Oh, I am so jealous! I'll have you know that thanks to your posts I've been perusing ebay everyday looking at rugs I can't afford!!!

I especially love what you've done with your living room. It's so warm and elegant at the same time.

One thing though, where are those bird prints? :)

Organic, those rugs are just yummy - both of them! They look great! I like the two different rugs for the two rooms. Also, I have to agree with you about the gold slipcover. It is so warm, and you can accessorize with warm reds, etc. Your home is beautiful too!

Jan

alex: Thank you! I got such a great deal on them, that I just couldn't pass them up. And I knew that if I didn't replace those grey rugs soon, auntjen would have a cow. :)

About the bird prints: Um. I'm kind of embarrassed to say, but they turned out not to be very interesting, so I nixed them for over the sofa. I might have them framed for the stairwell, though. :)

jan: Thanks for the compliments--on both the rugs and my home. Truth be told, though, this house has a very long way to go (new baths, new kitchen, new siding, new landscaping) before it will truly look nice. Right now, I'm just trying to make our main living areas pleasant to be in. :)

I LOVE your living room rug! I wonder why? :)

OS, in looking at your living room, with the lighter rug and the light colored furniture, I think your walls could use a bit more color, had you considered painting in there? Maybe it looks different in person, but on my monitor I'm losing all that gorgeous trim and woodwork and the upholstered pieces are blending into the walls.

Oh, and in the study, definitely cream or ivory on the walls. I think with that bold pop of color on the floor a nice, creamy glow on the walls will be great.

~~Veronica

tarzy: I'm so glad you posted that pic--it's a much better representation of the rug, for sure. It looks beautiful in your dining room!

Veronica: I did paint the living room a couple of years ago: BM Pale Oak. It's a very small room, so I stayed on the lighter side. Did you have a different color in mind? I'm open to suggestions. :) Also, what color did you have in mind, if any, for the study? I was thinking BM Rich Creme, which looks luscious on brutuses' walls. Or maybe BM Ancient Ivory.

You've done good, gal!!! Love, love, love each of those rugs. You would totally ruin the effect if you replicated them. Each rug in a house should be unique, like a work of art. Your study has such a warm, homey, cozy feel to it and your LR is elegance personified. Just yummy! I agree the red is perfect. I love the striation effect of that rug. Drat! And I was secretly hoping you'd be sending that to me! :)

I agree with squirrel, that I like your sofa as is (with the adorable doggies on it) and with ronniroo, that your LR would look nice with a bit of color on the walls to accentuate your beautiful trimwork.

What great finds!

P.S. Here's the other rug I was considering for the LR. But it's a 40-year-old Persian handknotted rug, for an excellent price. I prefer handknotted because they wear like iron. Did I make the right choice, or should I reconsider?

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Organic, I think you made the right choice (since the rug in your LR complements the fireplace nicely). That said, the rug you just posted is GORGEOUS! It looks so decadent and rich without being overly fancy. Love, love, love it. (Ah, if only I had a house to put that in -- we're looking for one, and will probably narrow it down soon, but I doubt I could afford that rug anyway. It's so lovely. Well, maybe one day.... *le sigh*)

nonchalant: It IS gorgeous, isn't it. It does have a few small stains on it--it is 20-40 years old, after all--but that doesn't bother me. And it's only $650.

*laughs at the price* Well, honestly, I don't know much about rug prices, but it seems like you think it's a great deal, so I'll believe you. ^_^ My DH and I are going from a small 2bed apartment to at least a 3 bed/(prolly) 2 living area house (hopefully). Since all we have for seating is a loveseat, something like $650 for us would go toward couches and chairs rather than a lovely rug. But again, some day..... ^_^

nonchalant: LOL. Well, I guess I meant "only" $650 because a handknotted Persian rug of that size (10'5"x 6'10"), and in that condition, would usually run around $2000, or more, I would think. It's more than what I paid for the Karastan, for sure. In fact, I would not have been able to purchase the Karastans even at their normal "sale" price. I just lucked out. In any case, congrats on your new house search! You will have tons of fun putting it together--and somewhere down the line, I'm sure we'll be seeing pics of your rug choices. :)

I think you made the right choice for your room. I like how the red border ties in with the red in your pillows. It helps to ground your space. That said, I do love that rug and I agree there is a "je ne c'est quois" about old Persians. I had my heart set on one for months and if I saw an ivory colored one like that for $650, it'd be in my house! All the ones on my CL were a very vibrant red/blue color which overpowered the whole room.

