As far as the entranceway rug is concerned, I'm in the "turn it 90 degrees" camp. I would really like to see a rug that lengthwise (orientation: facing the door) fits from the staircase wall on the left to the step edge on the right, and widthwise, from the door to at least the edge of the staircase, but extends no further that piece of wall partition. Another option is to go with something large but neutral to fit the space (like the sisal), but then layer a smaller rug or mat with a stronger pattern that you like where the length equals the width of the door. That way, the smaller one catches most of the dirt/mud/whatever, but the larger one gives the space the correct proportions. It's also a possible solution for the living room. And as far as the living room is concerned, I think part of the issue that you're having is simply from furniture placement. For example, I'll bet that the leather chair closest to the entryway door doesn't get used nearly as much as the other seats for two reasons: a) only the other leather chair is actually a comfortable talking distance from it, and b) people don't usually feel comfortable having their back to an entranceway. It tends to make us feel nervous; when I'm in restaurants, I sometimes find myself looking behind just instinctively. Your living room has fantastic windows and a wonderfully chunky fireplace that's the right scale for them, but the other side of the room doesn't seem to balance it out. A bookshelf or similar kind of unit is a frequent solution, and if you found something with a deep base, then you could use it as closed storage space (for your adorable little girl's toys, perhaps?), and then use the higher shelves for display, or just things you would prefer out of her reach. I'd also love another few shots from different angles inside of the living room. Right now, all I know on the one side is that you have a balcony above a green chair, but I have no idea if that wall partition is actually a full wall underneath it or just a support beam with a transition to another space.

Aw, thanks awm03, yes, we designed it around the door (vintage, picked it up at a garage sale for $5) and the transom, which came from an auction. A fabulous company in NNY, Vintage Doors, took our drawings, the door and transom, and fabricated the sidelights and porch panels. There are single pane windows in for the winter and screened panels for the summer. fallingwaters, nope, we're not on Paradox Lake, but I do know it well (used to drive from BTV to Albany, NY all the time), it's a beautiful area. Here's that close up, exterior: Interior (kinda dark, sorry): sandyponder

I would suggest you use a rug that covers more of the foyer area...perhaps a tufted wool with and oriental pattern that sort of fits with architecture of your home...a smallish pattern with varied colors will hold up to entry traffic better than a solid...and at the same time a small runner can be purchased in the same color and pattern...I am not sure it needs to match the other rugs ...as the foyer seems big enough to be considered a separate room...with out pictures it is hard to be sure....but the foyer is the introduction to your home and sets the expectations for the rest of the house

There are plenty of neutral rugs out there that might work well in your space. We agree, the current rug might be too small for your space, so definitely try it in the entryway and see if you can get a bigger one for the seating area. Here are some ideas from a few designs of ours.