I like 1, 2, & 4 from the top on the left. If you are keeping your walls a light color, I wouldn't go with the lightest sofa.

Can you take off one of your kitchen cabinet doors and put that in the picture too? Since the rooms are open to each other, that color may need to be considered too.

I would get the closest match to the brown in your rug...other shades might look off.

Gracie - I hate the walls, way too off white for me. Of course, not quite sure what color I want to paint quite yet, but expect that it will be much deeper

julie - here are a couple of other views....in the kitchen against the cabinets and counters
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

And draped over our existing old, saggy, and hair collecting couch (and our newest puppy!)
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

It's hard to tell the subtleties of those browns on my monitor, but I would avoid getting one that tries to match the shade of brown on the rug. I'd just look for one that goes well. A coordinated look has much more interest and sophitsication than matchy-matchy, IMO.

Pretty couch. The room will look great.

I really like your rug and your sofa choice. I wonder if you shouldn't find the fabric for your chair first. There are so many nice options in the leather. It could be disappointing if you find the perfect chair fabric & it doesn't coordinate with what you picked for the sofa.

I like the color on the picture of the sofa. Do you know which one it is?

Yea Kellie! So glad the swatches came. It is tough to pick a leather from a swatch but I like the first and second in the right hand column. The third one on the right is too orangey. I love the leather that is on the sofa as shown but leathers vary so much in color. You can have a cutting sent to you when you make your final choice but that really drags out the process. I opted to not go the cutting route but probably should have because the leather in our chair (just delivered) is a good bit lighter than the large swatch that Duane had at his store. I like it but just much lighter than the sample.

I agree about not trying to match the brown in the carpet. I would want the brown leather to be a good bit lighter or a good bit darker for contrast. Do you know if you are going with a warm or cool color palette? I think the darker browns go well with a warm color and the lighter ones would work well with a cooler tone.

I am so excited for you! You will be so glad when the whole process is completed!

I normally don't like matchy either, but some of the swatches look too yellow/orange compared to the rug and some look reddish compared to the rug. I think finding a color in the same tone of the brown in the rug will look best.it can be lighter or darker just the same tone family...if that makes sense...no red, orange or yellow...

I really love the rug, but feel like it restricts my options! And another consideration....I have been reading up on my leathers, and think that I want to go with Analine or Semi-analine rather than Finished so that knocks a couple out of the running. In the stack that remains, some are thick, "nubbier" texture, some feel like butter! Which would be best, I don't know.

sas - I agree with you about not trying to match the exact tones because it will be impossible. Plus there will be variation between what I order and what I receive I am sure. I do want to try to hit on the right undertones though, I keep finding that many will read quite red/orange as compared to the rug.

romy - I am hoping that the designer will help with that. Trying to pick a fabric to "go" with the rug is beyond my scope of expertise! I'd love to incorporate a color of some sort because the palette is quite brown, but I am not sure how to best do that! On that note, I am thinking that something like this may look OK, but it, again, is brown.

msrose - I like it too, I am not sure which it is but will send an email to BY and see if I can find out

holly-kay - yep! How is your chair??? Do you love it? Which leather did you select? You need to post a photo! I feel like I am making progress. I found a local store that I hadn't checked at yet and got the swatches there. And they are currently running a sale even on custom orders, and I liked the salesperson. I had read on Duanes site that the leathers vary significantly, so wasn't so set on matching colors. Based on the colors in the kitchen and rug, I don't see a way make cool colors work, so will be looking at warmer colors.

It is virtually impossible to select a color based on a swatch photographed in artificial light that is then seen on a monitor, so I wont try to choose one but recommend a leather that is buttery AND matches the color of the rug. I would not try to match the cabinet color--- which is lovely, btw---but I would def get a chair upholstery that incorporates both the darker and lighter browns (of the sofa/rug and cabinets). I like the small print you posted for that reason, it seems to tie everything in. If it had the off white of the rug as well it would be even better, IMO.

the right 3 on the bottom row are too light imo... and i think the couple on the top right are redder than i would want...
but, your rug is very neutral and your kitchen is neutral too, so you have lots of choices that can work!
i also would choose a fabric first, and then choose a leather- that's the easy part really! (i personally wouldn't care for a leopard print chair on your rug i don't think.... ) if you are not sure which fabric samples to bring home, bring an accurate pic of your rug with you to help narrow down some choices... and then bring those samples home!

the second to the darkest one

Kellie, I really do like the chair but it looks very light in my room. Leather varies by about 20% and I can attest to that as the sample of this leather was significantly darker than the actual hide or hides that they used for the chair. I chose Tiburon Fern, it is a pull up leather that will acquire color variations. It is a much smoother leather than the burnished brick leather on our sofa.