That's another great rug! I too discovered the handknotted rugs - my favorite choice as well.

nonchalant: Congrats on getting a new home. Developing a vision of what you want and sense of your personal style are the most important things in decorating, not how much money you have to spend. I've seen some fabulous rooms decorated on a shoe string budget and some tacky rooms decorated with gobs of money. Frequent Craigslist, estate sales and even your local thift store. Fabulous finds can be discovered at any and all these places. Putting your money into a nice, spacious home is a good decision even if you have to phase in the decor or do it on a shoe sting budget.

I think both look fabulous. I like the LR rug you first posted very much for how nicely it coordinated the bricks with everything else instead of leaving them "adrift" in a sea of off-whites and brown wood. (I didn't mean that as harshly as it sounded, I'm having problems with phrasing and word-finding again.) The hand-knotted one is gorgeous but I don't think it'd tie the room together as well, and it's much busier.

Re: the slipcover for the study couch: since the study seems to be pretty casual and you have all these critters :-) to consider, I'd consider a soft washed denim, or similar-colored twill with pillows in the greens and reds from the rug. It's very durable, washable, stains come out easily, etc. Rather than a slipcover that just throws over the couch like a Surefit type, which can look awfully lumpy when you have separate cushions beneath, think about a company that can make separate cushion covers - another poster recently had a good epxerience with Todo Es, but I've also heard some pretty good things about Slipcover Shop and they're rather cheaper than Todo Es. It does cost more but it does give a much neater appearance that looks like it's meant to be like that (like your slipcovered couch in the LR) rather than like you're trying to hide some old piece of yuck, and you'll probably get a lot longer use out of said couch as long as the structure of the thing is good.

I'm too pooped to go upstairs and rummage for my paint decks and the colors you describe just disappear into nothingness on my monitor, but I think I would pluck the beigey color from the flower right next to the "24" on the second picture for the walls. Since you plan on very light color for the wall, I'd go for a closer-to-midtone, non-neutral shade for the slipcover so you don't "bland out", and it would actually reduce the intensity of contrasts between pale walls and strongly-colored rug/dark wood furniture by providing a bridge. I do wish I could talk you into trying just the tiniest bit more color on the walls so the trim doesn't disappear - even a half-shade deeper (like splitting the difference between two colors, say halfway between the Rich Cream and the Desert Tan that is the next color up on the strip) would have more oomph without being too dark.

We currently have stretch velvet-y slipcovers like that "garnet rib" and HATE them. Every bit of lint and animal hair (and people hair) sticks to them.

Do you really need an opaque miniblind on the window? Can a light-filtering treatment suffice? You do know you need more lighting, right? ;-)

Oh, and you were grousing recently about that filing cabinet... have you considered having an auto body shop paint it to a more pleasing color? That would hold up a lot better than a DIY paint job. Or, don't know if it's out of your budget, but Vandykes has a really neato oak 4 drawer filing cabinet kit that would mix very well with your other furniture. Or, I could help keep an eye out for an antique filing cabinet - it's a bit 'spensive but here's a gorgeous antique Macey four-drawer file cabinet out in Springfield. Yummmm....

os

I'm a little late jumping in here but I was online the night you were wearing yourself out taping and worrying. I know you were a little concerned about the Ashara. I thought you were very brave to order them without being able to "test" them out first. I think I must've brought home 10 rugs for my hearth room before deciding. But let me say WOW...I love both of them!! That Ashara really does accent your brick and looks wonderful in the room. Love the darker look for the study too and tell DH you don't need a new sofa...lol. Congrats, they're great!

johnmari: I'm glad you like it! And thanks so much for the slipcover referrals. It would look much neater. As for the color, I was thinking beige, too. I might use the BM Ancient Ivory that I have in my kitchen--very neutral, warm undertones, not too much color for that little room. On the other hand, I really like Rich Cream, too--enough yellow, but not too much.

The lighting in the study: Those are ridiculously expensive (for me) 1" Hunter-Douglas wood blinds. I was going for a "clean" look, but just ended up with a look that says, "How come all you have on your windows is mini-blinds"? We do need privacy in there; otherwise, the neighbors can see into our house. I've been thinking recently that I might want to replace them with natural woven shades--or SOMEthing, I just don't know what yet.

The filing cabinet. Yeah. *sigh* I just really need it to access all my class files, bills, etc. Taking it to an auto body shop is a great idea, but what I'm hoping is that I'll one day be able to afford to buy a small cherry lateral cabinet to put against the other wall (the one to the right as you walk into the room, and then I can get rid of the black cabinet altogether. The real wood ones you provided links for are really nice, but I'm going to try to stick with cherry, since it's a lighter wood and the room is so small.

