Libradesign - thanks for all those rug suggestions. it is funny that I had looked at the first one a while ago.

I have to ponder them a bit. I definitely prefer wool. it is pretty cleanable.

I don't really have a budget. I love a good deal, but if I find what I want I will buy it. of course, I do have my limits. ha!

i realize my color scheme is a little unusual.

now, to decide if the rugs need to match the curtains...

i agree with your comment regarding the brown and blue together --- for me, a little of that combination goes a long way and it is not too versatile if one wants to add another color to it.

I always think of green as being neutral like the green leaves on any flowering plant.

I like the pink just have to see what I find in the way of drapery fabric.

I have to take a closer look at the New Zealand rug with the center medallion. It has a pattern that makes it more forgiving than the rugs that have larger swaths of solid colors.

I have a friend that has a rug store in the Pacific Design Center and I need to go check out what she has.

thanks so much

libradesign - peacock blue goes better with my paint than teal.

Peacock eh? Ok .. I think I would keep the curtains very quiet if I'm working towards a contemporary thing in a traditional space . . but I would want to select the rug so I knew which color I wanted to echo on the wall. Off whites and creams work with the stone but not sure next to the paint. If the rug had white and the right shade of dusty rose then all the stone would read as a rose shade and you could use white at the windows . . that analysis starts to send me towards chocolate velvet at the windows - it won't fight the stone or the walls and it reinforces your sofa . . . it isn't as modern as you need . . so you'll need grommet top and some peacock ribbon banding on the inner trim . . definitely hang in front of the window seat up front so they hang open and get hat delicious light in 99% of the time. . .

I'm not sure to what extent the rug should dictate the color of the drapery. I have a tendancy to want to match the drapery with the wall color and ignore the rug. of course. if i go with a significantly different color from the wall color, I think it will make the rooms (dining room and living room) seem smaller. I'm open to suggestions for window treatment color, I just need to finish my search for a rug.

another thought that I have been pondering is the reflection of the color of the drapery in the room. I was perusing images on houzz.com today and came across an image of a living room that had a very tall wall of windows with a dark green dtapery. The walls looked like a pale green. They were not. They were beige, but the reflection of the light from the drapery made them look pale green. ironically, many comments posted about the picture was, " what was the pale green paint color?" ha!

I think that dark draperies, of any color, will really bring down the atmosphere in your room which, in all your photos, seems light filled and airy. Do you intend to hang them inside the wooden pelmets? They will confine the draperies and make them appear dense and thick. I would opt for a very light weight natural linen. In my experience, natural colored linen seems to take on the tonality of the room in which it is hung. In your case, it will appear more green than beige, reflecting the color of your paint. Buy some natural linen drapes from RH and hang them up.....to see what I mean. Indulge your love of color in the rug, your accent chairs and pillows, and in your artwork. Your room has great bones! Don't hide them! ;)

thank you ptreckel!

this morning I switched out the rug and put down a bokhara rug that really Is uninspiring. it was sitting in my garage; thus, it cost me nothing. it is a pale light beige with a pink, light blue, yellow ochre, medium chocolate brown, and black. it is too small (8.5 ft x 11 ft).

You said you have access to a rug vendor. You should be able to borrow rugs on approval. I suggest you get three very different kinds of rugs: design, pattern, color. Try them out (as you are doing here with this bold patterned rug). See how they look and what looks right to you (and your doggies!) If the rugs don't work, try three more. Seriously! Once you find a rug that you love....things will begin to fall in to place for you. The colors in the rug don't have to match your walls or fireplace, they have just have to "go" with them. On another note....the art work over your fireplace might prove to be too delicate and traditional, depending on your choice of rug for the room. Something to keep in mind?

Congrats on putting comfort first! Bit confused about the tv arrangement....do you have to put it opposite the fireplace? Can you put it over the fireplace? That way you have one focal point. Otherwise your furniture will have to face away from either one of those which seems weird.

By the way, I just learned that it's really easy to paint your fabric on your armchairs. I had a leather couch "painted" about ten years ago and it has held up just fine. There 's a bunch of DIY videos on painting furniture on youtube if interested.

