I would stop consulting with the decorator and instead get the oriental rug you love....I have seen traditional orientals used in a wide variety of settings to good effect.

Thanks chispa. I should probably post a photo of the rug I'm thinking about purchasing. I have to agree, it is formal looking, but I don't think I care. It's just so gorgeous. Thoughts? I tried to post a photo, but only a small section of the photo is showing. Not sure what's up with that.

I don't think oriental rugs are ever a bad choice, I think they can go with anything.

This post was edited by palimpsest on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 22:55

Annie, that is exactly the kind of rug I'm looking for...classic, beautiful. I've posted a better photo of the rug I'm considering. The decorators are right. It is formal, but I just think it's so gorgeous that I don't care about formality. Thoughts?

To find a rug you love in your space you have to bring home dozens from the store and see how they look in your light, in your house. Have you done this yet?

You say you already have oriental style rugs in your house. Did you have trouble choosing them?

As for formal vs. casual...What kind of oriental rugs are you looking at? There are some like Kirmans and Tabriz that to my eye are kind of formal. But there are many more rustic rugs that are absolutely not.

Where do your decorators think Pottery Barn gets its designs from? Half of them are copies of Heriz or Bakhtiari rugs! Good grief, there are so many types of oriental rugs and they are DEFINITELY not all formal floral city rugs.

We have oriental rugs in almost every room of our house and it is definitely not formal. Yes, they are works of art but they are also more environmentally sound than wall to wall because they last for generations and won't end up in a landfill. Unlike wall to wall they are also not made of petroleum derived products.

I would NOT get a hand tufted rug. They are not hand knotted, they are basically just wool punched through holes and fixed in place with a vinyl backing that can crumble and flake, releasing dust that may or may not be toxic. I know. This is what happened to the one hand tufted rug I bought.

When the embargo on Persian rugs was lifted several years ago the prices of real Persians dropped so low, it no longer made sense to even look at tufted rugs. At least, in my opinion, it wasn't worth doing once the price of the real thing was sometimes less than the cost of a copy.

I personally feel that nothing makes a house feel like a home and adds as much instant warmth and beauty as a slightly worn authentic oriental rug. New rugs will never have the same lustrous wool, shading, or character. It's YOUR house. The decorator's job is to come up with solutions that incorporate your taste and preferences. If it were me, I don't think I'd really continue working with a decorator who couldn't figure out a way to work with what I love.

Sorry for the repeat message. i'm still learning how to post photos and use this site.

To answer your question, Judith, no I had no trouble at all choosing the other rugs. That's because I consulted no decorators, so I didn't have all those other opinions floating around in my head! I just went with what I liked, and it turned out great. I have brought home lots of rugs, and the one pictured was so gorgeous and rich that it made the kitchen rug look a bit tired and faded. I am considering replacing the kitchen flat weave, which I only paid $600 for.

They're only formal or fussy if what you do in the rest of the room is that way. I think the ones I've used are not fussy at all in context. And if you go to Pottery Barn, etc. you'll just get a rug that anyone can get versus begin original.

I avoid flowers, but that's just me. Maybe your husband will accept that.

And even though I have traditional furniture with some antiques thrown in, it's still fairly casual.

Good luck.

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And two that are hand tufted and commercially available:

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your rugs are beautiful. You may be on to something about not using flowers. Maybe that's part of the formal looking thing. But I love them, and my husband seems to be fine with them too.

My rugs all technically have flowers (or paisley looking things) but there are degrees of that, as I'm sure you've seen. But I do think flowery handwoven rugs look uber-traditional and may be difficult to pass off as casual. If you get a vegetable dyed one (all of mine are), I think that all really helps with casual because the colors can be more varied and less stark. Do what you both like best and forget what your designer says. That's nonsense without additional context.

