Re: Re: Living Room Curtains, Parts 1+2

Melissa,

Thanks for your feedback and your honesty. I think mapping out everything on a board makes a lot of sense and would help with ensuring the entire room is cohesive. I guess I get easily overwhelmed with all the options and decisions, that focusing on one thing at a time is easier for me, mentally. But it doesn't make a lot of sense if I want everything to to work together.

One thing happened over the weekend that kind of changed everything for the better: my father-in-law suggested trying out the living room rug under my new table in the dining area of the kitchen. So we tried it and it fits perfectly (some of the chairs hang over if you're sitting in them, but other than that it's fine) and he pointed out it gives some much-needed color to that area of the kitchen and breaks up all the black and white between the tile, table and chairs. Just to prove it to you, here you go:

Nice, right? I really like it and so far it's worked great. I do think the colors work well without being overly match-y. Plus, I like how the blue in the rug ties in with the blue in the China cabinet. I don't think I told you about that yet... That cabinet used to belong to my mom and then she got a new one and passed this one down to me. It was stained brown - very 80s - and I painted it black and put on new hardware. It was one of my first furniture painting/re-finishing projects ever and it turned out pretty good...considering I had no idea what i was doing! Originally, when the kitchen walls were green, I had the back of the cabinet lined in this wallpaper:

I think it's a really fun scheme and would love to use it again in a powder room or entry/hallway. The colors have a washed-out feel to them so they aren't too shocking, which I like. With painting my kitchen, though, and wanting to work toward a more deliberate use of color, I took down the wallpaper. When I stepped back and objectively looked at the China cabinet with all the dishes and accessories, I realized how much white was in there and decided a nice gray/blue would really make all the white "pop," so to speak. I used a sample container (just the right size) of Covington Blue by Benjamin Moore. (Side note: I used a Home Depot sample container, which is actually a substantial amount of paint for a small project. The actual sample sizes at BM are way too small for a project of this size.) Here is the end result (I especially love how it looks alongside the striped walls):

Okay, so all this means I need a new rug for the living room now! Hooray! If you think back to my last post where I was talking about the Secrets from a Stylist room that inspired my curtain options, you'll remember there is a gray zebra-striped rug. Just to save you time, here it is again (not the best picture of it, but trust me - it's there):

It's from West Elm and is $249 for a 5'x8'. Not terrible, but I always like a bargain. There's something about it that seems unexpected but still refined. In my search for the best deal possible, I found it here on Overstock.com. It's almost identical:

And for the same size, it's only $168! You seriously cannot beat that price. I'm sure there is a difference in the quality or something, but the reviews were all positive and with the couch and coffee table both taking up a large chunk of the rug's area, I don't need something that will hold up to a ton of foot traffic. But then I started thinking about how blah that would look to have a two-tone rug with two-tone curtains (if I ended up going with the ticking stripe curtains). I mean, I do still like color and pattern and texture, even if I'm trying to show some restraint and refinement.

So then I found this little number on Overstock:

It's 6'x9' and costs $182. This piece is both within my space and financial budget. I like that the background is black because it ties in with the tile in the kitchen, but it also is really colorful. Plus, the tone of the colors is more in line with other colors in the living room, whereas the previous rug was not. In some ways it's kind of like the Anthropologie rug you suggested sent me. (I actually really love that rug, but not the $400 price tag!)

At this point, this rug is the front runner. Which, if I did a print with this much color, then the ticking stripe might be a really nice compliment. There is something about the ticking stripe that seems really classic and makes a subtle statement. I also like the fact there's something sort of masculine about it, which would help balance out all the florals in the room. Then I could still do that bird fabric for pillows and I have some yellow buffalo check fabric from a previous project that might be nice for a pillow or two...

Yes, Mr. Lass's recline is wing back and, until you suggested it, the thought of recovering it had never occurred to me! When I take a step back and look at it as a piece that just needs some rehabilitation, I don't hate it as much. It has a nice shape and the nail head trim on the arms is nice. I cannot even imagine what my life would be like if that chair was no longer blue leather! Of course, I wonder if what makes it such a daddy/man chair is the fact that it is leather? I will definitely broach the subject one day when I've made a delicious dinner and just told him I signed a big contract for freelance work :)

What are your thoughts now...with the idea of a new rug coming onto the scene?

Loves,
Kara

P.S. I totally agree with you about hanging the curtain rod high, which is especially crucial in this room because the windows are two different heights. Also, I love how your mom is in my corner with the ticking stripe!