Keep in mind that your pupsters nails will scratch the furniture. I think that makes aniline the best choice as a protected coat would be gouged and eventually a good bit of the color would be lost. You could also consider a pull up leather like is on our chair as you can rub a good bit of a scratch out.

If you look at the back of your samples it will be easier to determine the ones with too much orange or yellow. I didn't want a leather with an orangey look at all but DH chose the sofa with Pullman Brick leather. I have to admit that I have totally fallen in love with our sofa, even the deep brick color .The brown in your rug looks like it is a deep taupe without an orange or yellow undertone so if you plan on keeping the rug I would chose the leather that has a taupe appearance.

I love your room and it is going to look fabulous with your new furniture!

Agree that the buttery finish is prone to scratches. Also, I'd try not to match the rug, so on my monitor, I like the 2nd top right. Now, it looks like you have a dark chair. How does that go with your rug and kitchen? it would give you an idea how a darker leather would look.

So for those who recommended starting with the chair....how??? I have two trains of thought....a solid chair, a solid sofa (one darker/one lighter) and a large patterned fabric ottoman, or a solid sofa, patterned chair, and a coffee table. Can't decide on which, but I feel like the solid chairs and patterned ottoman and some nice throw pillows are less of a committment. I have looked around on fabrics that I "feel" would look OK with the rug, but keep coming back to brown smaller, more geometric pattern (similar to that I posted above, which I thought looked more like leaves than leopard since they have an actual "leopard" print). So for the fabric and pattern gurus, can you offer anything in ways of a suggestion?

For chairs, I am looking at Taylor King, Sam Moore, and Temple

Can't the person who helped you at the store help you to find a good couch/chair fabric combination? If you find two fabrics that work well together up front, it's a lower risk situation later and you will already know where you are going design and colorwise.

When we did our LR, all I had to start with was a rug. The store designer came to our house so he could get an idea of the house, the room and my taste. And he took several pictures of the rug. When I next saw him he had a few fabric combinations to show me, at which point I took the swatches home to play around with them. He came up with some ideas that I never would have thought of, because on my own I would have played it way too "safe."

If you can get some good design help-- even from a store designer that is on the same page as you are-- you might save yourself a lot of anguish.

I love patterned furniture. I would do a solid leather sofa with patterned upholstered chairs. Taylor King has really lovely furniture. I also love Jessica Charles. If you use predominantly brown and cream, aqua would be a great third color to throw in the mix.

I just wanted to say that I absolutely love the sofa you've selected. It's gorgeous! I really like it in the shade pictured. Is that one of the leather samples you brought home?

I also like it in the shade pictured. Hard to tell from my monitor, but it looks one of the two on the far left, bottom row in your first photo of samples? I think those are my 2 favorites.

Pretty sofa!

I'm also going to suggest that you choose the fabric for the chairs before you choose the leather

So, the store's sales person/designer came by this morning to check out the space. I have more mixed thoughts after her visit. Even more than when I started. Her recommendation after looking all about, maybe think about getting a new rug because the color scheme really boxes me in as far as decor, and I appear to like color. My mixed feelings are this....the rug was the one thing that I was thinking of keeping, I like it, we've had it for several years and it holds up to day to day use really well. On the other side, I understand about not getting all new things around a single old thing that your taste may have moved away from. She feels like an addition of a color or pattern in the chair won't necessarily "flow" as well if we keep the current rug.

So I'm torn because I am looking at Houzz and see some more monochromatic rooms with a slight pop of color in the accessories that I like, but don't know how practical they are. I find Houzz difficult because they are always so perfect and not necessarily conducive to how people actually LIVE. And this is a room that will have to withstand quite a bit of LIVING.

I love your rug but I think you need more color in the room, so I would use the current rug somewhere else. The sofa is beautiful and I like the second or third color of the leather on the right hand side.

Hugs Kellie. Honestly this decorating thing can become quite cumbersome and tiring. When I met with a designer at a store, I really liked her and felt she would be a tremendous help. After she met with me at the house I was a bit apprehensive and when I went to meet with her again at the design center I knew I made a mistake. The items that she was suggesting were not at all to my taste with the exception of the sofa style which I chose and the kitchen window treatments. Even with those she kept trying to push me to a fabric that to me looked like old man boxer short material. I am not kidding you. I did order the window treatments but I ordered them in the fabric that I wanted not what she was pushing. That was the beginning of August and the wt are still not in. She said they came in but she sent them back because they weren't right. In my case she just confused me more than helped.

