I keep thinking about the animal print...could I really be so daring?? I am also drawn to the antelope one, though I also really like the 4th one that Kellie posted (with the green walls). I'm going to bring home a sample and see how it looks. I have two carpet stores in mind that I'll visit later this week. I'm a little concerned about how the brown animal prints will look with the tile floor. I also kinda like this Nourison one since I have a thing for polka dots. One of my dogs is white and she's the worst shedder, so I can't go too dark because the fur will show like crazy. On the other hand, I don't want to go too light (even though we are mostly a no-shoes-in-the-house family!). I just need to get out there and bring some samples home. I'm so excited to do this -- I have been so tired of this rug for so long! Here is a link that might be useful: Nourison runner

Ok, you guys are fabulous! I am really struggling with the fact that dh wants to be SO involved with every decorating decision. lukkiirish - I followed you, I think! Red accent with neutral, not red with gold! I like the idea of the stripe and will have to see what dh thinks of that after what we discussed last night. I think that BM Monroe Bisque looks great with BM Tuscan Red, but now dh is leaning in a different direction, lol! threedgrad - thank you! I always forget about those threads metromom - THANK you! That was the exact description I used with dh the other day and it helps to have someone else agree with me. equest17 - your rooms are lovely! If we decide to go with a red accent, I will keep those colors in mind. After dh went to the BM store last night and picked up 4 more of their large red swatches and one gold, he is more sold on gold than red. I'm not too familiar with EK paint but it looks like ICI paints sells them locally. I am hoping to stick to Benjamin Moore, though since I get a discount there through work. The color he brought home is BM Dorset Gold, which I thought at first might be too dark, but after seeing it in several different lighting conditions, I think might work. There is also a picture of it in someone's kitchen in the Yellow and Gold thread in the Gallery that looks nice. Any experience with that color, or another nice gold in the BM line? Also, I forgot to mention the painted brick fireplace in the room. We are hoping to reface it with stacked stone (or tile if we can't afford that) eventually, but for now I think we may just need to paint it. It's not the most attractive fireplace, but does anyone have any suggestions for a color to paint it if we go with a gold? Maybe something brown??? I initially thought we'd just paint it the same as the trim color, but perhaps we can give it an accent color. I was thinking BM Acadia White, or BM Cloud white for trim. Would those work with a gold? Lastly, I need a coordinating color for the hallway and stairs that is lighter and more neutral. You can see the stairwell into the basement from the LR, which is painted RH Latte. I had been planning on painting the whole stairwell and basement BM Monroe Bisque before dh expressed his strong opinion, but I don't know if that will work in a room adjacent to the gold.

Sigh - did a bit of looking yesterday and my husband really doesn't like the sisal look, he wants something with a bit of a pattern. I told him that I don't care for the large floral pattern that seems to be the norm for stairs these days so am looking for a compromise. It was also a bit frustrating because the sales person kept trying to steer us to a low cut pile and said that would be fine on stairs. We did find a nice one in Shaw Caress line that had more of a linear textural pattern. I also quite like this one that I found on Houzz (linked below) but didn't see anything similar in the store. Hello from Brookside Julie! We are loving the new house and neighborhood. We have been to Bella Napoli several times, I recall you saying that it was one of your favorites. We went to Southside yesterday, our first stop. They were going to call us after talking to one of their dealers who carries a wool blend carpet, so we'll see what they come up with. Here is a link that might be useful: [anybody know where to find a similar runner?[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/fremont-georgian-residence-traditional-staircase-minneapolis-phvw-vp~4577709)

The stairs had to be designed with a finish material in mind, to keep them code compliant for riser and run. What material were they designed to use? If you dont know, that probably means carpet. Its the far better choice to muffle the thundering herd on the stairs to a media room.