I do have access to a rug vendor. I plan to follow up with her soon. I have been under the weather and have been staying close to home.

for my own personal TV viewing, I will use either one as a chaise. thus, viewing the TV positioned against the wall opposite the fireplace is not an issue.

for groups watch TV, the pieces can be easily assembled into a sectional or large couch.

the picture over the fireplace is an abstract painting. the frame is traditional.

i had the fabric cleaned on the camel back chairs and it is still dirty. The fabric is worn in some areas and its fragile state made the cleaner hesitant to clean it to vigorously or with stronger chemicals.

i am interested in seeing the vidros about the painted leather and fabric. thanks for the heads up. I have thought that using a roller shade as a canvas for a painting would be cool especially if one has limited space for art work.

well, I have made an appointment with Hunter Douglas to see about the shades. I'm not sure about which type of shade that will purchase. It really depends on the amount of space that the shade will occupy inside the pelmet. the shades will need to be able to blackout the rooms. I have a deep discount through Direct Buy on Hunter Douglas and a Direct Buy person comes out to measure everything as well as installs them. of course, I can always take measurements and look at other options.

I took the plunge and ordered hunter Douglas vignette Roman shades in Indian Silk - Kashmir for all my windows. it is a fake silk made of polyester and I went with blackout lining.

I love your floor plan as you have it. I love you idea for floor lamps by the lounges. I love your pop up TV. Maybe a funky mirror above the cabinet or just the TV showing on a low console. Also, consider putting light sconces on either side of your TV. They can be hardwired by an electricial or you can do a plug in with a cord cover on the wall. I love your niches on either side of that fab bow window. Can bookshelves possibly be put in them and fill with 1/3 books, 12 stuff and 13 space. Can you put a cushion, subrella fabric to make it dog proof in the bay for the doggies?

I lust after your Baker chairs and like where they are placed.....I agree that they need to be reupholstered in something vibrant. I think a deep shag rug might be cool in the area where the oriental rug is now. You could leave the camel back chairs where they are now and then move them when you want to watch tv, or put them on either side of the TV console and place two matching stools opposite the fireplace where the Baker chairs are now. I would also select a round cocktail table to break up all the squareness of the room. Something in glass and steel or brass or even lucite.

The painting over the fireplace looks like an original oil so definitely use those colors in the living room. Maybe the second and third and fourth colors in the living room, and the dominant color the star in the dining room? The dining room should adopt some of the color you are using in the living room to relate and unite the two areas.

Beautifully finished room! Kudos to you.

hi soosun2,

the niches are not deep enough for books unless they were pocket paperback books. they are as deep as they be. I narrowed them when I renovated and they have lights for art.

thanks for the compliment, but it this room and my house are not done. I still have to buy a new rug or at a minimum I might put a synthetic sea grass mat under the current rug. I will figure it out eventually. I'm very slow to make decisions. I bit the bullet on the shades today since they will be hidden in the cornices (pelmets).

I am looking for a vibrant fabric to cover the Baker camel back chairs even if decide not to use them in this room. I also have been thinking about an animal print fabric

the art over the fireplace is an original piece, but I'm not totally married to it enough and might move it to a bedroom wall.

I do not like putting nail hoes in the wall unless I really think a painting fits the space. I spent too much time finishing these walls to make them smooth without imperfections. unfortunately, the finish does not tolerate being disturbed with holes, etc unless I redo the whole wall. if I had know that the paint does not retouch well, I would have opted for it. notwithstanding the retouching issue, it has been very durable and still looks fresh even though it was finished in 2009. I just had not furnished and decorated my home until now.

I also figured out that I can build my TV into the wall where pop up cabinet was going to go and i can put the cable box, peripherals in a closet about six feet away in the foyer. I decided the cabinet was going to take up too much real estate and was going to be too tall. I can put images on a USB and they will have to be my art on the wall.

after they install the shades, I will decide if I want to ad some drapery panels to frame the shades.

thanks for your commentsm

Those are some great ideas! I like the niches though and maybe a set of tall plants tucked next to them to being attention to them and that lovely window!

I do love those long shaggy rugs. they add so much softness to the room and lessen strong lines of contemporary furniture. Those lounges are such a statemetn. It is looking great.

I am working on a living dining room myself. it is narrow and long and I want to keep existing furniture that I had upholstered ten years ago and am still repurposing them, but it is a challenge to keep it looking current! But you hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater, right? haha I am excited to see you window treatments. Will lframe the room nicely.

some rugs that I'm considering for my living room. comments. they will bring them tomorrow for me to see in my living room

a few more rugs

a few more rugs

a few more rugs

a few more rugs

In the second group, the salmon rug is going to compliment what you have on the stone best of all the pink /red toned rugs. The rug to its right would be my choice however, because it layers in shades of the blue green that is definitely blue not green and has a deeper shade of the salmon that is in your fireplace stone in the little flower. It is the rug that has the most pleasing color combination to my eye.