I really appreciate you taking the time to give me all this good information, Mari. Thanks. Any other pointers, send 'em my way. :)

mimi: Thank you! I don't think I was all that brave, actually. The price was so good that I knew I could probably sell them myself if they didn't work out. The LR rug looks really nice in the evening light, very warm. And the rug in the study is MUCH darker than it appears in my photos: the red is a very deep rich red. I'm very pleased with it. I was hesitant to purchase Karastan, because I have such a love of handknotted rugs. I have to say, however, that I am very impressed with the quality and thickness of these rugs. I figured that if my3dogs has a good experience with Karastan, then with *my* three dogs, they should hold up fine, too. :)

valinsv: You're totally right! As I've always told my family, and now my DH, "Money doesn't buy taste."

I have seen many a tacky home with "expensive" furnishings. And, the ladies here have so far shown me that you can make vintage look lovely AND that sometimes people don't know what they have when they give it away/sell it/craigslist it.

I have hope to have a nice home and accumulate over the years. ^_^ Thanks for your comments!

Ooooooooh, OSH, I love them! especially that gorgeous, gorgeous red.

Slightly deeper/warmer white possibilities: BM Ivory Tusk? RL Studio Cream or Flour Sack White? Mari's suggestions strike me as right on, btw.

And would you mind posting the Ebay seller you got those lovely rugs from?

Congratulations!!!! (!!!)

Well, i have to say, i was sooo worried for you, purchasing rugs sight unseen. But my gosh, it couldn't have turned out better. They're magnificent.

Would you understand my meaning if i said your whole space is like a big ceramic mug filled with perfectly mulled, fresh pressed apple cider?

So rich and so comforting.

Hi Organic,

I know just how hard it is to find the right rug and, as someone posted above, I too was skeptical when I read that you were buying them sort of sight unseen, but it turned out great! The rugs look beautiful in your rooms. Congratulations!

oh, I love them, both are very pretty and fit well in your home.

Joann

Here's the Persian, too. Toned it down a tad from the ad, maybe not right and not sure as to the scale of the pattern to the room. Is that on CL also?

I like the one you have in the LR much better than the other you're considering. This latest one just doesn't do anything for your brick, IMO.

I agree, but it wouldn't look half bad in MY living room.

Started looking on Ebay but yikes, they have thousands of rugs.

Oh, squirrel, thank you so, so much for doing that. :) It looks wonderful in my living room, I think, except that it clashes with the brick. Damn brick--why isn't it marble or limestone??? Thanks again. :)

Depending on how bright the rug actually is, I don't think it clashes with the brick. I would bring more red into the room though. This is toned down a bit more. I tried to make the brick on the red side, as it is so dark in the pic.

Where did you find this one?

squirrel: In real life, the fireplace brick is definitively terra cotta, and the red in the rug has more of a fuschia tint to it, although that depends on the light--in the evening, it looks more terra cotta. It drives me crazy. :)

I found the other rug on a rug site of a rug dealer in Washington.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rug Estate

I see the terra tiles, but the rug looks orange and gold and green from here. Red and terra don't bother me, depending.

Thought you might like seeing some blue in there, but what I had on hand wasn't right. This one is a red-red though. But so is the fp here : ) Anyway, you can see the pattern and values and some blue. Something like this looks very nice to me, and right at home in there.

Didn't check out the link yet.

OMG: I LOVE it!!! There is blue-black brick in the fireplace, as well, so a little blue is fine! Too expensive for me, I'm sure. :(

Thank you. :)

Oh, I see, thanks, nice link. I see a yummy one I'd love to have if I could get one right now.

Too red? Too small? (the grey pad would have to be cut down to size, of course):

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Hmm, looks like it's gone already. I'd been browsing around some of the eBay links. Dirt cheap.

Here is a link that might be useful: eBay

That was fast! lol. I love it! Looks very at home to me : ) Can't really see on the size, though. Can it turn the other way? Now it looks like it has a wide border and it might be too small. Love the colors, pattern, and style in your room. How do the new pillows work? What do you think?

Checked back at that store for something similar. These have a different feel than the first, but here's one with more gold and another with navy and a lot of red. Don't know what size you're going for though.

I do like the red and blue in there very much! and the large central patterns are nice also, esp with your pillows.

