Forgot to mention that my table is rectangular with six chairs - it's just two of us, so I've removed the leaves.

Our dining room is 15' square. (We bought the table for our previous home, which has a long, narrow dining room.) The same manufacture has a round version of the table that I love, but I just can't justify it financially.

I considered round rugs, which seem to be easier to find, but the square would provide more room for the chairs, I think. I moved a 8' square rug from another room to test out the size and it's too small.

Odd sizes are more expensive. That's not much for a large rug though. Be careful what type of rug you invest in. Some will get stinky in 5-6 years (or sooner) due to the materials used (latex backing, glue). Hand-tufted rugs have been a problem with odor. Hand-knotted is good. Wool is good.

Sorry, I don't know much about rugs, myself. Just a warning to do some reading and research first.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's One quick google

I don't know about rugs, but I am so glad to see YOU!!! I have wondered so many times about where you had gotten away to.
We need pictures of your dining room...yeah we do :^) It is so pretty and I just like to "visit" it.
Goldy pictures would be wonderful too!
Hugs to you,
J

Check Craigslist and Ebay. I found mine on Ebay.

Here's the table with the 8' rug from another room. I think a 10' square would work? Please forgive the dust :O

I haven't done anything with this room since we moved into almost three years ago :( The chandelier came with the house and I'd like to replace that next.

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yayagal - Any recommendations for reputable eBay rug sellers?

tgd - Thanks! I haven't had that problem but I did when I bought drapes (made in India) from PB. Ended up returning them because of the smell was awful.

Jaybird - I posted an update over in conversations. Thanks for the welcome back :)

I recently saw a bunch of 10' square rugs at HomeGoods. Do you have one near you?

Hey GG, I rarely post here these days, how nice to see you. What happened to the lovely gold/black rug you originally had (IIRC)in the other house? I remember shopping for a rug for you back then :)

Answering whether or not $6-800 is reasonable depends on the type of rug you are looking at. It's way too much for some low end rugs, and maybe very little for high quality. Can you post the rugs you have seen with that price?

The "odd" size is what you are paying for......if your table is rectangular, do you need a square, or would a
rectangular one work as well?.....Good Luck...and glad you are back~~~

Thanks everyone!

Tryin - What a memory you have ;) Still have the rug below, but it was also bought for our previous house and there are two issues: I'm not a matchy-matchy person but the rug's red has a blue tone that to me clashes with the red on the walls, which has more of a rust tone (it's hard to see in the photos). Also, this house seems to have more dust and the large amounts of black in the rug show every little bit.

Am I being too anal-retentive? If I am, please tell me - I still love this rug because of the unusual pattern that almost mimics the pattern in the upholstery. I'll gladly vacuum more often if you all think I should stick with what I've got, and use the money elsewhere in the room.

I was thinking square rug for a square room, but now that I look at the photo, maybe the 8' x 10' is right after all?

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I'm thinking that your first feeling about the rug is correct.

I love that you like to mix patterns (I sure do) but, to my eye, the cool red of the rug doesn't play nicely with your wall color.

Here are a couple of rugs I like, all under $500

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I hesitate to say this since I advocate NOT judging colors on a monitor, but...the reds are appearing different on my monitor as well.

Are the two rugs you posted machine made? Tufted? I'd be so careful purchasing off the internet when it comes to color coordinating with those red walls. :-/

Since posting, I actually found a different rug that might solve the "red" problem. This one has red that ranges from rust all the way to brick and burgundy. I'm thinking that might be safer way to go.

This one is a Safaveih Classic Collection, hand-tufted wool.

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goldgirl, the last rug you show is beautiful and would look very good in your room, I would think. By the way, love the room as a whole, including the light fixture. Your style is quite individual and I really admire it.

Just a thought though, if you don't mind my voicing it. Have you ever tried turning the table with the short end facing the camera in the first picture? From the pictures it's really difficult to tell which is better and it may already be perfectly positioned.

I've bought from this seller and I think this one would work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SQUARE-10-X-10-Agra-Oriental-Area-Rugs-100-WOOL_W0QQitemZ170310656202QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRugs?hash=item170310656202&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205:66%3A2:65%3A12:39%3A1:240%3A1318:301%3A1:293%3A1:294%3A50

I found both my rugs on CL for $50 each and I love them both. They just needed a good shampooing, which I promptly gave them with my shampooer. That was reasonable, to me. But is $600-800 a bad price for new? No. Depends on what you're getting, and on your budget.