The others do not add to what you are doing - red will clash with salmon, blue gray will clash with wall (third in second pairing). The first set - top right is too odd for me - your room now has very classical moldings, so the oriental classical rug will help you advance that so the fun color can be a statement. Also, can't see you wanting to add a lot of forest green here. Top left might really work though my initial impression is that it is ugly (sorry - just one opinion - i can see that the colors might work - in the room it might be pretty - the red tones feel a bit intense for me . . i'd rather see a dark pink echo in here to downplay that). Bottom left black will fight chocolate couches and not advance the scheme. Bottom right - again, brown will work but not help existing things come together.

I like the brown one in the bottom right quarter of the first set of images. There is enough of a beige-pink in it that it might bridge the color of your mantle and work well with the color of your walls. But you know that colors on monitors are not the same colors in your room! If you find one or two that you like, put them down and see how they look in various kinds of light in the room, from morning to afternoon to night. And be sure to lay the same one in different directions because, as you know, the grain will reflect the light differently. They are ALL beautiful, by the way! Good luck!

the 2 chairs should go in front of the window with the couch in an L shape in front of the fireplace

I think the room would be much easier to work with if you moved the chaise to another room. I love the chairs and would recover them.

thanks for the comments. we'll see tomorrow how they look. if these do not work, there will be others. there was a beautiful ikat rug that I liked, but it had a yellow green pattern that clashed with my scheme. it's backside looked great and the yellow green was not apparent until we unbundled.

the camel back chairs will be recovered and moved to another room.

I have to say, I do not care for the leather sofa. It is not the proper scale for the room nor the proper style. I have dogs and I have comfy sofas that are traditional. A camel back sofa in mohair or leather would fit the room. But it sounds like you have already made up your mind. You need smaller & airy furniture, preferably with legs like the chairs.

I will note that the colors of the rugs look very different in the photographs than the look in person.

guys - she is only asking about the rugs. now i'm going to break that boundary - here's a vote to keep your chairs in here and recover them in a mod ikat or graphic fabric once your other elements arrive and you can test fabrics in the space - glad you are making progress - can't wait to see your window coverings.

thanks libradesign! I'm ready for the window treatments to arrive too. They should be here in another week.

OK about the chairs. Ha! I've been looking at fabrics for them as well as the future bay window seat. the furniture placement will be easier once I find the right size rug. the current rug is too small (8'4" × 11').

btw, I'm a man. I just happen to have a last name as a first name. I've gotten used to the gender confusion. Ha!

I appreciate everybody's help.

Kelly - went back to see if that changed my perception of the rugs . . . nope. But I might not send up all the coral fabrics I see!! Hope you are enjoying the process of trying them out and that one of them works for you.

Here are some fabrics I ran across that made me think of your room

chair options - a modern print that has a lot of promise

http://www.calicocorners.com/p-1655-earth-elements-robert-allen-fabrics-aloe.aspx

sunbrella so easy care - but you would want a real 1/2 yard swatch to see it - maybe a terrific cover for the window seat / dog bed

http://www.calicocorners.com/p-8872-mirage-sunbrella-outdoor-seaglass.aspx

my fave but in your room it could read too blue - the greener blues are too small here http://www.calicocorners.com/p-8756-holiday-lake.aspx

worth showing since it is graphic and linen and the right tone - maybe prettier in person http://www.calicocorners.com/p-1425-angle-lane-robert-allen-fabrics-aloe.aspx

this is the color you love and a great looking weave so may be the winner

http://www.calicocorners.com/p-5359-country-plains-robert-allen-fabrics-turquoise.aspx

Finally, this one is your entire existing color palette in one fabric so you just need a touch - all cotton - but such a historical print that it needs a twist to bring it contemporary for you - great as a low lumbar pillow cover for the contemporary leather (back it in sensuede and it won't slide off) or perhaps instead at the doggie window seat .. . something in a bone shape covered with this would be cheeky, especially if that beautiful critter is a gal .. http://beautifulfabric.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fav=0&fpage=1&page=1&categoryID=79&productID=10316&pStart=0&recNum=0

well, here are images of some of the rugs in the room. of the selection, I'm kind of leaning towards the black rug. the black makes the lighter colors pop. I also like rust and blue green, but I think it is too busy. it definitely is a process. I'm not sure that I LOVE any of them.

another rug that I'm considering for my dining room, which joins the living room. it's sort of meh in my mind.

