Here are a few more photos to add some context. We have some black & white elements, yellow, green, brick, wood, brass, and blue (bar pendant lights). We tend to be drawn mostly to blues and greens, but I love yellows and oranges too. Purple is probably the only color I'm not drawn to in decor.

Lounging side of the room:

Opposite end of the space (bar/brewing/kitchenette):

We still need to get art on the walls which will add more color, but right now I'm on a mission to find a rug.

Here are a couple of rugs I'm drawn to. This green overdyed 10x13 rug was suggested to someone on a different thread, and is what got me thinking about a larger rug. I like that it's not very busy and the color looks calm and soothing. It also coordinates nicely with the runner we got for the hallway (through the arched opening). There are other green elements in the bar side that would tie it to that side of the room.

Here's a photo of the runner that's in the adjoining hallway:

And here's a very different rug option that I also think is beautiful and the pattern kind of coordinates with the fleur-de-lis pattern on the tin ceiling of the bar area. It's got some navy blue too, which would tie in with the shades of the bar pendant lights. I'm just not sure if it's too busy for the space. I don't mind a boho look with lots of pattern and color though, so I think it could work. This one is 9x12 so would not extend toward the foosball table but would extend from the TV side to the lounging/chair side.

These 2 rugs are very different, but I like both of them for different reasons and can't seem to decide. I'm also open to other suggestions.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered an 8x10 rug off of eBay in a moment of haste and then regretted the choice. As luck would have it the guy couldn't locate the rug, so I was issued a refund. I feel like it's my second chance to find "the one" and I don't want to regret it this time!

Please weigh in if you have an opinion or any suggestions. I can add measurements or provide additional pictures if it would help. Thank you!

What a great area! Lucky kids. :)

Do you like any of these?

https://incrediblerugsanddecor.com/products/loloi-heirloom-hq-08-brick-sand-area-rug

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https://incrediblerugsanddecor.com/collections/karastan-spice-market-rug-collection/products/karastan-spice-market-saigon-multi-area-rug

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https://www.rugsdoneright.com/products/rugs-done-right-clearance-southwick-ab65-ivory-rug

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https://incrediblerugsanddecor.com/collections/karastan-spice-market-rug-collection/products/karastan-spice-market-myanmar-tobacco-area-rug

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I don’t think you should get a bright or bold patterned rug - you have a lot going on in there with the brick walls and wood floors and tin ceiling. I would stay monochromatic. I like the third rug in jinx’s post.

Go for the green, it complements the brick walls and is in the same feel of texture as the walls. the guys will love it.

Thank you all for weighing in, and a big thank you to jinx for the mock ups-- they help a lot! I'm coming to the same conclusion as both ShadyWillowFarm and Yaygal... While I love color and love a bold rug in the right context, the bright colors and bold patterns are overwhelming with everything else going on in here. I can see that the orange one I love on its own definitely looks too busy with the brick and everything else, as do the other colorful and heavily patterned ones.

Originally I was looking for a mostly blue 8x10 rug, but couldn't find that size in an antique so was considering the Pottery Barn Kala Printed rug. Then I saw how delicate the weave is on a store sample and read some online horror stories of cats tearing it to shreds, so had to nix that one. But I do love that look, so had started looking at blue overdyed rugs. I wasn't able to find one where both the color and size were right though. So many of the overdyed blues are too bright or are almost purple.

I am really leaning toward the green overdyed one too, Yayagal! Great point about how the pattern kind of compliments the brick texture, and I just love that shade of green- it reminds me of sea glass :) After suggesting a different overdyed green rug to my husband (when we were looking at 8x10 rugs) and having him respond that it looked like a "ruined masterpiece" that brought to mind 70s shag carpet, I didn't think he'd consider another green overdyed rug. But he actually likes this one! The only thing he doesn't like is the price. I think I'll contact the seller and see if we can negotiate, because the more I look at it the more I like it and think it suits the space. And for whatever reason, our cats leave the antique rugs alone (other than occasionally puking on them which cleans surprisingly easily off of old wool), so that's another plus for old wool rugs.

Thanks again for your help! I usually just think, "What would the GardenWeb/Houzz decorators say?", but I'm glad I asked :)

The green is great too! Forgot to say in my first post that I love your space - exposed brick is such a treasure!

Thank you, ShadyWillowFarm! I have to confess the brick is actually thin brick ("Castle Gate" by Brickweb), but we wanted to give it that feel. I'm from the east coast where brick is more prevalent, so it feels like home to be surrounded by it. My husband brews beer and wanted a bit of a "speakeasy" feel to his bar/brewing area, so we decided to extend the brick backsplash to cover all the foundation walls. I was worried it might feel too dark with only 2 below ground windows, but thankfully it doesn't.

And an update-- I pulled the trigger on the green rug! The seller came down 10% and my husband said our tax refund will cover it, so it seems like it was meant to be. And I don't have the buyer's remorse feeling I did after trying to buy a different rug I wasn't in love with, so that's a relief. Thanks to the person who recommended it on one of Design2 girl's threads (for her daughter's living room). It didn't get any love on that thread, but I think it's going to be perfect!!

