Okay, here we go... Back at it. - I tried 4x6 at front door as solo mat... okay, but a little too big IMO. My neighbor likes this size. I don't. This rug is not appealing to me either. just trying it for size. - a 4x6 looks weird in between the bench and the console. It just reaches the furniture. No wood showing in front of furniture and rug can't reach under furniture. so that's out. I was hoping for this arrangement to keep price down, but that never seems to work for me - LOL! - a 5x8 in the long part under the furniture is so-so. This one is actually 5'3"x7'6". I think my foyer is too small for this look, but it does have the potential to cozy things up. It's hard to visualize a final product with all these mis-matched patterns. This rug is actually going on the deck. Also with my new artwork, I think my color scheme has to change too. (Sorry, tribbix, portera et als, don't luv anymore.) Here is side by side of new color on wall and new 3x5 doormat rug (which claims to actually be 3 1/2 x 5 1/2.). This is in my shopping cart and I feel okay buying it online because it is NOT 100% polypropolene (outdoor). It is 50/50 with acrylic and says "plush pile" so it should be fine in that "too outdoorsy" respect I don't want. The deck rug looks like a deck rug in the wrong part of the house. ta da... What do you think? I hope the colors are true to my monitor. If I really love it, I can still look for it in a 5x8, but I really don't feel like paying the price of a non-outdoor 5x8 right now. I have a ton of new landscaping to do at my new place and I'm chomping at the bit to get into it as the weather is improving.

I have trim very similar to yours throughout my downstairs. Our home was built in 1908. I've tried the grey-blues so many times w/ so many high hopes but it always left me feeling flat. The best tones & ranges that I've found to compliment warm wood tones like ours are mid-range colors & warm colors. Green is a fantastic color choice w/ trim like ours - it blends so effortlessly w/ wood & really showcases wood. Think about it: it's the color of nature! Ellen Kennon has a color called Peridot & in it's description it is mentioned that shades of green are often used in French antiques shops throughout time as it shows the antiques so beautifully. Not saying that you should do Peridot - I'm just making an argument for using green. I've used both bright greens & 'dulled' greens w/ much success. We just painted our DR BM York Harbor Yellow & it is smashing w/ the wood. Below are pic's of the good, the bad, the ugly & the okay: RH Silver Sage in office - it was OK. It is now being painted Eddie Bauer Alabaster - much better: RH Blue Sage in DR - bad & dungeon like in our house: The Good DR now (wall just painted - still decorating): Some great greens: SW Tupelo Tree (love this color): BM Flowering Herbs: BM Baby Turtle: Hope some of this helps!

The room ...... just your basic, small suburban spare bedroom. We’re currently renting after selling last house, or I’d remove carpet. The carpet is clean and in new condition; the room was hardly used before we moved in. Shadows in these pics make it look skanky, I know. ~~~~~~ Antique saddle. My dad won the saddle blanket in ‘87 (cutting horse competition). My late husband’s grandfather made this. I cherish it. Some much-loved stuff in there, including antique cowbells (from rodeo/bull riding) and my prized Breyer horse model, Man O’ War, circa ‘70s, Jamaican carved wood vases my husband collected with his late wife, beach rocks from Cape Cod visit when my DD was little, old pottery, etc. Oh! I forgot about the big grapevine balls, forgot to put them up after Christmas. IGNORE THE BALLS — I know it’s very cluttered, but it is what it is! Big downsize from last house. Let’s call it a layered look. :D That old printer the size of a small car will be out of here soon. The Long Island map, that my husband assures me everyone growing up on LI would remember seeing (this was in his house when he was a kid). Seeing them again this year!! Vintage hand tooled purse. Want the throw rug here. An accent piece to break up the dumb carpet. My now husband’s grandmother did this lovely pencil drawing (right of guitar) in 1947 ... Very old family belt buckles (I have more, need to get them out):

Since our design dilemma has changed since I started this post, I’m going to start a new thread to keep us organized. Hope you both will hop to the new thread so we can continue the conversation! I think you could still continue here, to keep everything in the same place. But if you want to start a new thread, please post the link here for us to follow : ) . You asked what the primary dilemma is. The house is a 1920s horse barn that was renovated in 2017. Made to be open floor plan and owner’s vision was to be “Ralph Lauren” however this home is also ON the water. So it feels a bit like we’re mixing styles that are not...complementary. What we need help with is picking specific pieces of furniture/decor. Aha : ) . When you say "owner's vision", are the owners your friends? Or was this the previous owner? Do your friends have the same vision -- Ralph Lauren on the Water? I know I've sounded like a broken record, but asking questions helps to figure out what your friends need, esp since someone they hired wasn't successful.. So I'll continue to ask, what color is the kitchen island? And is it staying that color? That directly affects the color of all the other furnishings in the room. I think it would be very helpful if you and they start an ideabook in your account with inspiration pictures they love. Things that say "Ralph Lauren" to them, or "Ralph Lauren on the Water". Google the designers Diana and I have mentioned and see if anything in those pictures inspires them. If so, add them to the ideabooks. What specific sectional would you choose for the living area (love the idea of facing the doors for the view!) Facing the doors was an idea I took from what you/they wrote -- "The living area is where couch / chairs should be as the view out the french doors is a beautiful bay" You'll need to post a layout of the house with measurements, including all of the windows and doors and existing/fixed items. But even with that, I will tell you that I'm not a design professional -- just a multitasking farmer -- so I can give you a list of sofas and other pieces that I think fit your friends' aesthetic, but it will be up to someone else to determine *exactly* what fits : ) . And what furniture would you use in the room that currently has the round dining table? It depends what they want to do there. Do they want to use it as a space to read and watch TV? Sew, play games, put together puzzles, go through stamp collecting albums, etc?? And if they want to watch TV, what's the TV situation now -- it's hard for me to tell from the photos. Is it just attached to the wall? BTW, homeowners love the photo you sent from Serena and Lily’s website! I just did what came naturally when you wrote that "They love Serena and Lily furniture" lol. It's literally the first/main picture on the S&L website. This is where they have to start doing homework to get the look they love and want in their own house. Start looking for inspiration pictures of general looks and specific pieces they like. Look at Ralph Lauren pictures, Serena and Lily, the various designers mentioned above. And if the top of their budget is $20,000, I would start looking through Chairish and other similar sources as well. New rugs are fair game. What do they see for rugs? Persian? Natural fibers like jute or seagrass? Dash & Albert style? I would probably go for jute because it's practical and inexpensive and definitely says on the water : ) . I have to do some farm chores but I'll be back!