Does something like this appeal to you?

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Oceanna - Thanks for responding and sending the pictures. I don't think the rugs above would work. To my eye the first and third one are too modern in style for the cottage look I'm trying to stay with. The border on the middle one looks a little too formal to me to mix with buffalo checks.

I think I've got a real challenge trying to find just the right thing, and I thank you for taking the time to help.

My first thought was a sisal rug bound with black "canvas" on the edges. Not sure if that is in keeping with the look you are after, but it's what popped into my head, so I thought I'd share.

If you're wanting a bit more "cottagey" look, how about a rag type run in your chosen colors (black/creme)? I just got one for my boys in blues/reds/tans. It sounds awful, but it is really beautiful, and I was getting compliments from oodles of people as I went thru the store with this big rug sticking out of my cart.

Hope you'll find the perfect rug. I'm sure it's out there. Your room (and view) sounds lovely. :o)

totallyblessed - The look of the sisal/black rugs is in line with my vision of the room. But the feel of them on bare feet in the morning (or in the middle of the night..) is not very cozy. We had one in our sunroom and people with their shoes off would walk around it rather than walk on it. My dogs, who are generally good with rugs and furnishings, always seemed to dig at it. I replaced it as soon as I could.

I like the idea of a black and cream rag rug, though. That wouldn't fight with any of the patterns, would add a warm touch and still maintain that casual, cottagey feel. I haven't come across any in those colors, but will begin searching. Thanks for your help - and the blue/red/tan rug actually sounds very nice to me.

Would love to hear if anyone knows of a source.

Which section of the room do you want to be the focal point, the bed or the sitting area? Whichever area is to be the focal point should get the "wowser" rug, with the other area getting a still very nice but somewhat lesser one. Remember, the rugs don't have to match, and the "lakeside cottage" motif is not one of matchy-matchiness anyway.

Rag rugs can also be had in single colors, so if the conventional mixed-color one is too busy for you, go for the monotone ones. Cotton rag rugs are washable, too, in case you spill your tea. ;-) That would take the room in a more casual direction. The wool braid rug from Pottery Barn looks like it's just delicious in texture, soft and cushy, and perhaps a little dressier than the average braided rug. Should you want to go with a braided rug, I did find a couple of nice ones in black/cream - Prudential Jamestown Charcoal and Colonial Mills Monroe.

If you do want to go the sisal route, I urge you quite strongly to go with a wool or olefin "faux sisal" for sheer practicality as well as feeling nicer under bare or stockinged feet. I'd put it over in the reading area, with something softer for the bedside "landing zone" because it's still a very firm rug.

I also think a Oriental-type rug would look beautiful and wouldn't clash with the toile or the checks as much as you think. Take a look at this picture on Country Curtains' website: black and white toile and check with an orientalish rug, although you can't see a huge amount of the rug you get a sense of it. Also, search Google Images for "toile bedroom" - lots of pretty results using Oriental-style rugs. It's pricey but Karastan "Sierra Mar - Balencia" is absolutely gorgeous; I don't know how you'd feel about the beige in it but the Karastan "Sierra Mar - Marie Louise" is also very compatible with the toile, very French-feeling (and what's more French than toile?). This "Kabistan" is also great-looking. Sphinx "Pinnacle" would be a little weightier; I really like this Kojan but it might be a bit too graphical for you. I think this b/w Bokhara would look absolutely awesome over with the checked chair, but it is a very strong rug.

Have you snooped around on eBay? There are tons and tons of rugs there, and you can enter your color(s) in your search.

johnmari- We were at the house yesterday and DH asked the same question you posed about whether the seating area or bed area should get the rug.

You made the suggestion that maybe rugs for stepping out on and the reading area rug could be different. I think you've got something there. I'd like the bedside rugs to be a little heavier, both for comfort and for grounding.

I am still in a whirl of holiday weekend obligations, so I haven't checked out the links you suggested yet....I try to steal a few minutes to check this site when I can!

Thanks so much for your thoughts and suggestions.

Oceanna - Thank you for mentioning eBay. Have only purchased a couple dish replacements there and had not considered it for rugs.

There is a place in CT that does handmade braided rugs to your specs. I think the name is margesbraidedrugs. I imagine there are other places in New Eng that do also.

Mari has a lot of good ideas. I can visualize the Prudential Jamestown Charcoal with the toile and checks.

What is your accent color? You have black/cream, then the pumpkin floors. Are you going to introduce an accent color in throw pillows or art? I'm assuming your loon is also b&w since it is pen and ink and that is the color of a loon. You could go with a rug in the pumpkin color range if you are picking up that color in another accessory.

Since I'm also a big Country Curtains fan, I think this may be the rug (Estate rug) in that photo that Mari mentions with the toile.

I pulled their toile, buffalo and blackwell together.

Hope this helps.
Cameron

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Sisal was my first thought as I had an inspiration room with b/w toile and wall to wall sisal. To replicate this, in our old master suite, instead of sisal I got a medium brown woven wool rug. It was expensive, but fabulous underfoot.

A lesser expensive option would be the polypropylene indoor/outdoor sisal rugs, from JCPenney, etc. They are easy to clean, durable and comfortable. We have several and love them for all of the above!

