Beautiful rug! The dark stitching is more of a ashen brown/grey color, and is exactly what I was looking for. Was worried about the shedding from other reviewers complaints. When I unrolled the rug there was quite a bit of shedding, but not as much as others have complained. I immediately placed the rug down, without vacuuming it first, and it's been in my living room for over a week on a dark laminate floor and I see no trace of the white rug fibers anywhere. Rug is super sturdy and heavy so no need for a non slip pad underneath. Such a great buy and for the price! It's a win win.