A tip about CL, if you look and don't find what you want, leave it open on your desktop, then every couple of hours hit "refresh" on it. New stuff will come up at the top. When you see something that interests you, *immediately* write the seller and ask some questions. That puts your first in line and with most sellers, it's first come, first served. You can then decide if you want to go see it or not. If it's a great bargain and it might be good, then by all means race over to see it. Beat the crowd. The really great bargains go *poof* very quickly! That's how I scored my rugs, and there were plenty of potential buyers right behind me eager to get them if I hadn't taken them.

I think your new rug is much better. It doesn't have the expanse of red on the border to throw things off.

At the risk of throwing a spanner into the works, I think that 8 x 10 is too small. It is much better to avoid having to bump the chairs off the rug, on the rug, off the rug when sitting down. I think the rectangle is much better than the square, but a 9 x 12 rug will make the table and chairs seem more relaxed, and will be easier to live with. I usually advocate keeping room-sized rugs 1 to 2 feet off the side walls...no more.
And just to cause even more trouble (;>/), I'd encourage you to choose something much paler, to showcase your lovely chairs, and blend in better with the floor...again to add to the sense of spaciousness.
I shut up now....

Please, don't shut up - this is why I asked :) I have very limited time to decorate these days so I need all the help I can get!

I almost purchased the last rug above, which is 8 x 11 and more expensive than the others, but I checked it out on a number of Web sites and it appears must more rust colored (almost matching the floor) and I'm just not sure.

bronywnsmom - I've been thinking that I need black under the table to "ground" the chairs, but you think it actually detracts? Can you give me an idea of what you mean by "something much paler".

Thanks everyone, for your comments!

I definately think you need to have a rectangular rug, now that I have looked closer to the pics. Your chairs should not be sticking out over the rug, even when pulled out....I can not tell by the color on my monitor, but I like the size of what you have far better than a square one would be.....just my .02~~~

Here is a picture of a paler traditional pattern...I have only ever ordered outdoor rugs and small occasional bits of furniture from Home Decorators, and so have no information on the quality of their rugs, so this is meant only to give you an idea of something that you might like.

Here is a link that might be useful: An example of a paler rug.

Homedecorator sells a bunch of Safavieh rugs like the one just posted. They don't give the manufacturer's name, like other sites do.

I bought a hand-knotted Safavieh from them. It had problems and had to be returned but they picked up the shipping as it was the manufacturer's fault. They were the best priced by far.

Here is a link that might be useful: Safaviah

Love your room...gorgeous!

Don't forget to try Overstock dot com.

I've purchased quite a few rugs through them and never had a problem.

When I was questioning a color in a rug a couple months ago, I used their 'chat' to ask them a question in real-time.
They responded quickly and I went and purchased the rug.
Got the rug in 4 days with very very cheap shipping charges.

Here is a link that might be useful: Overstock page of larger Rugs

You guys are awesome!

Today I happened upon a photo in a local magazine that shows a similar dining room setup with a larger rug that sits about 2' away from the walls. Now I see what you mean about size. I was trying to go smaller, whereas I really need to go larger so the table and chairs aren't so cramped. Thanks for that reality check. I'll focus on 9 x 12 or something similar.

The black rug in my photo actually came from Overstock and the red/green rug (usually sits in my foyer) from Home Dec so I feel comfortable ordering from either place. Unfortunately, because of my crazy schedule, I'm not really able to stalk CL and eBay, so the other online options are a bit more realistic.

I'm still unsure about colors so I'll post other options for feedback. Bronwynsmom - that's a gorgeous rug, I'll check it out.

I'm a little hesitant about the idea of a paler rug because I'm afraid it will make the room look top-heavy with the strong color on the upper part of the wall. I do agree though that a larger rug might be better, although 8 x 10 would in my opinion not be totally out of the question. Since the chairs have blue in them I think it might look best if the ground color of the rug is blue, with touches of terra cotta and beige.

Hmmmm, I found these two, both of which I like a lot because they do blend in the with the floor while at the same time picking up red and/or black. Also a bit more muted, which would make the chairs stand out?

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I think the second one would. Have you bought one yet?

Oceanna - no, haven't bought a thing because I want to be sure before I do!