too many cooks in the houzz! i would go with another color entirely on the floor so that is does not blend with the sofa, but the large simple geometric patterns are best to allow any artwork, flowers, books etc to give detail and pop. :)

Kristylo, our FP is double sided with brick in the formal living room as well. There is too much brick and not a project I'm considering right now. I rely want to focus on painting all the rooms and getting furniture placement set. I do think that would look nice and will consider that when we tackle the kitchen updates. Rooms are completely open to each other.

So after a lot of back and forth I was ready to order a few samples/small sizes of a few rugs tonight. Then I ran over to the pottery barn outlet just to see if I could spot anything there. I found this rug, which was similar to an option I had considered. Ideally I wanted something more beige with some navy lines but I couldn't pass this one up. 8 by 10, original $700 and I got it for $280. Thoughts? I like it and I won't be heartbroken if the kids ruin it after a year. With some neutral/lighter draperies I think it can work. Anyone have any strong opinions, either way?

I buy from Rugsusa.com when they have sales, anywhere from 60-75% off. I have a thick wool rug in either 8x10 or 10x12 (can't remember and it's rolled up in storage since we're living in a basement temporarily while our new house is being built!) for around $200. I wasn't expecting much at that price but I love it and have had it for several years. I plan to buy more from them when our house is done. There is also somewhere called esalerugs or something similar to that I've seen mentioned here on Houzz that has similar prices and sales.