Oops. Forgot pics.

They look really nice together! Can't see the whole space for how I'd feel, but it seems to anchor that conversation area nicely and looks very nice from here. Love the texture and color with your new sofa and the coffee table/fp.

I wonder if you might pull the rug away from the sofa a tad to reveal a bit of wood floor, rather than tucking it under. :)

Nothing against the rug, per se, but even though it might stick out beyond the sofa, I'd switch the direction. If the new upholstered chairs are going to have some color in the fabric, I might stick to a neutral rug. But to spark up your white on black on brown color palette, a boldly colored rug could really make a statement.

Thanks squirrel and duluth. I will try pulling it out and also try turning it. I should really wait until the chairs are here to see it properly.

The chairs are going to be quite colourful (floral) and we really want them to be the only busy thing in the room so I think we should stick to a neutral rug. I did see some washed out oriental rugs with a cream background I liked but they all cost thousands of $$ and not in budget.

I think I will keep this rug and even if it doesn't work when the chairs arrive, I can find another place for it.

I just had that exact same scenario, My sofa is very close to the wall and the rug runs into the fire place. The sofa is 7' long and the rug is 8'. I tried it both ways and it worked much better to have the rug stick out a bit. It looked awkward running it the other way. The extra foot sticking out is really not a problem and the room balanced better that way. Give it a try flipped the other way and you will know right away which is better for the room.

Kalinka, do you mean you actually have the rug sitting partially on the hearth? We could try that since the fireplace isn't operational at the moment.

Budge1, once the chairs arrive, I am sure you can make that rug work. I like it a lot and feel it will allow the focus to be on your new chairs.

We can't wait to see pics when the new chairs arrive.

Budge,
Yes that is exactly what I did. The rug is sitting partially up on the hearth. My hearth is not very pretty anyway so it did not bother me.
People have come to visit and no one seemed to notice. It worked the best for the room. I am learning that working with this very small space takes some compromise. I love my rug so I am pleased with the result.

What about putting the couch facing the fireplace, and putting one chair on each end of the rug?

That way the couch will be sitting on the longer dimension, and the chairs will each fit nicely on the narrower ends. Plus, you will end up distributing the print around the room more, rather than having it all in one spot.

Can't you just move the sofa out a bit more so that the rug doesn't stick out past it?

Can you get a smaller rug? Would a 4x6 work going the other direction? Might be too small, and fail to "anchor". You could fold that one up to 4x6 and try it.

Thanks lynn, I will be sure to post pix. I'm still not sure I made the right choice of fabric but fingers x'd

Kalinka, I could try that too. Our hearth is also ugly (painted concrete). Small spaces have their challenges, but also make you use every inch well.

Les, that would solve another problem I've been noticing in the room - I've got all the "weight" in the living end of the room and the dining end feels too light. We do really like the set up as it is, but I'm always willing to try. I've also been looking at a bigger wardrobe for where the black one is now and moving the black one to where the buffet is now in the dining room. I know it is not a tradtional look, but do you think it would work? I like the look of the current buffet, but it is useless as the drawers don't work and I really need more storage. I'd appreciate your opinion.

Organic, unfortunately the sofa would then block the only pathway through the room. Hopefully you can see this better in wider shot below.

Bungalow, I actually purchased the 4x6 rug for our hallway and could try it, but I really like/need it in the hall. We need a rug there as it is where everyone comes in with their boots and every other rug we've had there gets filthy, but I'm hoping the texture of this one will keep the dirt from showing.

I'm thinking about getting a rug for my living room and it seems a smaller one would be cheaper to get dry cleaned, or maybe even possible to take outside and hose off myself. Wouldn't a darker rug with more pattern to it hide dirt better than a solid lighter colored one?

Oceanna, I think a smaller rug would be easier to clean but sometimes a small rug makes things look like they aren't anchored in the room - not always though. Just make sure you can take it on spec and bring it back if it doesn't work.

And a darker patterned rug would definitely hide the dirt better and if that is what you like, I'd go for that. I'm not a fan of dark patterned rugs and these rugs actually have quite a variation in colour that I'm hoping will hide dirt. I'm also a big fan of rugs that can be hosed down.

budge1, I forgot to say, I love your house. Those front windows especially are priceless!

Yes, budge, your woodwork and those windows are fabulous! Did you paint in there also? I remember the room being dark before.

I'd turn the rug, but only because I generally follow the direction of the hardwood.

Your house looks so cozy!

bungalow and squirrel, thank you for the kind words. I mentioned in another post that we spent a fortune getting the front window made to match a picture of the original the PO's had left us (a large picture window had been installed in the 60's). I stained it myself to match the rest of the woodwork.

And yes, the walls were really dark. I just painted them (Lancaster whitewash fr. BM) over the holidays. We really wanted the woodwork to pop and more of a cottagey feeling for the room in general. So far I love it.

Anele, I'm so glad to hear you think it looks cozy. I was afraid by going so light on the walls that it would be cold. When the new chairs come, we will try turning the rug and moving things around.

I think it looks great too -- but I think your kitty and your precious little girl are stealing your show as they're even cuter. :-)

And yes, the front window looks GREAT! So does the rug -- except the sticking out in back part. If you really want that rug, you can always take it to a rug store and get them to cut part of it off and re-hem that edge. That should make it perfect for your space. It doesn't hurt to at least call and ask what they'd charge for that.

Budge1, I love your white laptop and I love your new BM Lacaster White Wash walls that looks great with your woodwork. your little daugher is adorable and so is that beautiful kitty cat. I love the front windows and I just know once the new chairs are in, your room will look even more wonderful. Your room looks so cozy.

Isn't that a different small rug on the back side of the couch? The rug may look better in the other direction if it includes the chair your daughter is sitting in and the tv area, anchoring that whole area. I was wondering why so many thought to flip it. Having it jut past the sofa a few feet would look odd, imo, but now I can see there's more to that area.

I just love that small upper window too!! Those types of things make older homes so special.

budge1, I'm so glad to hear that you reproduced that window! Well worth it if you ask me. We did the same with several windows where the originals had been pitched in favor of vinyl replacements. Spent thousands to undo what someone had spent hundreds on.