Safavieh Handmade Silken Glam Paris Shag Ivory Rug (4' x 6')
So I'm on the spectrum, so you'll need to bear with me here. I am incredibly bothered by things that are not textured right. There are some things that are described as soft because they have individual fibers of soft yarn that are piled together. When you combine them all, the individual strands make a slight friction that is rather irritating against the microscopic hills and valley of my skin. Some might consider that to be "tickling," but to me it feels like tiny razor blades slicing my skin.
When I'm at stores that have the towel and blanket sections, I am sensitive to the overhead lights. They have a tendency to give me a panic attack, so to calm down I put my hand inside the rolled up blankets, towels, and carpets and it helps to make me relax a bit. Every now and then there is a blanket with a softness that makes everything more than just okay. It becomes perfect.
After studying these kinds of sublime materials for years, I decided to take a chance on this rug because it looked like similar rugs that had similar softness. And I was totally off the mark. This rug is BEYOND SOFT. When you first step on it, remove your socks so you get the full benefit of the strands as they meet your feet. As your toes crash against the clusters of fibers, the gentle caress is like a gentle breeze against your skin. A shifted foot pulled back glides evenly over the fabric like plush cotton balls drifting across a room influenced by an oscillating fan at low speeds.
The strands are bunched together and are not delicate enough to tickle you or irritate the skin like drag a feather against the sole. Since it came rolled up, everything is matted so I assume that some shedding will occur. It does warn about that on the bottom label along with a suggestion for vacuuming often.
I only gave it four stars because it's not as plush as I would have wanted it to be. It's not as thin as the sheepskin rug at Ikea, but it's not as cushy as other rugs. I wish it had a little reflexion so it was more comfortable to stand on for longer periods. In order to do that I'd need to get some sort of other rug that was exactly the same dimension as this one and affix it somehow.
If you are looking for a texture that is uniformly soft, like that of an Akita puppy or Gund stuffed animal, then this is the most awesome texture that I've come across. It's not particularly spongy enough to stand on by itself (I have oak hardwood floors), but the softness of the fabric greatly overcomes that flaw.