Yes, it is vegetable dyed, and a higher knot count and quality than most. If given the choice, I'd pick something without the oriental rug "flower" design, but finding the more tribal look patterns you have throughout your house (except for your bedroom, which looks like it has the kind of flowers and paisleys typical of most oriental rugs) is next to impossible in the rust-teal-green-yellow-black colors I'm looking for. I often seen those colors, but in rugs with a center medallion, and I've been repeatedly advised (again, the decorators) not to use a rug with a center medallion for this room.

Can you post a picture of the room? Maybe we can help. Some rooms do work best without a center medallion, especially when they are assymetrical.

I agree with KevinMP -- love your rugs by the way KevinMP! To my eye the more tribal look patterns do strike a less formal note. They also happen to be my personal favorite. These rugs tend to have stylized florals with geometrics, rosettes, oak leaves, etc. I like older pieces with some wear, a little wear also enhances that rustic, casual character. Time burnishes the wool and gives it depth, in my opinion. I do not like new rugs at all, although some do mimic old rugs reasonably well.

However, the colors you are looking for (rust/teal/green/yellow/black) are not colors seen often -- if at all -- in traditional older rugs. First of all, you'll see some blueish greens used in small amounts (and often green areas began as another color and faded to green because of the natural unpredictability of natural plant dyes). The reason is that green is a sacred color in Islam and to put it on a rug that people walk on just wasn't done.

You'll get green/teal colors mainly in new rugs, so if you are committed to that color palette it's going to limit your options.

Have you looked at any Pakistani Mir design rugs? It might be just the thing and I've seen them in an all over pattern with a teal, black, and cream scheme. They can be found pretty easily and they are one of the few new rugs I would actually consider. They play well with other oriental rugs, have a more rugged rustic vibe, and are very reasonably priced. I have one -- an older one -- bought from a local antiques center. Oh, it's also an all over design so you get out of your medallion problem.

Can you post a picture of the room? Maybe we can help. Some rooms do work best without a center medallion, especially when they are assymetrical.

I agree with KevinMP -- love your rugs by the way KevinMP! To my eye the more tribal look patterns do strike a less formal note. They also happen to be my personal favorite. These rugs tend to have stylized florals with geometrics, rosettes, oak leaves, etc. I like older pieces with some wear, a little wear also enhances that rustic, casual character. Time burnishes the wool and gives it depth, in my opinion. I do not like new rugs at all, although some do mimic old rugs reasonably well.

However, the colors you are looking for (rust/teal/green/yellow/black) are not colors seen often -- if at all -- in traditional older rugs. First of all, you'll see some blueish greens used in small amounts (and often green areas began as another color and faded to green because of the natural unpredictability of natural plant dyes). The reason is that green is a sacred color in Islam and to put it on a rug that people walk on just wasn't done.

You'll get green/teal colors mainly in new rugs, so if you are committed to that color palette it's going to limit your options.

Have you looked at any Pakistani Mir design rugs? It might be just the thing and I've seen them in an all over pattern with a teal, black, and cream scheme. They can be found pretty easily and they are one of the few new rugs I would actually consider. They play well with other oriental rugs, have a more rugged rustic vibe, and are very reasonably priced. I have one -- an older one -- bought from a local antiques center. Oh, it's also an all over design so you get out of your medallion problem.

Thanks, Judithn. I am not sure how to post more than one photo on GW, so I've only enclosed a photo of how the family room is presently. Remember that the lamps and tall secretary will stay, but everything else will be replaced. And once I replace the sofas, I plan to rearrange the room in more of a square (rather than the present diagonal) arrangement to allow more seating.

I looked online for Pakastani Mir rugs, and I agree, they'd be perfect. It's clear that the criteria I've set for myself is making this task extremely difficult. To reiterate, I'm looking for a rug that has the colors rust, green, blue-green, sand to taupe, gold to yellow, and brown to black. I want no center medallion, and I want it to look casual, to have a tight pattern, and to be 10'-13' wide by 12-14' long. Oh yes, and I'd really like to keep the cost to $6,000 or below. I've seen lovely antiques that are several thousand more, but I hate to make that kind of investment in one piece. I might pay a bit more if I absolutely couldn't live with out it and was sure I'd like it for the rest of my life. What do you think of the rug I posted earlier in this grouping of posts? Do you agree it's too bold, new-looking, and formal? If so, any ideas as to how I can move forward with this rug task? Again, thanks so much for your help.