Please show us when it gets there! I think it’ll be great, one of those meant-to-be things. :)

Wow you negotiated the price? That’s awesome!

Eastautumn, I'm so happy for you. Anything that reminds you of seaglass has got to be magical. I know my colors well as I've been an accomplished artist for most of my life. We know how to choose colors. You have a good eye and a good husband too. Enjoy!!!!

Jinx, I will definitely update when we get it in place!

ShadyWillow, it was on eBay as a "Buy It Now" sale, and even though there wasn't a "Make an Offer" button, someone on this forum (I think it was roarah) once mentioned that you can still send the seller a direct message and put in an offer. When I do that (for rugs or other items of significant value), I usually offer about 80% of the asking price. The seller typically accepts it or makes a counter offer. A couple of times I've had an offer rejected with no counter, but I think both times that happened I'd offered less than 80% of the listed price.

Thanks Yayagal :) I truly credit you and all of the other gracious contributors to this forum who have taught me so much over the years. I don't post much, but I read and absorb as much as I can and it has helped immensely. I'm super slow at decorating but am really trying to use the momentum of having our basement finished to keep going and get the finishing touches in place down there... Then maybe I'll tackle the "temporary" vinyl blinds in our bedroom that have been an eyesore for 15 years and the many other things I just keep putting off because I over analyze almost every decision until I make myself crazy!

Well the green rug arrived and we unwrapped it and put it in place today, and.... Sigh... I'm not in love with it. I'm trying to love it, but it's just okay. It's darker and drabber than it appeared in the listing photos, and is not as soft as I had hoped. I've ordered rugs online before and usually been pleased with the quality, but this one is a reproduction antique (which I realized after ordering it) and seems to be lacking in quality.

It's not awful, it's just kind of blah. My husband feels the same way... He doesn't dislike it but doesn't love it either. I like that it's monochromatic and has a subtle pattern, but don't like that it looks kind of heavy and dark in the space. If the quality/feel were better I might be able to get over the color being darker than I'd hoped, and if it was super cheap I'd probably just make do. But it is returnable, and as much as I dread the idea of repackaging an almost 10x13 rug to send back I'm kind of leaning toward returning it. I guess I'll sleep on it, but would love your honest opinions. I think it might look better in the pictures than it does in real life.

Here's the runner in the adjoining hallway that has a similar green in it.

If I return this one, I'm not even sure what to look for color-wise. As much as I love green, it feels like too much in a large rug. I would love to find a neutral-ish wool rug that's soft and not difficult to clean. We have an Oriental Weavers wool rug in my husband's office that used to be in our living room that has stood up to a lot of abuse over the years from pets, so I'm open to non-antique rugs too. If anyone has any suggestions for brands or places to look, please let me know. Or maybe I should just look locally as now I'm nervous to order another large rug online.

I agree. The rug is blah. Return it.

I think it’s too big for the space. It goes from the tv viewing area past the little hallway into the football area.

Oh, bummer, I’m disappointed for you. I agree about returning it, I think it’d always bother you. I hope you find one you love! :)

Thanks for weighing in. After sleeping on it, it's definitely going back. Rugs are hard... Especially big ones.

ShadyWillowFarm, do you think the size looks weird because it ends across the doorway? I thought that might bother me, but it doesn't. I learned from going bigger (and then bigger) with the rug in our living room that an oversized rug seems to expand the room as it allows more space to spread out when playing games, doing craft projects, etc. We tend to spread out on the floor a lot with the rug as the "boundaries," so I like the idea of it covering most of the hang-out side of the room and even going under the foosball table (which might dampen the loud sounds from when it's in action), so was considering going even bigger (up to 10x14-- the green one is 9'6" x 12'5").

The search continues...

This may be totally off the wall (I have never ever used a technique like this) but have you thought of layering rugs? Having various sized rugs scattered on top of the green one to make it look a little more bohemian? The only reason I say this is because I just came across a photo where someone had done this recently and they had brick walls and it reminded me of a below street level bar. Very relaxed but also pulled together because of the colours they used. I say scattered because they were placed at odd angles and it looked like a smattering of colour without being too solid.

Shelley, we have thought of layering rugs for a Bohemian look (and at one point I was leaning toward it because I couldn't find the size we wanted), but my husband was less enthusiastic about the idea. He came around when I showed him some pictures, but then we decided we wanted to cover more floor than the original 8x10 we had in mind and I got too nervous to try it, fearing it would end up looking like a hot mess and I'd be left with a bunch of rugs to return/resell if it didn't work out.

I've learned a lot about decorating and am more confident than I used to be, but don't quite have the confidence to try layering rugs in such a large space. Either way, I feel like the green rug was overpriced for what it is so I'd rather start fresh than try and make it work. But I do like the idea a lot and wish I had the talent to pull it off! Do you happen to have the picture of the boho space with the layered rugs? Maybe if I had a visual similar to what we have going on I could work up the confidence...

I wish I could find it the picture again! I will dig on my other device and see if I can find it. I am not certain that I am as creative as would be required to pull off that look but I do appreciate others’ freedom with the bohemian look. Sure love that brick look you have pulled off though!

Somehow I missed your update before — love the rug. It looks great in there! I really like the blue in it with your other decor.