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

I absolutely LOVE your house and the direction you're going with your décor! I went from wanting my house to look like a little Mexican hacienda to wanting it to remind me of my holidays in England, and I've dealt with the rug issue myself. While tempting to select something very floral (or even kitsch), I would caution you to keep in mind that true English cottage style is more of a collected abundance of everyday items -- even if it's pared down. In other words, the individual elements shouldn't scream "Look at me! I'm English Country!" Think along the lines of a slightly faded Persian rug that looks like it must have been in the family for years. Too, I've seen sisal and other plain/natural rugs used in English cottages and that's a great look, especially when you desire an open airiness. Think timeworn pattern-upon-pattern, bring in a collection of throw pillows (there are some wonderful Union Jack pillows on Etsy), favorite framed prints on the wall - you know the look, I'm sure! Have fun creating your new space. And please share photos when you get things all done. I'd love to see how your adorable home turns out!

I don’t think that comforter will go with your rug. I don’t think it will be easier to keep clean if blood gets on it either. I would stick with white or a flax linen color. I have white sofa slipcovers and keep them clean with oxyclean, but I haven’t had to deal with blood. You could then add some floral pillows.

Actually, you have a lot of zig-zagging in this room. In addition to the zig-zag created going from the medallion design in the rug and up to the fireplace, there is another big zig-zag. The biggest zig-zag is your eye following the medallion in the carpet and then the eye is thrown over to the red chairs....and those checkered pillows which are even more jarring with the chair fabric. The rug medallion should 'in line' with the fireplace, and the red chairs should flank both sides of the fireplace. The checkered pillows should be removed from the chairs and could be used on the sofa. The wood 'thing' under the coffee table is distracting and should also be removed from the room. The rocking chair is out of place and doesn't belong in the room. Also 'Patricia Colwell Consulting' talked about the sofa. That it should face the tv. This is a second vote for you to please move the sofa to face the tv. Please post a photo after you rearrange the room.