You need an anti-slip map to put under your rug.carpet stores in your area should carry them.laying the mat under the rug and pad should keep them from creeping. Here is a link that might be useful: Anti-slip mat

I have decided to purchase the runner at the consignment shop. I called over there shortly before closing time this afternoon to make sure it wasn't sold. It's still there, so I will go over there Tuesday morning (they are closed Sun and Mon) to buy it. I think my main concern was the width of the runner, so I posted another question earlier today and received 2 responses, both advising that wider would be better than narrower. After I posted my question, I found one source on line with guidelines for choosing the right size for a runner. This source advised going 4" narrower than the width of the hall. My floor space is 34" (36" hall less the space taken up by mouldings), so the 30" runner should be just right. I'll post pictures on Tuesday! Thanks for all your help!! Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing the size of a rug runner

An update: brought my daughter with me to buy the 717 area rug (she has a truck) and she noticed something right off the bat about the rug that really bothered her regarding the quality. I was so smitten with the design and colors, that I wasn't paying attention, and didn't understand what she was saying, until the owner brought over an old small sample she was going to give me, as her store was selling off everything not handmade. Fingering the old sample, and comparing the new area finally made me realize what my daughter saw right away: there was a significant difference in quality/density, and the new rug had a cheap look that the old sample did not have. The old sample is how I remembered the rug from years ago. Needless to say, I did not buy it, and will have to rethink my plans. I have a very old american oriental rug that I thought was too dark and too large for the room I will likely use anyway (will start another thread later to ask about cleaning and repairing it) The good thing is that I could get the Karastan 717 runner for my hallway as it will probably go well - and the quality will be fine for that. Penny.

Another couple of thoughts, FWIW. All of your "social spaces" are facing north or east, while your bedroom is facing south and west, the hottest part of the house. Personally, I like to sleep cool, and have my living areas warm and sunny. You could do this simply by flipping the plan. That way your kitchen, dining room, and living room are getting sun, and some sun should penetrate all the way into the "hearth area" in the winter. If you eliminate that back hall and turn it into closets for the master bedroom, you can make the master bath and the office bigger. The office could then have a seating area, and serve as an "away room" a la Susanka and Chris Alexander. I would center the fireplace on the living room wall-- just plunking it down anywho will not look good. The big opening between the kitchen and the hallway needs development-- if it's just a wide cased opening, it will need a lot of support. One thing you probably don't want is a huge beam there that is lower than the rest of the doors and windows-- in a traditional design, most of the windows, doors, cased openings, wainscots, etc. will "coordinate" and harmonize with each other. To achieve that effect here, you could break up the wide opening with columns, or even columns and half-walls. I can't see any good reason for a wall between the cubbies and the laundry. It's really one big mudroom, and that extra wall costs money, even though it serves no real purpose. Personally, I hate the sound of HVAC/HW etc. so I would never put that stuff near a bedroom or office, where you are presumably trying to concentrate on some brain work. Nor would I put it in the garage, unless the garage is heated and you have a backup generator, because you don't want the pipes to freeze. In some jurisdictions, you can't put that stuff in a garage anyway, or only under strict rules. it's a safety issue. Why not build a small storm cellar, which should come in handy during the next tornado, and put your mechanicals down there?