Let me try again to see if I can post a photo of this room.

phenie53, That is a beautiful bright room. That is exactly the kind of assymetrical furniture arrangement that does do best with an all over patterned rug. I like the picture of the rug you posted. I think it would look fine from a color standpoint (although you may end up tweaking the wall color the yellow walls would work fine for the short term). I like how the coppery/russet tones in the rug will work with the brick around your fireplace too and nothing grounds a room as nicely as black. Bear in mind though that black is a lint magnet -- you can be a slave to a dark rug although the all over pattern will be better in this regard than a solid. The more important question is how big is the rug, how big is the room? One of the things that people often do is use a rug that is just too small. I like a rug to be centered in a room and when you have too much hardwood showing around the edges a dark rug can make a room feel smaller. Basically, the eye stops at the edge of the rug and that's what the eye reads as the room size.

If you want to drool over beautiful rugs check out Claremont Rug Co out of San Francisco. Most are antique one of a kind, starting in the $40k range! Amazing colors and patterns. I make a list of cool decor places to visit in other town/cities and this is on my list for when we visit SF!

Here is a link that might be useful: Claremont Rug

Thanks for the tip re Claremont Rug Co, chispa. Yes, clearly my budget is the problem. I would have far less trouble with an extra 20K.

And thanks judithn for your helpful feedback. I've posted a photo of the rug in my family room last year. At the time I thought the colors were too bold and formal, but I saw the rug again this year and I'm reconsidering it because it's just so gorgeous. To answer your question, the rug is 10 x 13 and the room is 21'8" x 15'5". Ideally I'd find a rug that's 13wx14long. That would fit perfectly. But that's not going to happen unless I go with a broadloom carpet that I have bound. I do plan on painting the walls a soft gold rather than the present yellow, and I plan on choosing a kid friendly fabric that's somewhere between a sandy gold and dark gold. I should say that even though I'll be redoing this room, I plan on continuing to use that big coffee table (likely in a different color) as playdoh central. I watch my grandkids a couple times a week, and I have no intention on having a room that can't cope with kids 2, 4, and 6. It's our primary play area.

Knowing all this, what do you think of this richly colored rug in this rather pale room? Can it work, or should I get my mind going on a different track? Thank you SOOOO much for your thoughts.

Here's a closeup of the rug.

Have you considered a vintage rug? As in, early 20th century -- not antique but not new. I adore (and own some) machine-made wiltons or axminsters from the 20's that are just gorgeous, with allover patterns that are really neither traditional floral nor tribal. They are also tend to have arts & crafts colors, i.e., lots of rust, green and some teal blue.

Maybe that might be an option to explore? I can warmly recommend Shaneybrook as a reputable dealer who won't sell you dirt or junk. I've always been a sucker for Voysey or Morris patterns, or a good bird of paradise:

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Here is a link that might be useful: pages and pages of rugs at Shaneybrook

Ooooh - I just posted and refreshed and saw your photo. I love it. It's rich, and you'll want to figure out how to set the sofa so the rug edge isn't right underneath one's heels -- but I love it.

A bit hard to judge exact colors online, but I like what I see. It adds much more personality to the room than the off-white carpet shown in the other photo. It will hide stains easily too! If you still like the rug a year after you saw it for the first time, then that is a really good sign that you will be happy with it for a long time.

Some new wall paint and fabrics and the room will be a great, warm, comfortable family space.

Thank you circuspeanut and chispa. I do like the middle photo you sent from Shanybrook, circuspeanut. I'm not familiar with wiltons or axminsters, but I'll have to check them out.