Another thought is a textured rug, plusher than berber but not pile. In an oatmeal heather color or a charcoal gray it would look great with toile/checks. I remember seeing an RL rug that looked like a cable knit sweater, it was gorgeous.

Thanks to all for the suggestions!

Cameron, you put together a pretty close composite of my materials. My check curtains are the ones from CC. The upholstery fabric on my chair is like the Blackwell check, except that it is less ivory, and more creamy (like the buffalo check shade.) Instead of the duvet offered by CC, I opted for a quilted spread I found elsewhere, but the pattern is similar.

I love the way the Estate rug enhances, but doesn't overpower, the base colors. The pumpkin pine floors were a real splurge. They're beautiful and I don't want to cover them up, but I think the pumpkin shade in the rug will make them really pop.

My budget has dried up with all those pesky things you need when furnishing a new home (trash cans, door mats, shelf liners, etc.)not to even mention upcoming holiday expenses... But I'm guessing that I can get rugs for the bedsides now and go back to Country Curtains later for a larger one for the seating area, as they tend not to discontinue items very quickly.

If you're willing to entertain another question regarding this room - How would you dress a standard size window? I have the check tab panels for the slider leading out to the balcony on a black metal pole. The only other window is 4 ft. off the floor, so I don't want long tab panels there. And the only other offerings at CC are an Austrian valance and a tailored valance. Neither offers the privacy needed (window's in the front of the house.) Do you think a brown/black wood shade would work? I'm open and grateful for any thoughts.

Have you seen this new cane roll-up from CC? I don't know if it provides complete privacy, but it may go with the buffalo check Austrian valance.

Their roll-up black out shade in natural is definitely private. We have it in our upstairs bedrooms with natural curtain panels. It is also availabe in white, but it is probably bright white.

I send CC emails all the time before I purchase from them to ask questions. I've sent them photos a few times, too. They are very good with emailing replies.

Here is a link that might be useful: cane roll shade

I plan to take a trip to Country Curtains this week. I'm hoping to take a look at the rug Cameron suggested in person. I'll check out the cane roll shades while I'm there as well. I'll also look to see if the natural blackout shades go w/ the creams in the room. You're right about the white being a bit to bright.
Thanks for your help!

johnmari - I had my first opportunity to sit down and take a good look at the rugs you suggested in a previous post. Wow - there are some beauties that would work really well. My favorite was the Karastan Balencia. Thanks again!

Looks like we're all thinking along the same lines, although I couldn't find a traditional small pattern that works so well as Cameron's. Nice to see how well one like that works! Something really textured, or bordered, or with a lot of space around its decoratives works well. I think with the patterns, also, if you have a plain bedskirt, as in CC's room, it transitions or shifts gears for a pattern on the rug nicely.

Here were some of my finds yesterday. The second one is a braided but they only showed a swatch in those colors.

I'll have to go pick up the Karastan Valencia while I've got this rolling!

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Here ya go! It's like bringing some scrolling ironwork into the room :)

BTW, Amck (reading above), the sisal above is wool, from Restoration Hardware.

Dark and rich, light and airy. I do like the idea of something rich with those pumpkin pine floors :) yummm.
Actually, if they're not overly expensive, maybe something cozy in winter and light in summer. Your room sounds perfectly beautiful.

How about shutters for the window?
OK, I'm outta here, lol.

Squirrelheaven - I was just tickled to find all your suggestions when I checked this site before heading to bed last night. I called DH down to take a look, and he could not believe how all of you rallied to find the perfect rug for our bedroom! The people on this site are truly phenomenal.

I feel that I have officially become a part of this forum now that squirrelheaven has done some photoshop work on my behalf LOL!

I love the idea of switching out rugs seasonally. I think sisal/black would be great in the late spring and summer months and a plusher, warmer-toned one for the winters.

I have never had shutters on a window, but I like the look. Since I want to keep the window as open as possible with minimal dressing, that would do it.

Please educate me on shutters - should they match the white window trim, or could they be black? Is there a source you'd recommend?

I'm off to Country Curtains to check out Cameron's rug!

They didn't have a sample of the rug at the Country Curtains shop and when the salesperson did a search she discovered that only a couple were available from their other stores. There was also no date indicating when backorders would be available. She said this sometimes meant they were going to introduce another rug in its stead. Since part of the draw was being able to purchase the bedside rugs now and go back for the bigger one in the seating area after the holidays, I decided to move on.

I won't have a bedskirt - my headboard is almost identical to the one in the pics above, but I have wide sideboards (similar to those on a sleigh bed)that cover the box spring, so I will just have the quilt. Because I don't have to worry about the rug abutting another pattern, I went with a Persian-type like the CC one.

I took a chance with RugsDirect based on recommendations from this site. It's the Persian Classic Kasham 2023 Black, if anyone wants to see what I ended up with.

I'll see how they work and then decide how big, and what shape, I should go with for the seating area.

I can't wait to see your room. It sounds like it will be gorgeous!

Cameron

Glad you got a kick out of the virtuals! and hope they helped make (or exclude) a selection :)

Your room sounds like such a wonderful haven! Hope we get to see pics sometime.

Enjoy!