A Rug for my office----to paint a rug or not to paint?

I've been looking for a rug to pull my office together for quite some time, but I haven't found anything affordable.  I'm trying to keep the whole 10' x 12' room under $500, and considering the fact that most rugs large enough are at least $120, the purchase would send me over budget.  I considered getting this rug from Target, but couldn't justify the expense for a rug I don't really like.  Each time I'd go into the room I'd think "I hate that rug!  It's much too dark.  But it was cheap....ugh, I'm so cheap".  So I nixed the target rug, even though it's cute.  I also loved this one, it's from the incredible DwellStudio for Target line, but was concerned that the pattern was too morrocan and would cause the room to go in a different direction than I would like.

After searching some more, I found some lattice rugs on Overstock.com that I really loved, but were also pricey.  Then...I discovered RUG PAINTING!  Can you believe you can paint a rug with regular latex paint?  I was so excited that I could convert a regular old Ikea rug into the lattice rug I wanted, just by using a stencil printed out online.  I was ready to copy one of these rugs (depending on the size of the rug) and scoured the internet for a used rug I could paint.  But alas, there were none, so I headed to Ikea.

Once at Ikea, I discovered tha the large jute rugs (easiest to paint) were fairly pricey, and I just felt dumb buying a rug that I could easily find online for free...eventually.  THEN I saw the Gislev rug.  It's a low-pile rug, so it's perfect for an office, and it was just $19.99, so I couldn't leave it there!  It's only 6'6 x 4'4 so I bought 2 to cover the area.  I just hope it doesn't look tacky.  Don't think I gave up on painting a rug.  Check back for a nursery rug DIY, coming soon...

Office Rug:

2 Gislev Rugs at $19.99 each.

Total Cost: < $40