The design of the living room of this Upper East Side Santa Barbara home was dictated by the Parisian rug the clients had inherited from the husband's grandmother. Because it introduced so much color in the room, we made sure the large pieces of furniture, such as the cream-colored velvet sofa, linen-cloaked swivel chairs, and cornflower blue side chair, were neutral tones so they'd "play nicely" with the rug. With everything awash in subtle, soothing neutrals, we were in need of one more spot of color and that ended up being an Aboriginal painting the clients brought back home from Australia. The painting not only added a playful splash of brightness, but made the fireplace our intended focal point.