At least if you had come over here, I wouldn't have gotten it. But, you didn't, and I did. Ugh.

It's so soft...

24 hours to return it, 2 hour round trip. : /

Or use it until we kill it and try again.

I'm running out of rooms in the Rejected Rugs Hotel.

This couch doesn't want to play nicely with anything. Not prints, not solids, not friezes. DD and looked at probably 200 rugs today. I've looked at at least 30 pages of esale's rugs. Maybe that many on overstock. Amazon. Piles of rugs that a $$$ rug seller had set up in the Macy's going out of business sale. Even if I had wanted to buy a 7k rug, none worked. No wonder these couches were such a deal on craigslist! (I will say it looks ok with creams and pale tans, but that's not for us.)

I tried putting the couch fabric up to golden sisal looking rugs, it was meh.

Maybe I'll pull out all my hair and weave it into a rug. :P

Any better? Striped rug at esale

From esale rugs.

I personally believe that until this room is finished, it will be darn near impossible to put a rug down and make it look pretty. It's an unfinished room that doesn't look good as is, so no rug is going to look all that wonderful. Even the curtains that you have chosen may not look so great if you paint the walls a color...those ivory curtains that look great with an ivory wall may look out of place if you paint the walls a taupe or blue/whatever. Get the room finished, decide on a color wall paint you can live with and then decorate. You are going about this backwards. Another thing, none of us can tell YOU what you are going to like. One person thinks the blue/gray rug you just bought a few days ago looks fantastic, the next person doesn't like it at all...who do you listen to? You need to like it and that is all that matters. IMHO the rug that k9arlene posted is awful...really, really ugly but that is just my opinion, do you see what I mean about personal taste?

edited to make k9arlene happy :)

You forgot to put a comma between your really, really ugly. Also, I hardly believe that it was a "humble" opinion.

Can you go back and get the original green one that looked so great and just buy your family different socks?

Thank you for the suggestion, k9arline. I do really like the colors in the rug you just found, but the shapes in it and fade marks would stop me from buying it. (I see little owls, freshly frightened off their perches in there, like some would see whales or running horses in the clouds.) Some rugs I've seen look like they have beetles or African masks in the designs, and neither forms call to me as something I want on my floor. I think this is what arkansasgirl was getting at, rather than trying to be rude. Not saying that you have bad taste, but that we all see things differently. Some people think tribal masks are fascinating and proudly display them. That's ok for them, it's just something I personally wouldn't do.

Arkansas, I'm not trying to put a rug down in this room in an attempt to make an unfinished room pretty (thats exactly what I've done for the last few years while we diy renovate the rest of the house, however.) I'm trying to select the rug and curtains so that we can get the paint selected. Some paints have pink, yellow, or green undertones. If the furnishings have one undertone and the paint has another, things can look really "off." That's what I'm attempting to avoid. If all goes well, we should be painting in two or three weeks. I'd like to be ready for that step ahead of time.

No, Oly, I really don't want that rug back. There was too much plain cream in the background. It stressed me out even in the few days we had it, concerned that muddy paws, etc would get on it. It was really hard to vacuum, a little smaller than I want, and the pattern too big and bold for my tastes. The socks sticking to it was just one more knock in a long list against it.

I would use the green solid one you had. put it back. finish the room, then take your time and find the perfect rug. Can you do that? Sometimes the right one just has to find you. If not I would look at overstock, wayfair, ballards and grandin road. :)

Laughable, I sympathise, I really do. When we were looking for a rug for our snug recently it felt as though we'd never find 'the one'. I'd considered all the esale options (although in the UK, they're called irugs!) and scoured ebay for 18 months. We'd bought our previous, much smaller rug on ebay in 2011 and had paid less than £200 for it, iirc, yet despite having a budget that was much larger than that, both in 2011 and now, I was struggling to find something that made my heart sing! In our case it was probably because we have so many colours going on in our eclectic space, lol!

I understand your plight and desire to get the rug sorted so you can press on with choosing a wall colour etc, and you wouldn't think it would be so hard to find a colour that co-ordinates with your couches, but when you have a colour that reads differently in certain lights, it can be extremely difficult. Your couches seem to be a silvery sage, which I suppose makes selecting the right green - or blue/grey - almost impossible, especially for us whose monitors all show colours slightly differently ;)

Personally, I liked the rug you posted at 9.07am on 21st Feb, the one that you saw in real life, but only you can tell if the colours were right and as you didn't get that one, I guess they weren't!