If you still love the rug chances are you will love the rug five years from now. I really think she should work within the parameters that you have set. I love a lot of pattern and I particularly like the vining design in your rug. I think you could easily echo the vining in your rug in a chair. This is a fabric that I originally chose when I was going with all smith brothers furniture. It has a beautiful cream background with taupey brown vining and some subtle shades of blue and gold. It gives you nice color while still keeping a calming color palette. This swatch really doesn't do it any justice. I will try to find my posts when I was going in this direction. I am not decorator savy so those who are may totally disagree but I like it especially with a brown leather sofa.

Here is a link that might be useful: Like this

Whoops, my link showed all the fabrics. The one I think would look move with your rug is #278304.

Thanks Holly, so frustrating huh? I imagine that part of the problem is my own indesiciveness! If I could even find a good inspiration pic that I could stick with it would be a starting point. My problem is that I have no real "style", which is fine, but it really limits me when I try to narrow my choices!

I think she was confused about my neutral palette and all the colorful art I have. I can't really say I blame her when I am so confused myself...haha! So my homework for this weekend is to find an inspiration pic as some sort of starting point. Keeping in mind, of course, my house, my dogs, my life, etc. It certainly won't remain a showpiece!

I love the fabric you mentioned, like me you like patterns. I hadn't looked through Smith Bros yet, and am not sure if the store I am working with carries them, but I'll check. If I keep the current rug, I had been thinking something with a darker background since the pets enjoy the furniture more than we do (thus the need for leather!)

This post was edited by kellienoelle on Thu, Nov 21, 13 at 0:18

I agree with Holly-kaye. Why don't you tell her you'd like to keep the rug & have her find some fabrics that work with it. Also, go to another furniture store with pictures of your rug & sofa. If you don't like any of the options, and decide you want a new rug, at least you'll know you tried to make the rug work. I, too, think you can make it work. Pillows & accessories can add color.
I can relate. I'm in the process of updating my family room. I'm having buyer's remorse about a rug & a sofa that hasn't even been delivered. The style is out of my comfort zone and I let myself get talked into the purchase. So mad at myself!

Glad you got your swatches.
I really empathize, I'm struggling with some of the same things. I love pattern and color yet layering it on in a room that isn't strictly traditional or vastly huge isn't working. I'm struggling with letting go of many of my preconceived ideas and wants.

That said, I'm going to come down on the side of "keep your rug and work from there"
I went to Houzz and typed in search parameters "patterned+rug+leather+sofa" and looked through lots of pictures.
Several things struck me. The rooms that seemed to work better in my eyes had
solid (no pattern) furniture,
chairs contrasted the sofa in color,
Leather furniture is gorgeous in color!

What other color do you want to bring in?
You've got that red going on in dining room. Do you want to bring some red in here? Or you could bring in a mustard, or a green (like HollyKay's new chair), keeping it in the warm color palette you want.

I know you just got your leather samples in, but maybe you should be questioning if you even want brown at all. I could see a beautiful red leather sofa on that rug, add a pair of tweedy brown chairs (tweed will visually read solid but will be forgiving of dog hair), and a stripe or densely patterned geographic fabric on WT. add in your artwork and some contrasty pillows later. BTW, after looking at tons of photos maybe even the pillows should be solid contrasting colors.

I do think you want to have an overall plan for furniture and WT and wall color before you order anything.

Linked below is an idea book I just pulled together. None are the ideal "inspiration pic" that would be so nice to have. In fact some are what I would put on the Glamour magazine Don't page...
I've made notes about what I was thinking on them, see what you think. After you have a chance to look at it I'll delete the idea book.

Hang in there, after all this thought you're going to have living space that really is what you want.

Here is a link that might be useful: IdeaBook

Honestly, I think the rug with the leather sofa and then colorful accessories and art would look great. Look how that red throw shows! You can go with red or turquoise or cobalt or even gold...
or even a colorful wall paint.

That was really really super helpful marji and you don't know how much I appreciate you taking the time to put those together. Please don't delete quite yet!!!! I want to look more closely when I am not working.