The brown rug that I thought I liked....looks rather blah! Interesting.... And the green rug looks better than I thought it would. If you aren't in love with any of them....keep trying!

@ptreckel - the beige one was blah. the delivery guys that rolled it out immediately said, "Fea!" it looked washed out down, very different than it did in the store. The green one photographed better than it looks in person. when it was down it seemed to have a lot of taupe undertones that undercut the green and other colors.

the room had a lot natural sunlight, which made the images appear more washed out.

all my overhead low voltage MR16s were on as well. there are19 of them.

I do not have any accent or table lights yet. those are on the list.

I like the black, but when you find the right one thee will be no doubt. Keep you standards--a rug is a big long term investment.

thank you @soosun2 - yes, a rug is an investment. I'm not sure if the pattern is too large or if a smaller pattern would be better. These rugs are about 10' x 14'. I found the colors of 8' x 10' rugs to be more appealing. I can use a rug that is over 10' x 14'. I've consider putting a synthetic sisal or seagrass under a smaller rug, but I'm not sure if I like that look. I'm not fan of walking on sisal or seagrass. I would never do a natural sisal or seagrass rug since they apparently are not very cleanable.

I'm still a fan of the blue green .. . but I do see how the elements on the black would draw you - they match the stone perfectly and the black would add drama. The black is a mistake with brown leather despite its other advantages . . it will also show dirt the most (really - that is what is great about a mid tone).

I don't think the blue green will feel busy once you put a coffee table on it and live with it for awhile . . it is just a change. The salmon one is definitely too busy. I don't mind the one you've pulled into the room from garage though I don't think it is great.

This shade of blue green is really great with your walls - it gives you room to play with many shades of that tone in your fabrics. Agree the dining room rug is meh .. .

before I buy any rug, I will put it down and live with it for a couple of days.

I'm going to move the rug currently in the living room to a bedroom, where it was pre-renovation.

I did not think the merlot sofa looked bad with the black rug.

I liked the green rug, but I wished that the colors popped a little bit more.

I found that the rust color in the different rugs photographed as if were red.

the only rug that photographed accurately was the black one.

should I put a frame around my Wall mounted tv?

Yes - use picture frame moulding and paint it the same as the wall for a more finished look .

thanks libradesign, that was my plan ---- paint it to match wall and moldings. I just had my shades installed today. there was an issue with the bedroom shades so they had to be returned. I'm very happy them. after living them for a while I'll decide if I need any panels to soften the edges or not, and whether i want option for filtered light. the shades have blackout lining.

They are dramatic and beautiful. Can you do a pic with them opened also. Love them. Fireplace looks much more important in the room. Goodjob.

sure, I can do a picture with them open. they are very cool. I can raise or lower them with the flick of a switch or with my cell phone.

with shades open.

I finally finished mounting my TV and sound bar. it seems less intrusive than a stand would have been and it opens up the possibilities for reconfiguring the furnishings. the TV is on an articulating arm and can be pulled out/up/down and rotated for when I have a group over. the articulating mount fits between the 2"x4" studs and mounts on the inside of the studs instead of being mounted on the wall. the articulating folds up into the wall cavity. I made another niche adjacent to the mount and put the cable box in it. the sound bar is mounted above the TV. I attached an IR emitter cable to the cable box and placed the IR emitter sensor on the front of the soundbar. now, I have to decide on the a rug and more importantly the size of the rug.

This is technically gorgeous. Hubs wants a 70 inch and plans on framing it out. I will definitely show him this post and pic. I think ours will look that good. We are doing dark cherry, but you definitely have the WOW factor with all the bells and whistles going for you in this room. Hubs just installed an articulating arm in our son in laws home office, and they really are terrific. Son in law put all outlets behind TV so it is a clear shot and no wires. So inventive and yours looks amazing. So anything under TV or just plain.

What do you think? Maybe opens up room for more furniture?

this TV is 65". I will eventually put something in the area near or beneath the TV.

soo, is this your living room? it is beautiful.

how is the TV currently mounted?