Very pretty carpet, but it makes your sofa look yellow.

Cream and gray is a lovely combination.

I'm not a color expert, but . . . the couch appears more sand colored than cream. And it seems to have a green undertone to it. The pale gray carpet doesn't work well with the couch in color or style, in my opinion.

The couch goes so well with the flooring that it is almost a shame to bring in another color, but if you have your heart set on gray, I wonder whether a dark gray would work? (photo from overstock.com)

Thank you. I think you are right that the cool tone of the carpet makes the couch very yellowish although it is a tone darker than cream, probably sand yes.

A dark grey could be a better solution. I thought of that as well. But I was wondering that it would be too dark for the small living room that I have.

You could also look for a rug closer in tone to the floor. I agree with graywings that the style of the rug also doesn't harmonize well with the couch. I have seen a fair number of shag-type rugs in a yellower cream color that would work, I think. I had one myself from HD for a couple of years but I wouldn't recommend that particular rug since it was polypropylene and wore badly.

I think it does work actually. It's just a different, paler vibe than you are used to. I'd look for some kind of art with the cream/grey theme with maybe some spots of color. Then pick up that color with some accent pieces. I think your room looks great. The only other thing you could consider is finding a fabulous wall color to paint, that's an inexpensive pick-me-up. Not necessary but could be fun. I just painted my bedroom and having a wall color you love really changes your attitude about a room, in my experience. But so would some really great art.

l pinkmountain: I think you are right that the color combination is just paler. I'm used to dark and red colours. Thank you for your great suggestions.

d_gw: Yes, the sizing of this rug is a little too small. A bigger one won't hurt. I did look for other grey toned carpets but didn't really find any that I fell in love with so plan B - if I return this one - is to put my previous Persian rug back and add a dark red pillow to the couch instead on the grey one and have it that way until I find another carpet that I love.

The style of the carpet is perhaps too "romantic" or floral for the couch perhaps?

And all things considered, if you are testing patterns and colors, it makes sense to order the smallest size available. It makes returns much easier.

I see this one on eBay that may work with the sofa color...Can't guarantee what the colors look like in real life, though...
Cozy Moroccan Trellis Gray/Cream Indoor Shag Area Rug (5'3 x 7'3)

Depends on monitor and or res. on mine the couch is cream, however the room is rather bland and needs a 3rd. color more vibrant to make it pop, and a painting or print with same 3rd. color in it above the couch and if there is a window drapes can do the same.

My3dogs: Great idea to find a carpet with both the grey, sand, and cream color in it. Thank you.

aputernut: Yes, it also looks too pale to me. But I thought it was because I'm used to dark colors, like dark red and dark green, in my living room. A 3rd color could work. Which would you suggest? I don't think that dark green or dark red looks very good with these neutral shades I have now.

For reference, my living room used to be like this. So - even though this was taken in the late evening - the colors are very dark and warm. This new pale carpet is very shocking to me :-)

I love your "before" look. That is a beautiful rug. If that were my room, I would get rid of the burgundy pillows and go with pale/ light blues pulled from the rug, a lighter piece of art over the sofa, a lighter colored chair. I also like the paint color.

Can you show us a close up of the rug..I may be seeing blue that isn't there.

tuesday_2008: You are right about the blue! And thank you. I have actually never thought about going with the blue from the carpet.

I found this old close-up of the carpet where the colors are in daylight.

The blues are perhaps more medium to dark blue, however I see a little light blue as well.

I love the before. I think with the coffee table you posted earlier it would amazing together!

I love the red but if you want to pull out some other colors the blue is lovely and so is the green. You have a million color choices with that rug.

My first thought was that whatever carpet you choose should be much larger. I'm surprised no one has commented on that since I was told by everyone that the rug that I had selected was much too small. At least the front legs of the couch and chair should be on the carpet is the rule. When you have a larger carpet it makes the room look larger and the elements more pulled together. I realize that the price would go up quite a bit and that may be a consideration. If you keep the painting over the couch I would hang it lower by about 4-5 inches to give it some relation to the couch. Frankly the very modern couch you've chosen ties in better with the painting and your original Oriental rug and the antique end table you have. Going in a very different direction may not work with the furniture you have now. I would suggest that a rectangular coffee table with the couch, with metal of a somewhat darker color. The rug that my3dogs shows may work in that the pattern will help to tone down the difference between modern and antique, and since it's cream and gray it should go very well with the couch. There again I would choose the larger size. I can imagine that rug giving a whole different feel to the room which might be just what you're looking for.

aktillery9: Yes, I'm thinking the coffee table definitely would be nice with this style as well. I have actually never really quite liked the metal legs of the coffee tables I have now :-)

I love the Before, too!

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9: I have just learned recently that the feet of the couch should be on the carpet, and that a larger carpet would make the room appear larger. I remember my parents having the carpets the same way as I do now; same length as the couch. But you are probably right that it would connect the furniture much better if the carpet would have been bigger. My next carpet should definitely be larger.

Thank you for your suggestions. Maybe my re-decoration of the living room should just be changing accent colors and getting rid of the very dark cabinet. Lowering the painting would be a great idea, but it could probably lighten up the room if I switched it out for some art in lighter shades.