We eventually found 'the one' for our requirements, but as they say 'you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince' and that seems to be where you're at right now. It took us 18 months, but we're delighted with our choice and know nothing else would have come close. You will find the right one. It is out there and I understand you wanting to get the rug chosen first. Perhaps your earlier suggestion of a braided one might be a good idea? It kind of ties in with your gorgeous dining room scheme, imho.....casual country :)

Raphaella x

The only thing you have to work around are two solid green sofas. I would select three or four colors that work with them and pick one of those colors for paint. Stay focused on those colors as you add to the room. I think the cottage style of your dining room is nice, and you've kept things pretty sparse and simple in that room.

k9arlene, my comment wasn't meant as an insult(as you took it), it was meant as a point to make. What one person thinks is gorgeous, someone else may find "really, really ugly". For us to try and tell her what she likes is an effort in futility. She has nothing to go on other than a few miss matched eclectic pieces of furniture which as someone else pointed out are the anchor pieces that have to stay.

edit to add: If you can stand another of "IMHO" since you do have a whole lot going on with a whole lot of different pieces of furniture, why not just stick with a very soft off white or slightly beige color that will go with everything rather than trying to put a color on the walls. I feel that would be your best choice for this room. Then find a rug that you will enjoy looking at for years to come.

Thank you all. I never dreamed finding something like a rug could be so challenging. Your story was really encouraging, Raphaella. Having seen pictures of your new rug, I can see the wait was worth it. Last night I looked at a smaller version of the blue one that you mention, but it didn't seem right in real life.

We unrolled the brown rug this morning, and found that it was badly damaged on the backside. So, that forces us to return it to the carpet store today, 2 hour round trip and all. I'm just hoping I can lose this splitting headache before we head out.

I'll try to be more patient with the rug hunt. I need a good antidote/counter statements to the mental dialogue that goes:

"I can make this work..."

"We're here now, so we might as well get it..."

"It's a good price..."

Yes, I'll probably end up with some sort of cream or beige wall color. I had hoped to have the big items on site to help make the color choices, but it looks like that isn't going to happen.

Would this give us the sisal look?

This was one we saw yesterday, and since we have to head back to the city to do the return, I thought I'd check (since we're gonna be there anyway...)

I kinda think it's too gold.

So...is this rug too gold in this image?

Laughable, I know you must feel like your going down the rug rabbit hole & you have such patience! I still stand by getting two 8x10 rugs & layer a fun rug on top. Switching with your mood or season. Keep everything else neutral.

This Is taken in a shadow..... but is 8x10 outdoor rug from lowes. It is not scratchy- softest rug ever? No.. But children could hang out on it easily. The soft rug would be around the coffee table/ottoman-which is where people will sit on the floor. Plus, you can hose it off if it gets grungy. And it's cheap!!

You could layer the "Aktillery rug" on top of it

Here is mine during our decorating process. I love the layered look.

I'm posting this rug at the risk of knowing someone might say it's very, very ugly as opposed to saying they don't think it works in the room or that they're not a fan. I'm not necessarily suggesting this particular rug but I like the cream background that works with your new curtains, it has a sort of cottage vibe and has the cranberry accents that you initially liked.

I don't know your budget, but for my money, you can't beat Dash & Albert for carefree yet gorgeous rugs. I like this style for your room, and they have a lot of colors. A good felt mat would offer some cushion, and you can literally hose the rug off.

I agree with the indoor/outdoor rug suggestion.

So many indoor/outdoor rugs are actually soft, vacuum really well and are easy to clean. Is there is a Ballards Design near you, they often have the 15% off coupon and a lot of color options that would go with seafoam green/cream. They also have a few outlets I think.

You all have been Super Troupers, sticking with me throughout all these dud-dy rugs. Thank you. We returned the damaged brown rug. They were "floored" (pun intended) that it was like that, and are seeking a warranty claim on it. I was actually relieved, although shocked, that it was like that. But since it was damaged, I felt no compulsion whatsoever to keep it.

Today has been busy, so I haven't had many rug-like thoughts, but I wanted to stop by and say that I have read your posts, and I'm going to chew on this some more.

Thanks for the encouragement peppadoodle. I don't really feel very patient. It's more that my impatience has gotten me into some rugs that are less than ideal! :0 I'm glad you brought up the idea of layering again, since that had slipped my mind.

Ladies with layers, could you tell me what size your top layer rugs are? The idea intrigues me, but I'm not sure how to pull it off in our space. I do like how the rugs look in your rooms, peppa and aktillery.

K9arline, thank you for hunting down another rug. I know how much time that can take. That rug is lovely, but with all the cream in the background and the large print, I don't think it will work for us. I do appreciate your efforts, though!

Deeinohio, that rug looks the most like what my brain calls to mind when I think of making this room cohesive. It's more than I wanted to spend...but...I'm sure pondering it.

Laughable, I believe my larger rug is about 9X12 and the top is 6X9. Hope that helps!

