Thank you for your responses! They're very helpful and have provided food for thought. As obvious as it seems now that you've both said it, I would not have thought to limit myself to just the cream and soft green. I kept thinking I needed the burgundy at least. But I can see now that it and the peach would only exacerbate the orange, pink, and gold problems. Ingrid, I'm glad you came down on the side of the cream shades, since that's what I prefer. There are not that many to choose from that are all cream, that have an interesting pattern with the vertical element, and that can be gotten 84" wide, but I still have a couple more places to check. I need to find out if the stacking height is more or less for woven woods than that of 2" wood blinds. There's actually not as much pattern as you may think from my description--DH says he doesn't think of the sofa as being striped, it's so blended. And the rugs both have small patterns, not the strong ones you usually think of when you think of orientals. The colors of the "green" rug look perfect from a couple of directions and in some light. After reading your comments, I went down and stared at everything for a while and thought about all of the colors again. I've got cream etched filigree panels for the dining room where I am trying for a light airy look, since it has white bookcases and gets sun from the windows on 2 walls all day. However, there does not seem to be enough heft in these panels to use them in the living room due to the slate fire place wall, and a piano, double pocket doors to the DR, and the entry doorway on a second wall. The other 2 walls will only have the windows, the drapery panels, and a half size grandfather's wall clock, so at night, when you can't see the trees outside, they look blah, and seem like they would be more so with plain cream panels. There will be no space on these walls for any pictures to add color. There's really too much green in the room now, which is why I'd thought to look for a blended subtle pattern for the drapery panels. But since you've both said soft green or cream, I'll skip the peach. The panels will be closest to the wing-backed chair, a chest, and the piano rather than the rugs, so do you think they can stand a subtle pattern? Since the rugs have small designs in them, could I have a larger design in these as long as it's very muted? Or maybe an interesting pattern in a green weave that catches the light in an interesting way and makes it look like several colors of green? Although I really don't want to repaint a just painted house, I'm wondering if another color would bring everything together in the living room. The room seems disjointed and lacks a warm, cohesive feel. It's 16x20 so it could stand a darker color than what is there now and still not feel small. Any ideas for paint colors in case all else fails? I've seen so many beautiful transformations with paint both on this forum and the kitchen forum. If I did a cream and soft green blended pattern for the drapery panels, I would probably use a different pattern with the same colors for the 2 chairs which will be on the other side of the room from the windows. Would a slightly darker version for the ottoman that would be under the windows work between the wing backed chair and the sofa (they look pretty boring near each other), which at a distance almost seem to be the same color? I also am thinking of making a wide runner for the orangey cherry coffee table to subdue its influence! I'll keep an eye out for something interesting when I'm at the fabric store. I'd like something a little more colorful, but I'll have to be careful! As much as I'd like to pull the burgundy and pale peach from the rug, I hear you both when you say stick to the cream and green. The wing back chair and sofa definitely need some contrast, so pillows in these colors will provide some. Both the FP slate and the rug have multiple colors of green, so I can have both dark and soft green pillows along with the cream ones. Ingrid, glad you made the comment about linen-like or textured--I'll keep that in mind when I'm looking. myredhouse, we can't sacrifice the rug, because in spite of its color faults we LOVE the designs and some of the colors. We'd originally planned to buy a new sofa so DH could slouch (hard to do in my camelback!), but not enough money. We're sacrificing the 2 GREEN chairs to buy 2 that match and are more comfortable. Anne