It's hard to tell from the pic, but maybe putting a smaller rug at the entrance to the room next to this one would work along with the smaller rug in there. I love multiple rugs in a room : ) It would fit style-wise, too.

squirrel: What you can't see in the photo is that there is a runner in the hallway within view of the LR, as well as an entry rug in front of the door, about 4 feet from the LR rug.

Alternatively, I was also thinking again of this one (link).

Here is a link that might be useful: Karastan Bidjar

Oh, I love this $76 one : ) What size is it that you need? This is 10x10.

squirrel: I love the next to last one you purchased, but I'm very hesitant now to purchase something I can't see in person first. I had seen both of the Karastans I purchased, but I misremembered the color of the Ashara. This time around, I need to be absolutely sure--primarily so that this little saga of mine can come to an end. The problem with me is that I am extremely task-oriented. If I need LR chairs, I look until I find them--but then I forget to keep looking--lol. For the rugs, it's a little different. Once I started looking for rugs, I stopped once I found the Karastans. Now that I have to sell one and begin a search for another, the very idea of it is making me tired. :)

Oh, I love this one! Looks like the photo is in the wrong direction. (Probably needs to be toned down a tad more in the virtual.)

So, train me up here : ) I, too, seem to like the hand-knotted rugs (and the Persians). Wool I understand is best. Some other guidelines, though. What minimum kpsi do you recommend? And is veg dye good or bad and how about dye-fasting? TIA : ) I guess these Iran/Iraq's are the stockpiled ones and a no-no?

Roll it up, continue looking to finish your room, then find your buyer : )

OS, have you decided you're not keeping the Ashara in the living room? Do the colors not work irl? It looks beautiful in your pictures.

squirrel: Thank you SO much. You're just a dear. I did roll it up and will try to find a buyer. :)

Meanwhile, I trimmed the pad and here's what it looks like now. DH really likes it, and so do I, but at this point, I have absolutely no confidence--thus, I am boring everyone once again (see below).

Mimi: Yes, I've decided it just doesn't work. It *is* a beautiful rug, just not the right rug for my LR. :(

Really fuzzy, but you can get an idea:

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The second pic is totally blurry, but that first pic looks totally fabulous to me!! Right at home. Is that an old rug? It looks so from here.

This is the second pic where your two white dogs are huddled together : )) That little mill puppy has a best friend now? Too precious. I'm so happy for her.

I pulled your pillows in to see and they look like they blend in beautifully too.

*Whew!* No, not an old rug--the other rug I originally bought for the study! I pulled the chairs back a bit and I think it really works. :) I don't know why I kept thinking that I needed a larger rug!

Yes, from the moment she arrived she has stuck like glue to our bichon. Apparently, puppy mill rescues always have to go to a home with another dog, so that 1) they can learn how to be a happy dog, and 2) because other dogs are all they really know, having another dog in the house with whom they can bond really helps them lose their fear and settle in. Our bichon has been so patient with her, it's really unbelievable. :)

Not that I'm an expert, but I really like that rug in your living room. All of the colors in the rug really accentuate the "calm" of your furniture. I don't know if I'm saying that right...but the rug is a stand out and it reminds me of a room that a designer would put together. Keeping the furniture monochromatic and then putting the one piece in that makes you say "aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, so that's how you do it." I could sit, chat, and drink wine all night in there!

I also noticed that your new little one is attached to your Bichon. So sweet. We adopted a 3 yr old German Shepherd from the pound a few years ago and she is best friends with our shep/retriever mix. Well, after an awkward alpha issue about six months in to it. That resolved fairly quickly, thank goodness. I know that he helped her assimilate into our family...after a year she finally stopped trying to jump into the back of every truck we passed!

alex: Thank you. I think I really like it there, too. I think I need new sofa pillow covers, though--to pick up on the rug colors. I can then move the ones I have now onto the sofa in my study.

About our new family member: When she first arrived, we had a little "alpha issue" with our lhasa: he bit her on the head when she dared to pass through a doorway he was sitting in. That was a few weeks ago (and several hundred dollars in vet bills ago), and he now seems to have begrudgingly accepted her, though he's still not crazy about her. Can't say that I blame him: she's a frenetic little yapper if there ever was one. Totally sweet and adorable, though, so we think we'll keep her. :)

OSH, Is the Ashara not a possibility for the den? I recall you were starting on there and wanted to paint the walls, etc. Have you tried it in there to see if you can just swap rooms for them? Is it a size issue? They were both such wonderful buys, I'd love for you to be able to use them both!

my3dogs: Yes, it's a size issue. It's simply too large for the den--believe me, I tried it! What do you think of the other rug in the LR? Okay?