Here is an example of a connected living room and dining room that we designed. Do not be afraid of playing with different colors and patterns in your home. They add visual interest and variety.

That cream is doing nothing for your room. As a matter of fact, there is so much cream - walls, curtains, seating, chair pads, cabinets, etc. - that the little bits of color you have, like the maroon looking chair or orange pillows, look out of place. I didn't see where the rug sample is...did you post it? You need to find a colorful rug that will bring in the maroon/orange tones and then change out that rug in the breakfast room, too! Add a painting over the fireplace that echoes your floral sofa pillows. Then bring in some maroon/orange accessories in the kitchen - thinking that sideboard vignette would be perfect for adding color - including colorful curtain at the sink window, and it will all tie in AND be happy!

Samples of rugs at Overstock - some are even indoor/outdoor & very inexpensive, a good choice at the breakfast table!

And prints

Yes, I'm afraid of mixing patterns and color! Thank you for the comments so far. I tried posting the rug link but it didn't work. I'll try again. As for the maroon chair, it's there temporarily until I deal with it. It's from an older furniture arrangement and I'm working on doing something with it eventually. Too costly to reupholster but it's a hardly used Ethan Allen chair. The comments and pictures are very helpful since I'm afraid of making an expensive mistake.

http://www.bassettfurniture.com/Taupe-Persian-Design-Rug-DZ4730.asp

The rug from basset is lovely. It is traditional style. You could pull the blue from it for some accessories.

I don't think you need to worry about mixing patterns and color because you currently have beige! The ONLY color you have in the 3 rooms are the 2 orange pillows and the maroon chair, which you don't want to keep. The rug you are looking at is just a busier version of what you already have. The rugs I posted, as well as Inspired Interiors may seem too much but, in comparison to the Basset rug, they are much simpler while infusing much needed color.

Decoenthusiaste, Overstock has a lot of inexpensive indoor/outdoor rugs for much less than $100 - as I mentioned above, a couple of those I posted fall into that category.

South End Residence · More Info

Here's an interesting take on maroon and orange mixed with other colors.