I'm hearing you both say you don't think buying this rug would be a huge mistake. The rest of my home is traditional, and I'm trying to get away from formal, uber traditional, and stuffy, and go for relaxing, welcoming, warm, and not stuffy. So as long as I can do that with this rug, I think I can pull the trigger. Additional thoughts, judithn or others? Thanks, all.

I second what chispa said -- if you still like it a year later, it's the right rug. The one question I have is whether there is a color in the rug that you can see pulling out and using for upholstery. The lightest color I see is that golden color. Is that the color you would use for upholstry? Have you considered what color you want to use on the walls? The rug is gorgeous and obviously it's speaking to you but once you commit to it you have committed to your color palette for the room. Just make sure that the color range it contains offer you enough options for everything else in the room. It looks beautiful against the warm brown tones in your fireplace so obviously it's going to work with wood furniture.For walls, if you want to really play up the golden browns, you might like a Sherwin Williams color called "Baguette." I've used it very successfully with my rugged-out rooms, it's a bronze-y gold. It looks rather dark on the sample strip but it is gorgeous when it's up and can hold its own against warm strong hand woven rugs.

Part of my comments got left off the previous post. I've posted a photo of the future floor plan, and you can see how a 10x13 rug will work in this space. Is that size too skimpy? 12x15 may be hard to find for $6,000. I could go a couple thousand higher if absolutely necessary, but $6,000 is much more comfortable.

Also, I realize a sectional would work well in this room, but DH truly despises sectionals for some reason. Hence the sofa and loveseat.

phenie53, I see I failed to read your post carefully enough, you did say you picked upholstery and wall colors. I agree with your choices entirely. I'd stay in the gold family too for wall and upholstered pieces. Sounds beautiful. Honestly, these rugs are perfected for family use. They are virtually indestructible and the patterns hide absolutely EVERYTHING that is spilled or dropped. I also like your new floor plan much better than the floor plan in the initial photo. I could easily see painting the big coffee table and then doing some distressing. Pick up the red tones in the rug. It would have a chinoiserie effect. You might not have considered this, but you might want to remove the brass firescreen. I have had glass doors like that too and they're useful but they definitely do look dated.

phenie53, I agree with your husband on the sectional. Separate pieces give you more flexibility and don't look like fortress walls. I think you might want/need to spread the color around the room more. Have you considered window treatments? Your windows look like they're pretty low to the ground and there's not much space to stack a drapery between the window and the fireplace...hmm. Maybe just some nice tortoise shell colored matchstick blinds with the kid safe controls? Is there crown molding?

Thanks, judithn. Yes, I do plan to stay in the gold family -- baguette is just a little darker gold than what I was considering for wall color, so it's good to know it doesn't look too dark once it's up on the wall. It's also in the range of what I was thinking of for the sofa. The rug has so many colors in it -- the rusts, oranges, greens, teals, browns, and blacks -- that I don't think I'll feel too limited by my color choices. But I can see how the depth of this rug may limit what kind of "feel" this future room will have. So it'll take some thought.

Since I posted 2 photos, I want to mention that the first photo is what the room looks like now. You may have noticed the fireplace surround is now black instead of brass, the TV chest is distressed black instead of oak, the coffee table is no longer oak (although I plan to transform it once again to a different color), and the wood around the fireplace is now white. Just curious, did you totally get rid of the glass around your fireplace? I guess that would work as long as we were careful to open and close the flu each time we use the fireplace. We build a lot of fires in the winter, so that may get old.

In re window treatments, I took down valances and have postponed putting any draperies up until I pick a rug. I thought I'd wait and see how things develop before definitely deciding on draperies, but I do like the matchstick blind idea to warm things up. And I like the idea of picking up the red tones on the coffee table.

