip rug pad" under it, and it works well.