"On HGTV they were doing a remodel, and I remember them asking if the owners were hiding a carpet stain because the rug was on a carpeted area" Wow, what a pompous ass. I wonder if the point was they had never heard of layering carpets for color and texture and pattern (done since rugs were invented), or just that they wanted a chance to sneer at the homeowners for the benefit of the viewers at home? This is why, IMHO, HGTV is near worthless for ideas: hours and hours of broadcast time wasted on young, tragically hip kids fresh out of school who, despite "designing" exactly like every other young, tragically hip kid fresh out of school, have somehow managed to get a *television show*, so they're convinced they're *special*. Pffffft. Rug over carpet is fine, your biggest problem will be keeping it in place, *not* whether or not it's going to look "right". If it's for the living room, I'd recommend getting one big enough to put the edges under the legs ofthe furniture, anchoring it down. Match the colors, keep it in proportion and it'll look great.

You need to watch for putting too much of the design in the actual contract. You'll be bound to that decision which could end up being a problem if you later change your mind. On the other hand, if you're exactly positive then it could be a good thing. I hired an architect first (or a KD could do the same) who specified high-level what was needed, for purposes of a quote. That included preliminary decisions around appliances, just for pricing purposes (they weren't what we picked in the end.) The estimate came in based on that document. I then attached my initial spec in as an Appendix, then had some wording talking about how to negotiate changes to the preliminary scope. To me things like where to put electrical wall switches, etc. shouldn't go in without some proviso saying you're free to make final determinations later. Do you want to be bound now to the decision you make in these cases before you start the work? It's important to work though changes in scope and impact on cost. Unless your design is really complete or unless you've done this before a few times, it's unlikely your final price will be what you're quoted now unless they come in with a fixed bid (which I'd argue isn't in your best interest unless you have no ability at all to go beyond your set price limit). If your planned interaction with the GC will be minimal (e.g. you won't be in the building or need to rely on specs to communicate decisions) then I'd put the specificity in specs and refer to the spec documents. Permitting, code compliance, etc. are all very good things to have in the contract -- for me they were drawn up in my architect (or KD) initial drawing / spec. Payment plan is also important (at what milestones do you release portions of payment). Also, I'd include the prime / sub contractor relationship (or say that all payments go only to the prime) and ensure that you'll have lien waivers to protect you in the future. This post was edited by calumin on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 16:10

Well, this is what I've done. I put the chairs that were originally there, back. I love these chairs -- they were a CL find, and they were in front of the FP until I moved them to the "conversation area" that, yes, is cozy aka crowded, but that arrangement works better than others I've tried. Tucked away over there, they weren't as easy to admire! I think they are back in their rightful place. I still need to get a rug, which may have to be an indoor-outdoor type until our elderly dog....dies. I have the wicker chairs back over by the sofa, but that's temporary. When I find the right chairs to replace them, I will move them over to the puzzle table.

I have a rug under ours, about 9 x 13 in size. Our dining table is heavy too. Solid wood, heavily carved, double pedestal, seats ten. Takes a few good men to move it. There are wood floors in there, and with a wood table as well, the room needed the softening of a rug. It's a formal dining, though, so it's not like we eat in there every day, and then we don't have children, so we don't really have the worry of spills.