In re crown molding, there is molding in every other room on the first floor but the family room, perhaps because the ceiling is vaulted. I've often thought of putting some in that room, but haven't yet.

judithn, you've been so helpful. What do you think of the 10x13 rug size for this room...to skimpy or just fine?
Thanks again!

phenie53, I'm going to defer to you on rug size. Apparently your eye is better than your decorators' at least where this rug is concerned.

Judging from the picture you posted above the size is good. It looks fine. Yes there is a small issue with the sofa front feet. I wouldn't let that stop me from getting the rug if you love it. When you get your "real" sofa it ideally should be able to have its front feet on the rug. How much of the rug should go under the chairs, sofa etc? I think it depends on whether your pieces are skirted or not skirted. I think a nonskirted chair/sofa that you can see under looks better when the rug goes under it, at least about halfway. It visually expands the room, the eye follows the rug under the furniture. If you have skirted pieces you have more leeway because you can't see under the piece.

You might want to think too whether you want your dark side towards the fireplace or your light side that way. Since you're already a rug lady you know what I mean. There can be a significant color variation depending on how you lay the rug so don't pick your room colors until you've made up your mind about that.

I did go back and see you painted the little TV stand and the fireplace. Yes, definitely better than the woodtones. In the end though, with little children, I'd check the stability of that piece. It looks rather narrow in relation to the television screen. You don't want little hands to pull it down by accident. That was one good thing about those deep old TVs. There was no knocking them over!

I looked again at your photos. I do like the matchstick blind idea but hang them really high, almost as high as the height of the window wall. You'll have to do an exterior mount but I think it will improve the proportions of the room, esp. if it has a vaulted ceiling of some kind. I asked about molding because I think big rooms with dramatic furnishings benefit from the additional architectural detail.

As for the baguette, I have to say is just gorgeous when it's up. Not dark at all but it does give the room it's in a very cozy feeling. It's a good backdrop for our various artworks too. I collect old etchings and prints and they are matted in cream and ivory and framed with thin brown wooden gallery frames. They'd disappear on a a neutral wall.

By the way, if you did a sectional (I know that's not happening, but if you did) it would totally block your view of the rug and cut off the room. For that reason alone I say go for a sofa and loveseat. Are you thinking of making them matching pieces?

I think the 10 x 13 size looks good in the photos. You don't show it centered. Would you center it on the fireplace?

You all are so helpful. Judithn, I agree with you. 10'1 x 14 (I remeasured) is fine, and it will go under the sofa and chair front legs by about 8-12", depending upon which sofa and chairs I choose. A 12' wide rug would be slightly better, but not at all necessary. Re the TV stand, good point, but fortunately, the TV base is so wide and stable it's impossible to tip. Lookswise though, it might be nice to have a slightly wider chest below.

In re whether the sofas would match, I could go either way. I prefer mismatched sofas, but it usually means one is leather, and I don't like the feel of leather for a piece as large as a sofa. I'm going to have one leather chair that's larger, because I do like the timeworn, rustic look of a leather piece. If I get frustrated because I can't decide how to mismatch the sofas, I'll go with matching. Re the matchstick blinds, yes, good idea to hang them high, which I usually do anyway because I like lots of light to come through. Also, I like what you said about artwork against richer Baguette walls. Again, so glad to hear it doesn't darken the room too much. I do like the way pictures seem to pop against a less timid wall color. I think this rug will look really great with Baguette or a similar color, depending on what looks best with the rug tones.

Re molding, I've thought about this for a long time, and there is no obvious way to do it with this vaulted ceiling. Currently I'm thinking about running a piece down the center of the room at the apex, as this would hide the nail pops that keep showing up along that line and it would give a central location from which to mount the fan. Then I could either run about 3-4 pieces down from that center piece to the side walls or I could just do the perimeter of the ceiling.

Chispa, yes, I would center the rug on the fireplace, since the fireplace is placed in the center of that wall. That way it would still fall under the front legs of both the sofa and the chairs.

Again, thanks all.

It all sounds good phenie53. You're on your way to a beautiful family room.

