Walls almost done, and thinking about a runner

I filled the empty space on the wall with my elf house (which has acquired a few more elvish furnishings over the years). That puts it in a much more visible place than it was before. I also put the rope that I was hanging kid's artworks on back up. 

With those done, the walls are just about done.  There is one more area that seems to need filling.

I also backed up a step or two in the process and thought about what to do with the entry runner. We've had the landlord's carpet remnants there continuously, and I would like to do something different and better, in a very dark green color.

I remembered that we had some fake grass (aka Astroturf) in the garage. I never used it before because I didn't like the plastic texture, and because it sheds little bits around the edges.

But I pulled it out, and found that we have two pieces of it, one of which is almost exactly the size I want.  In color, it was quite a bit brighter than I wanted, although not as bright as I remembered it being.

Family opinion was deeply divided on the texture. Several of the children thought it was a perfect place for a picnic, and for scattering toy "flowers".  Another one joined me in hating the feel of the plastic.

One problem was discovered:  spills go straight down through it.  Since the runner is the place where most of the snowy boots get parked, it needs to have absorbency.  A second problem is that the bright color makes the rest of the room look faded and worn.

So I decided to put the fake grass in the bedroom of the children who love it--the carpet in there is a hideous greige--and keep using the carpet remnants until I find something better.