I'll swallow my pride for just a second and be honest. I bought this rug for my cat. You see, a few years back I ripped out her beloved carpet and installed hardwood floors. For a while now I've thought about getting a nice shag area rug for her (and for the design of the room and all those far more sane reasons). I had visions of putting this area rug down and her having a tumbling routine with "At Last" playing a key role in the soundtrack. Don't get me wrong. She likes the area rug. She's just far more impressed with the new chairs.
As for me, I find the rug nice under foot, but it's not like "oh my goodness I'm in toe heaven" or anything like that. Functionally, it is really great because I wanted something that would designate my living room as a separate room in my open concept loft.
As for color, it is not stark white. More on the warm side. However, it was just light enough for my cat to decide to vomit on it on day two even when the more sturdy hardwood floors were but a foot away.