Regarding leather -- I would avoid a big leather piece in this room. The rug has lots of visual weight, you don't want the room to feel bottom heavy. I think you could do two fabrics and use lots of pillows (which will be perfect for pillow forts!) to connect the two different fabrics on the love seat and sofa. A small leather piece by the window will be nice though -- you didn't give us pix of that big window but I think it can handle it.

Regarding molding, while looking at your picture some more and thinking of molding I realized that this room would look good with beams. Think about it: If this had been a room with an 8 foot ceiling and someone opened it up to the roof line there would have been structural supports. They would have been beams going straight across the room from the big window wall to the wall you are proposing for your sofa. I could totally see some dark stained beams up there spanning the width of the room. They wouldn't need to serve and structural purpose, obviously your house was built with the open ceiling. This would eliminate the need for any molding and would actually make the room loftier and more finished.

In my old house we had a room where we actually did this, it was a 175 year old victorian outside of Boston with an attached barn that had been converted into a little utility room. Okay, well not so little. Maybe it was 16 x 16. We ripped off the dropped ceiling then cut out the beams and raised them a couple feet (they would have been too low at 8 feet and if you do this I would drop them just a couple feet below the peak of your roof) with some collar ties.

We added insulation up against the roof and then drywalled. It had a peaked roof just like yours. It was a lovely room and those structural members (which in this case really were needed for structural support) gave it loads of character. I don't think this would be too costly for you and I think any good carpenter could do the work.

Wow! You already had the perfect rug picked out last year! Love the difference it makes in the overall look and vibe of the room. It takes your room from formal to rich, classic casual which you stated was your goal. The battle is half won. Can't wait to see your paint and new furniture with the rug.

You have a great room to work with.

Thanks for your comments, Judithn and Tuesday'08. The idea of dark stained beams coming down from the apex is intriguing. I had thought of using white molding in the same areas, but dark beams may look more authentic and may help balance the darkness of the rug. Once the rug and furniture are in the room, I'll be able to better visualize what this would look like. When you say dark, how dark are you thinking? The woodwork in the rest of the house is white, except for the library, where the molding is stained in a medium shade, which has darkened over 20 years to a slightly darker medium tone. I could see repeating that shade on the ceiling. Or were you thinking of going darker, given the black field of the rug? I could see that too.

On another topic, this is the first time I've used Garden Web, and I'm so touched and impressed that you would all take no small amount of time to repeatedly reflect about my project and share your feedback. You have been invaluable in helping me sort through my thoughts and move forward. I've also come to the conclusion that I know what I want, but I don't always trust my judgement on these matters. I think the thing I've liked about these interchanges is that you said, in effect, "You go, girl; get the rug you want; it's a great rug." Right or not-so-right, it feels so much better than to hear "No, I'm not seeing that rug in your house." Especially when both my husband and I LOVE the rug! Mistakes will be made, but I've never tired of any of the other orientals (or even the Karastans I've had for years), and I don't think I'll tire of this one either. I'm not sure what it is about this format, but while I continue to ask your opinions about this room and appreciate your feedback, I feel more able to trust that I'll be able to decorate this room in a way that is pleasing to me and my husband. Or maybe I'm happy because you told me what I wanted to hear. Whatever the case, thank you again for sharing your time and opinions. I'm deeply appreciative.

Actually, Judithn, I reread your post, and it sounds like you'd tear out the vaulted ceiling a bit more to put in beams. That higher ceiling would look fantastic, and likewise, the victorian house you described sounds absolutely charming. I don't think we're up for the challenge of that yet, since we redid the kitchen last year and the master bath this year, also installing hardwood throughout. We're due for a renovation rest. But I have no doubt it would look great. As the next best option, I'd consider putting beams on the existing vaulted ceiling, but maybe slightly reducing the size of them. Again, I'd have to see what it all looks like with the furniture and rug in place. But thanks for sharing a great idea!

