This rug is incredibly soft, and looks great in my living room. (For reference: the size in my attached picture is the 5x7 option.) I'd say it's actually a little more vibrant in-person than the picture shows (it has sort of silvery threads throughout the design). It laid flat within 12-24 hours after unrolling it - though I did put heavy items on the corners which probably helped speed up that process. I don't have a rug mat underneath it, and it's still doing just fine. It shipped when predicted, and arrived on schedule. (I didn't want it sitting outside all day while I was at work, so I had the delivery redirected to a FexEx location and picked it up myself. I'm glad I did, as it was only wrapped in clear plastic, so anyone could see what was inside the package.) In all, I'm very pleased with the purchase.