I still really like the Valencia rug that justerrilynn (sp) posted way up the thread! In the mock-up, it looked so perfect with the couch. I think that rug or that rug over a sisal (or the aktillery rug!) and changing the aqua lamp base to black and perhaps switching out the ottoman might be lovely.

Thank you aktillery and indygo. DH didn't love the Valencia when he saw the pictures of it. : /

Before I go on exhaustive search for more rugs, does anyone think that the giant blue/gray print rug works with our sofas? If we painted the walls a cream, and honed down the accent pieces in the room, could it look pulled together and like it belongs? (I'm ok with covering or even getting rid of the ottoman, so don't let its presence sway the decision at all.)

I liked it in the photo earlier where you had similar blue pillows on the sofa. And it is echoed in the blue and white pieces. So it's ok. But a rug the color of the border or one of the ones above where the blue is a bit less periwinkle (almost teal, like the Valencia or aktillery's rug!) would probably work better I think. I really like aktillery's rug over the sisal and think it would look lovely with your sofas. You can see how that combo looks with the green on her walls!

Laugh, the problem I see with the rug is that none of the colors in it relate to anything in your room. It's got a goldish border and blue background. You've got cream drapes, cream slipcover, cream table cloth which is why I think you need a rug with some cream in it. You've got nothing with that pale blue color in the room either. Right now, to me, it looks random. If you were to change some of the other elements in the room to tie in either the gold or blue, it could certainly work as it's a nice rug. Painting the room cream brings in more cream which, again, doesnt relate to the rug.

On my monitor, the rug looks lavender. I'd go with a warmer, more rustic feel.

How does the blue/white ceramic look with the rug in real life?

Is there green/sage in aktillery's rug? Or her second esale rug? Hard to say from the picture what the actual color is. It may be too yellow.

https://secure.img1-fg.wfcdn.com/lf/maxsquare/hash/37700/31988264/1/Bungalow-Rose-Ameesha-Ivory-Blue-Area-Rug.jpg

One last try from Wayfair. It's got the cream and you can add some navy accessories and it should work with your plates. The medallion could be an issue.

Yes to what nosoccermom and K9 said. Go warmer. Actually, if you like the ottoman, you might look at something with rust and the sage (not olive) green in it.

to answer your question no :( when I look at it on my monitor, the blue rug just doesn't work.

I absolutely love that rugk9 posted but don't really see it with the green sofa.

But then, perhaps it could be stunning with colors like this.

Maybe start out with a sea grass rug as suggested, then you can take your time finding the perfect rug to layer on top. That would be my first choice. I also really like the Pottery Barn Eva rug my3dogs posted. It has your colors and it has a more casual FR vibe. I would just paint the room a soft white, but, I prefer a light and airy room.

Oh yes to the layered rugs!!! That is a perfect solution for you because the special rug (smaller top) can be just that, a little more special than what you have been bringing home so far. It's a long shot but keep an eye on CL, and neighborhood used furniture/rugs listings. I recently had a very big quality sisal listed on my CL in what looked like new condition, I think it was $100.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of layered rugs.

My hide rug on top is always a bit messy but it covers the lower rug in areas the dogs lay on nearest the sofa. When these wear out I'll layer again but with a tic more color,

Sidelined the hunt for the weekend while we emptied out the living room. Tomorrow is demo day! DH has concerns about layered rugs being more of a tripping hazard than a single layer rug. We have a few visitors that aren't all that aware of their footing/unsteady on their feet, and he doesn't want them to fall and injure themselves. Has this ever been an issue for those of you with layered rugs? Thanks for the pictures and links all!

Yes, I'll keep on eye on Craigslist, nothing has shown up yet...but you never know.

My setup would be more likely for a trip hazard although it has never happened (yet). The other examples above have little to no safety problems.

Pottery Barn Thyme Persian style rug?

YES!

Eta, I know those are your dining room draperies, but I like how they complement and coordinate with the rug, too. It seems it will bring the rooms together.

Much better option. I like it.

That looks promising!

Agree, looks promising.

I like it. Just note that is a tufted rug, which means lots of shedding. Also, Pottery Barn rugs are notorious for off-gassing. (Many tufted rugs smell; it's from the glue used to secure the fibers. Maybe they've changed). Make sure of their return policy.

I like the colors in the Pottery Barn rug. The pattern, however, leaves me ambivalent. The price, I'm gagging on. I like how our wool rugs have stood up to our family's usage. Our green living room one has been a shedder, and I'm not looking forward to breaking in another one like it (Full dirt cup on the vacuum every single time, even if vacuumed daily.) Stinky carpet? No thank you. I called the nearest PB store this afternoon, hoping I could visit the rug in person rather than ordering. It's online only, but I could return an ordered rug to the store (an hour away.)