phrenie53, I did a poor job of explaining. I didn't mean beams actually, what I was picturing was rafters. You wouldn't need to lower anything. Here's a link to something like what I was thinking. There are many photos of rafters, exposed rafters, if you do a search you'll find several variations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Exposed rafters

phrenie53, I did a poor job of explaining. I didn't mean beams actually, what I was picturing was rafters. You wouldn't need to lower anything. Here's a link to something like what I was thinking. There are many photos of rafters, exposed rafters, if you do a search you'll find several variations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Exposed rafters

phenie, although one of the sayings here is "if you really love it, buy it", most of us aren't shy about telling someone if we don't like an item or we don't think it will work in the room. So we aren't really being cheerleaders, we are just agreeing that it is a nice rug and will work perfectly in your room. You did just fine picking out a nice rug ... but you need to work on picking out a new/better decorator! ;-)

Judithn, thanks for the links to rafters. No, I didn't think you were suggesting I lower the ceiling, but I thought you were suggesting I tear out the existing vaulted ceiling and raise it even higher to more easily accommodate rafters. Glad to hear that's not necessary. The link was helpful, because I hadn't before considered that type of rafter. I had been envisioning molding that would come down along the slanted portions of the ceiling from apex to walls. It would give the feel of rafters, but would be molding. So thanks for the clarification. I think doing rafters would do a lot to make the room feel more warm, comfortable, and casual, and I think my existing vaulted ceiling could accommodate them. Doing rafters like your link illustrates also gives me the option of making them hollow on the inside to accommodate small lights that would shine up on the ceiling, reflecting soft light throughout the room. Halogen fixtures that throw light to the ceiling and bounce off aren't always much to write home about, but the way they light a room is my personal favorite of all kinds of lighting. Bulbs hidden inside a beam (lined on the inside with metal, of course), would give me that same effect. Not sure if it will work with my shallower vaulted ceiling, but it's something I'd want to check into.

phenie53, I like your idea of doing hollow rafters, you could use low intensity LED rope lighting. It stays cool and runs on very little energy. It's what I have in my kitchen for over the cabinet lighting. All I did was buy the rope lighting at the hardware store and plug it in. You could probably figure out a way to simply have your electrician add an electrical outlet somewhere near the rafters then lay the roping in the openings. You can connect lengths of rope lights (they're like xmas lights) easily.

There are many other versions of ceiling rafters to consider, the picture I posted is the simplest. Some have ceiling pieces too, like a triangle of wood with that horizonal rafter being the bottom part. I've seen this sort of ceiling treatment on the HGTV type shows, they really are just sistered boards, ends cut at an angle that fits snug against the ceiling, and then attached to the ceiling. There is special hardware you can use, some pretty hammered iron type pieces, which would give it more character. I see a way that this room could evolve into a lodge or ranch mood, if you wanted to take it that way. The rafters give it that barn-like rustic feeling. You can also experiment with rafter finishes, various levels of distressing, etc. I think dark and something with (fake) wormholes, scraped finish would o a nice counterpoint to the polished look of the new rug.

Love your ideas, judith. Thanks so much for all your help. I'm looking forward to this project!

Phenie, I don't know where in the country you are, but if you have a Dump in your area, you should check it out. I just started a new thread on the insane deal I got this morning, and I took some pictures for you while I was there to show that you can still find hand-knotted, non-flowery rugs in rust/teal, etc.

Take a look (these were all on sale for $900 to $1700):

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Love both those rugs Kevin.

It certainly does seem like an awful lot of press for The Dump. Maybe spammers are going undercover now, lol.

I really like the rug you've been thinking about. It looks great in your room and I would never tire of it either!

This post was edited by snookums2 on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 17:51

I like what you've picked, too, but I was just pointing out that those colors are still out there (even if they come with the medallion your designer vetoed). Good luck!

Wow, Kevin. The one with the medallion is gorgeous. There is no Dump in my area, but that's a creative name for what I assume is a resale store.