I heard a TV decorator say that as a rule of thumb it is better to find a rug first and then decorate than to try to add the rug in later. There are millions of choices in paint, thousand in silks for panels, and hundreds of bed duvets. If you pick everything out first your choices of rugs will be more limited. Still I have picked rugs after the fact and loved my choices. When you say oriental rug that encompasses many different types of rug but the rug in Sashasmommy's example is not an oriental rug. That is either an Aubusson or embroidered rug. They are lovely, flat weave type rugs and if you don't have a lot of heavy traffic aren't bad in a bedroom. They can be very expensive and it can be tough to find a bargain. Many decorators say that a fine oriental is a neutral but mine doesn't. She paid strict attention to color when choosing a traditional oriental Persian carpet for my foyer. Still the dominate color in that rug (bright red) isn't repeated in the room and it still looks stellar. I have two French bergere in bold gold and cream stripes that I think you stellar with it. Some oriental rugs are made in fashion colors and those are probably the best to use if you want that matched look. However the traditional rich colors of oriental rugs will stay in fashion longer giving you the longevity you desire and I recommend the traditional rug colors. With all the neutrals in that room you describe you can easily mix a floral duvet with a traditional oriental rug. When mixing colors and patterns pay attention to the intensity of the colors rather than just the shades so that the two will work well together. If the blue or red in your oriental isn't repeated in the room it won't look out of place if the color is the same saturation as your other colors. Both Allison and Beboopado's rooms are balance through similarity in color saturation. If all your colors are watered down or fashionably greyed then you might want to choose a washed out antique rug. Those can be gorgeous but expensive. The best looking ones were naturally faded from sun and cleaning but some newer rugs are chemically faded. They can look lovely too but they shouldn't command as much money. Nothing looks better than true age on a rug. I don't know where you live but here in Atlanta we have an antique market (Scott's Market) and they offer many vendors under one roof and the prices are very competitive. My decorator and I went to Scott's and bought home 10 rugs to choose the one I now enjoy. Each one was prettier than the next (my decorator has a great eye) but the one we picked stole the show. It just looks beautiful in that space. I would recommend only choosing a rug you can return and trying many different rugs before making a choice. Only buy the rug you love. You really can spend a fortune but you absolutely don't have to overspend to get a good rug. I recommend finding a show with many vendors. At Scott's you can leave without paying for the rugs. You just bring them back the next day. Some merchants will come to you and bring you rugs to unfold in your home. If there is no mart or decorating shows in your area I recommend finding a merchant you like and can trust through word of mouth. Pick a budget and stick to it strictly. Tell them not to bring anything that is over your budget. Pay less attention to the fineness of the rug (when choosing) and more with the color saturations and how the rug looks overall in the room.( Pay attention to fineness on paying.) I LOVE Avesmor's squinty outlook advice. That is precisely how to pick the right rug. Squint! Don't get caught up in details and trust your instincts. There is an artist in all of us. Trust your eye. Another option to consider is layering a small persian over your sisal rug. I don't like rug on rug looks unless it is a sisal or seagrass on the bottom then it can look very polished. Then you can fold up your rug(good Oriental rugs fold up, you don't roll them) and put it away for a fresher look in the Summer. Good luck! Your room sounds like it will be lovely.

I went out one last time today, and found another rug. Now I have 2 "finalists", neither being without faults! The new choice has a mostly very light golden oak background a little lighter than the floor for both the main field and the main border--in other words, it seems to be a bit too much of the same thing. It has a black edge, black in the background of the two 1-1/2" borders on each side of the main border, and black scattered about in small doses throughout some of the rest of the design, including part of the medallion. Most of the medallion is a rust color that is close enough to the henna in my other rug that it looks ok. There's very little green in this rug. It's a beautiful densely knotted rug. Negatives-- this rug doesn't look good with the paint (we're not repainting!) or the furniture, and when the sun shines, watch out!-- it really looks like a bright gold, and it costs more. Other than the intensity of the light colored background, this rug seems to balance with the other two rugs as far as the overall look, and it looks better at night. So if we never had the money to replace the 9x12, I wouldn't feel like the room is out of whack. The "black" rug--the other colors in it look good with the paint, the coverings on the chairs that go around the table on it, the present sofa, the other rug in the same room, and the floor. The only negative is that it makes that part of the room so dark, especially at night, that I can almost feel the floor tilting down over there! Also, it seems to be too much for the blue (which looks gorgeous in the daytime, and dark at night) in the DR. If I choose this rug, it seems like my only choice to balance all three rugs would be to get a dark rug to replace the 9x12, and I really don't like the idea of 3 dark rugs. annz, the design of all of the rugs is somewhat related. The experienced daughter of the owner of the decades old place where I got the one rug has been very helpful, given the various constraints I have in choosing this rug. If you could see the color this floor makes the rugs appear, you'd probably understand why I'm giving it the importance I am. Your email did not show up on the screen, BTW. sujafr, thanks for the explanation for posting pictures. DH said he'd try to help me get some pictures loaded some time tomorrow. ideefixe, I'm not looking for antique tribal rugs, just handmade ones with traditional designs. Your suggestion to have a carpet company make a rug for the time being is a good one, except that I need the rug by Sunday! Thank you all for your posts. I hope I'll have the pictures up tomorrow. Anne

What's the fabric on the chairs and the window treatments? Can you take a close up photo of chair fabric, rug, and window treatments? I do think your furniture will get lost with a dark color like that. I'd pull inspiration from the rug but maybe use something a little lighter so there's some contrast between your furniture and the walls. I actually like the color that's there now but I'm assuming you want something with a bit more depth. ?