Maybe it's just something as simple as that that's going to make a difference :-)

Maybe I'm being curmudgeony, but it isn't the end of the world if the carpet is somewhat "too small." It can be worked around. Every element does not have to be perfect for a room to look good.

I'm with l pink. I actually prefer a small area rug under a coffee table in many instances.

Hi Ingrid - I commented about the rug size up thread :)

edited to add, I do think if you want a small space to appear larger, a larger rug helps because it does not break up the space .

Beautiful floor! Is that pine or white oak with a waxed or piled finish? I love the lighter, natural look.

I like both the gray rug and your before rug with the floors. If you want to keep the gray, perhaps you could get an ivory slipcover for the sofa? I'm not sure if that would work with the sofa style or not.

tnfarmhousefixin Thank you! It's pine floor that have been whitewashed.

A slipcover could work. However, the slouchy style of the sofa may end up looking like I just threw a big blanket over it? The sofa is very slouchy and soft.

There is that whole greys, beiges, creams washed over, monochromatic look that is very popular, so lots of different shades of grey and off whites could work in there, lots of different rugs styles too. I need too much variety for it to work for me, but I can appreciate its beauty and soothing appeal. There's also the same look punched up with bits of color. Seems to me like you are wavering between the two looks. Both could work in there. Have you tried making a "mock up" board with some sample photos and pieces to give you an idea of how the colors would mesh together?

l pinkmountain Yes, right now I'm thinking that I should go back to the Oriental carpet and just brighten up or change accent colors and switch the art piece above the sofa for something lighter. Perhaps that would brighten up the room and make it appear lighter.

I think for the grey, beiges, and creams to work in this case, I would have to do something to color of the couch or I should go for a darker grey rug - but then I feel it wouldn't lighten up the room.

Ms. Pernille, I personally love the first rug! i've also used the tan/gray combo, and love it. My rug also has a bit of cream, but mostly it is grays. It wouldn't hurt to get a larger one. As for the glass coffee table, it's very nice. I use a wicker trunk as a coffee table. Great for extra throws brought out during the colder winter months, and also held the grandkids toys when they were younger.

The sofa is darker than it appears. Definitely tan, not the off white as it appears to look.

patty_cakes42 That looks very great, I must say. I think the cream color in your grey carpet makes it work very nicely. Also with the dark wood. If the grey carpet I bought also had some cream color in it, I think the match would be better.

I love your flooring and oriental rug together, and don't like the gray rug's odd texture and formal design in there. Others rightly say the rugs are too small. One way around that would be to buy an inexpensive large light sisal/jute rug to bring it all together, then the small rug layered over where it can show off. I'm not a fan of your sofa, it doesn't look cream, but a sandy beige. I'd put myself in the market for a different one asap, but perhaps a cream or pale blue throw could help it. I don't think pillows work well with the arm pillows? on it. Using pale blue and gray from the rug for art is a good call. Good luck!

mercurygirl Thanks for your inputs. Yeah I think the couch is dark cream/beige, and its tone is too warm for the pale grey carpet. Either needs to be a darker grey or something with a touch of warm colors.

Currently I have switched back to the Oriental rug and plan on returning the grey one. I think the color of the couch works better with the warm tones of the oriental rug.

Here's a link to show what I mean about layering the rugs. Seagrass would be a great solution with it all, but not too big so you don't hide your pretty flooring!

http://twineinteriors.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-layer-rugs.html

I think a jute slightly larger area rug would look great. I did that in my living area and love it!

To make the first rug work, you may have to paint your walls a darker, less white color, to introduce some colors that bridge the gray and cream/sand.

The picture below has a darker gray in the chairs, a lighter gray in the wall, a darker cream in the sofa and a lighter cream in the rug, dark wood colors that's repeated in the curtains, and finally, white in the fireplace, sconces, curtains, mats.

I wonder if you ran your pictures and your pic through this web site that pulls out the colors what you'd get. I can't remember the website, design seeds?

I love that green accent chair...could you post a closer pic of it? I have lots of cream & gray in my home and I like the monochromatic feel. If you live close to me, I would say to bring that chair over to my house and I would show you how to reupholster it. My chair

Wall paint is BM Revere Pewter which is a beige gray. The pillow fabric is a teal. Chair fabric has some gray in the pattern.

Laurie Thank you very much. I love your living room - it looks great! Also love your wall color.

I got the chair from my grandma so it's very old but the fabric is still very nice. However, if I decide to go through with the cream/grey color theme it would be better in another color.

I also love the accent chair and the color. Actually it is very neutral. Rethinking your great oriental rug is a good decision. My opinion what is off is the wide scale of style. Even though yours appears to be eclectic it can be hard to blend a cohesive look. My suggestion is to slipcover the couch...I would do it in a pale blue. Scoot the rug closer to the couch so the legs rest a few inches in from the edge. Might I suggest a little shuffle in furniture arrangement? I would move the tall curio cabinet to the right of the couch and the end table to the left. For traffic flow I would move the chair on an angle facing more to the couch. Your forest picture works well with your color scheme above your couch. I would make a gallery wall there also hanging the other pictures. You have a lovely room and great furniture pieces to work with. Good luck.