I think this could work with the initial rug and just not trying to force the whole layering pattern thing that I am clearly not ready for! I'll add that in with curtain panels, pillows, and throws. I actually sort of like the look, it is restful and cozy. If not adding in a pattern on the chair, I don't think that adding in another color looks totally out of left field. So....with that being said I tossed this together is about 2 minutes when I was supposed to be working so how do you think something like this would look....existing rug, brown sofa, yellow chairs, patterned curtains (I don't think these quite work, but using them as an example of a tonal fabric in a different pattern). I'll stop there for now....of course after I decide on these I'll need throw pillows, side tables, coffee table or ottoman, lamps.

Opinions?

This post was edited by kellienoelle on Thu, Nov 21, 13 at 11:25

I like it.
Think about something like this for drapery panels or roman shades.
This is from Calico Corners, called Missoni Latte. I like this better from a visual weight standpoint. I worry that an off white pattern like you pictured wont do anything to tie your elements together but will rather look---off-white.
Remember that as panels all those stripes merge together.
I wouldn't worry about the small accessories until after the big decisions are made.

Here is a link that might be useful: [As_inspiration[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/bachelors-pad-traditional-living-room-atlanta-phvw-vp~2602799)

Forgot to mention that in the pictured room I linked they added black painted furniture (your tv stand?), and a stained wood coffee table. I think it all works.

You are probably right about the curtains, what do you think about something like this for panels and pillows for the sofa. Too much? Too close to the pattern on the rug?

Or completely more my speed would be something like this, so with a dark background but bits of yellow:

I suppose I could make a new thread since we are beyond leather swatches by now.

I actually love this one because I have a thing for all things peacock and had been thinking of trying to add in a tourqoise (as somebody mentioned above) anyway.

This post was edited by kellienoelle on Thu, Nov 21, 13 at 13:15

Wow...Kellie. That looks like a designer pulled all that together. The yellow chairs with your rug & brown sofa look beautiful. i also really like the style of the chairs with your sofa. I actually like the panels too.

I like the direction you're heading for WT fabric.
I'm going to suggest buying some samples, or if you're close to a home dec fabric store go borrow some. Actual color and scale are going to matter with the furniture and rug.
You're in KC? Call The Fabric Company in chesterfield MO, send their house designer your polyvore page you just posted here and ask for swatches. They're free and if they're choosing from their in-stock fabrics their pricing is really really good.

I think this is coming together beautifully.

Marj, you are wonderful to pull that idea book together! I love the way the different colored leathers went so well together.

Kellie, I love, love, love the yellow chairs with your sofa and rug and that beautiful peacock inspired fabric for pillows would pull it all together. You love that fabric so please use it. I adore the sofa you chose. You know you are going to have one fabulous room right?

I agree with Romy that it looks like a decorator pulled it all together but you did it so it will be even more special. I am so excited for you and so glad you are sharing this adventure with us!

I love the chairs and sofa combination. Because your rug is a swirly pattern, I'm thinking the peacock fabric might be too swirly and in a way compete with the rug. I think I'd look for a fabric with a slightly smaller pattern such as the original window treatment you showed (with more color, however).

Thanks for the reassurance that this could possibly work guys! I photoshopped the different fabrics and I actually like the look of the yellow based background best, so think I will focus there. Plus the chairs will be on the wall opposite the windows so that will distribute the yellow around the room and make it look a bit more deliberate I think. I'll probably open up a new thread and ask the fabric gurus for assistance. Just for reference here it is together so let's see if you agree that the yellow drapes look nice.....but this pattern seems too close but not close enough to the carpet (if that makes sense)

How about these?
Anthropologie Karelia

Overstock

Also, I really like IKEA Blavinge and Ingerlise (but they're not yellow).

Etsy

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Honeycomb-Printed-Cotton-Curtain-Panel/8232579/product.html?refccid=4T4E7EFNSSGYMCSFEF6TAHSZ3I&searchidx=11

How about a more subtle pattern like these. Sorry I don't know how to post photos.

Love the ideas! So, my plan now, which of course is subject to change, is possibly to do a fabric and have window treatments/pillows made rather than off the shelf because I have a set of french doors that are naked now. And look directly into our neighbors kitchen. So I would love to do some sort of matching treatment for the sake of privacy. I think (hope) my mother in law can do them for me, I don't want to spend a fortune! I started a new thread since this is no longer just about leather swatches. Thanks so much for hanging in there with me! I love the ideas!

Here is a link that might be useful: new thread