Remember the gold rug? It's about $150 for a 9 x 12, and it's soft. Is it really worth it to go for the more expensive PB rug? I've mocked up both with my rather primitive Paint skills.

We really like the plaid curtains with the couches, too! So much so that we talked about swapping the cream curtains to the dining room and the plaid ones to the living room. But then I'd probably want to repaint the dining room walls to make the cream curtains stand out more (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...)

For kicks, I did a mockup of Aktillery's rug, too. (DH is having a hard time liking this rug in pictures, however. He sees fade marks, Egyptian type prints, etc.) Our couch doesn't normally look this blue. It's actually quite green, a silvery sage, with golden tan undertones. (Sounds weird, but that's the most accurate description I can come up with.)

Laugh, what criteria must the rug meet for your purposes? What colors would you like in the room? What changes are you willing to make to have the rug relate to items already in the room? Do you want a patterned rug or solid? I thInk the last rug you posted has way too many colors in it and I don't see it working in your home style wise. The beber is kinda blah and I don't think the color will add anything to the room. I guess if you got drapes to match it would make some sense, but putting in a gold rug with no other changes doesn't work for me. So many of the rugs posted seem so random unless you're willing to make changes to the lamp color, throw pillows, ottoman, etc.

I agree about the gold solid color rug. It doesn't add anything to the room. With your concerns about maintenance/spills, etc. a pattern makes more sense. It seems a poly rug is the perfect solution for your lifestyle. I really like the PB one, but sounds like it's expensive and maybe not for you because it's tufted?

I keep going back to this one; not sure if anyone else linked it. On esale rugs the largest size they have is smaller than 9x12, but it's available here and I think some other places in a 9'9" x 12'2". I didn't search too long, but this site has a 10% off coupon and is priced at 1099, so would be $990 free shipping no tax. It is branded so might be found cheaper someplace else if you like it. 100% Synthetic (olefin/polypropylene)

rugs direct.

Criteria for rug:

1. Stain resistant
2. Soft
3. Under $600, even that high is more than we'd really like to spend.
4. 9'x12'
5. Coordinate with green couches
6. Either be a neutral, so that it does not contribute to the background "noise" of the room,
7. or, a pretty print. If it's a print, it must

• Have colors that can be pulled from for room's decor. I'm willing to make changes to the ottoman, lamp color etc, if necessary.
• Not be too formal
• Not have expansive areas of white/cream
• Not have fake fade marks that imitate a worn out carpet
• Not feel like velcro and hang onto fuzzies for dear life. :-)

I feel like my father, "See, I'm easy to get along with...." he'd say. Argh!

Laugh, if the rug is stain resistant, it shouldn't matter much if there's cream in the rug. I see your room as being light and airy and a rug with dark colors, I think, will make the room a bit dreary. If you view your sofas as neutral, you can go with almost any color as long as your lamps, ottoman, and toss pillows reflect that color. I think I'd keep the rug simple...cream and another color or two. Other than the PB rug, I think you're going to have a difficult time finding a 'match' colorwise to your sofas. i'd ignore the color of the sofas and bring in another color with the rug, lamps, pillows and ottoman. I think the colors in a new rug should be darker than sofas so it doesn't appear that you're trying to 'match' them with the sofas.

Hi LM --

You left out one must that seems to apply -- "Thumbs up from both me and Mr LM" -- right?

As one who has recently been down this road as a picky person living with an apparently even pickier one, I think you have to put off relatively immediate gratification and continue your "feet on the street" hunt.

Trust me, I feel your pain.

I wanted my rug ASAP and am a big online shopper, but I knew between color, texture (softness), style, and The Dread Overlap Factor with someone who has a hard time visualizing from real or online photos I'd be ordering and returning til the end of time.

[BTW, I would have been happy with that PB Eva upthread and think it would be lovely in your room (but Mr Vix vetoed it along with so very many others)....]

I'd also lived with an undersized, neutral, relatively pattern-free rug for years and wanted something more dramatic for the new one -- and like you I wanted to keep the room feeling lighter after having painted it and the adjoining rooms AND the #$)@ trim months before with that goal in mind!

My eventual rug took months to find and isn't at all what I had in mind, but I do love it and didn't have to compromise on my core goals. All the past "nopes" actually enabled a confident, final sale purchase (with both of us there, of course!).

All this to say: you've done your research and know your key must-haves -- your patience will pay off for you. Good luck!

ps If you're determined to keep looking online, I'd only order the smallest size from vendors with great shipping/return policies. ;)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Decorators-Collection-Charisma-Green-Slate-10-ft-x-13-ft-Area-Rug-510442/206775251

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Decorators-Collection-Isabella-Ivory-9-ft-6-in-x-12-ft-2-in-Area-Rug-451708/206742334