It took me a long time to decide which white shag rug to buy, as between Safavieh and Nuloom there are about a million. What sold me on this one was the picture of a hand sinking down into the super plush fabric- and the fact that it had the highest pile out of all the white shags those two brands had to offer. I bought the runner for my gallery hallway in my bedroom, which at *** at the time was an absolute steal. I only wish I had a full room that would work with white shag! (My bedroom certainly would, but I had already gone with Nuloom's grey and aqua lace Adileh rug in 8x10 (which while sadly has not nearly as much aqua as the photos show, is still unbelievably gorgeous), which goes wonderfully with this runner.
I was really nervous when I received the rug and took off one of the cardboard end-caps and got a glimpse of the edge of the rug- it looked like it had sparse, ultra spindly fibers sticking out in every direction, everything I had feared when ordering and dangerously close to how I had always pictured shag carpet until seeing it everywhere when rug shopping- a terribly sparse/matted 70s nightmare. The product photos had led me to believe that shag could be luxurious, even glamorous, and at that moment I thought they had LIED.
As I pulled off more tape and pushed down more of the plastic, I became able to peel back a corner of the rolled rug- and to my astonishment revealed the most dense, plush, and yes, glamorous pile! I was so relieved, and so excited to get the rest of the packaging off and lay it out (which will take you a little while-they pack these things WELL). Once I had it all out, I could see that the slightly sparse edges were barely (if at all) noticeable, as they very quickly give way to this gorgeous dense pile that you can sink your hand (and feet!) into. There is this amazingly subtle slight sheen to the fiber that is in no way shiny or slippery (which is what deterred me from choosing the Safavieh Paris rug- that and the fact that it was more of a beige than a white or cream)- it's just this slight luster that makes the whole rug look luxe and rich and almost creamy, like much more expensive materials were used.
This rug is seriously amazing, you guys. Unless you are trying to match this rug to a stark white (or stark white with say black or red), modern decor, I really can't see how you would be disappointed. My bedroom is white, aqua and silver, and this goes perfectly with it- though I have a sort of "beachy glam" thing going on, so all of my whites are of varying natural shades anyway.
I have bought three Safavieh products for my new apartment, and I can tell you that each one of them just radiates quality and attention to detail. One of the items I bought was one of their handmade wool rugs, and I can tell you that this machine-made, non natural fiber, less expensive rug is given the same amount of care and commitment to quality as their more expensive lines.
I'm so happy with this purchase. I have not cleaned the rug yet, so I can't attest to how easy it is to get dirt and debris out of the pile, but I imagine it will take more work than a low pile rug- but you kind of sign up for that when you go with shag. I will try to come back and update in a few months on durability, ability to stay white and ease of cleaning.
The one thing I'm not 100% happy with is the length! It is only seven feet long, and I would have happily paid another *** to get it a foot longer. It's just a tad too short for the part of my hallway I'm using it in (I'm not using a rug in the first part of my hallway because I don't want the pile to interfere with the door to my room or the one to my walk in closet).
Seriously, if you're on the fence about shag, get this rug.