apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That rug is on fire! Absolutely beautiful. I like Maxwell's suggestion. Otherwise I'd go with either stiff, sheer white curtains or blinds that match the side chairs and leather pillow.

I agree with Maxwell, white will look best with those walls.

I'm curious, what model do you plan to go with?

I would go with a nice soft medium green shade to balance the hot colors.

Oooh, I like the idea of green too! :)

i'd say it would depend on whether or not you wanted the furniture to be the focal point of the room, or if you wanted the eye to travel from the furniture to the windows. a color would provide a nice harmony with the activity of the furniture, but a neutral would provide a backdrop for your fatastic furniture. and light, neutral window treatments enhance natural light. i personally agree with the idea of a roll up shade in a light, transparent fabric. they're much easier to keep clean and rather unexpected in the world of cheap mini-blinds.

if you just want privacy, you could try frosting the windows with spray paint made just for that purpose. or frosted contact paper. i did that in my place, and i love it.

eeek! sorry, triple post.

I'm going to agree with the white idea or maybe a soft neutral like a natural linen. Roman shades might be nice and simple -they'd offer some privacy without covering up any of that great architecture. IKEA has some cheap options that might fit the bill.
I love your new rug (cute cat too!)
Erin T

neutral!!!!!

Here's another vote for Maxwell's solution. Keeping the windows quiet and all the color to the center around the rug should make the room look larger, which is usually a good thing.

The major argument for colored blinds would be if there's a large block of color (art?) on another wall that's making the room seem unbalanced, or if you wanted a graphic effect of big color blocks on that wall to liven a dull space (but the space isn't dull!).

your cat's so cute!

Also I bet the cat would appreciate a windowseat -- while you're renovating you can attach a shelf (available in pet stores) to those narrow windowsills and give the cat a view.

This doesn't seem to agree with the consensus thus far, but personally I think a dark brown or black may make the room a bit more grounded and allow the pinks/yellows to pop a bit more. This would provide the "travelling eye" effect mimi describes while also adding a bit more sophistication. It would also pick up on the pattern of the rug. The photo shows a bit of glare on the table - so I can't really decipher how much darkness that brings into the room. I would still go with an option that lets in a lot of light - given you've got such an abundance of it!

Oh dear -- in my dyslexia, or something, I read the hed as 'Blinding Styling Color or No?' and thought 'Gosh, that really is blinding styling color...'

i like the idea of white too but if you want some color it might be nice to go with wooden blinds in a shade or two lighter than your chairs. they would be neutral but would tie in with the chairs and the nature motif of your rug.

can i say that i envy your cat?

Zachmani -- i read the header the same way!

Love that rug!!!! Major envy happening as I write this.

I too like Maxwell's color suggestion. Actually I would be tempted to leave the windows bare but you should have something to protect those gorgeous colors from fading over time from direct sunlight.

I had to learn this lesson from experience, unfortunately.

I agree with the wooden blinds idea. Definitely a color in the same family as the leather chairs and pillow. I think this would balance the room and not take away fromt he furniture. I think the white blinds would be too much white on already white walls.

I can't see whole color scheme but judging from the decor, I think you're capable to pick nice bright COLOR to incorporate. Roll-up shades will be clean and practical since your furry-ball has a cat tree by windows.(btw, my cat lays down tummy-up like yours, too. why did they do that? being too round?)

I agree with Neutral - either Maxwell's suggestion of solar shades or the wooden blinds idea, light looks so warm filtered through those.

instead of blinds.. why not a soft linen drape?

http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=schi1%7Cp1%7Cwsheer&pkey=sa1s00sheer&gids=p5174

I hate blinds.

Roller shades all the way, in one of the colors of the rug or the sofa color.

Samantha, I think either the color of the floors or chairs (warm, just lighter than caramel), or one of the colors from the rug, but I'm strongly leaning toward the former b/c the couch has bold color.
Love your rug and am wondering, as I await an Angela Adams delivery, how do you keep your cat from clawing at the rug?
Thanks.

Hey there! I LOVE THIS RUG!!! Samantha can you tell us where you bought it?

Me Too. The rug is gr8. Where did you get it from ?

I have roman shades in my bedroom and I love them, but after looking up the rolling Solar Shades, I'd love to get something like that for my living room. Do you think that they'd work for a sliding glass door?

My first instinct was some sort of camel colored blind or some kind of grasscloth blind in a similar color family to those chairs, perhaps edge bound with a stronger color.

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! I hadn't thought about wooden blinds and they might play off well with the walnut-topped coffee table. As for the rug, the biggest purchase I have ever made for a piece of furniture, it's from the Rug Company.

May I ask where you bought your sofa? Is it a sleeper?

I can vouch for Solar Shades and would definitely recommend them! We have them in our place and we were initially concerned that they wouldn't provide enough privacy, but surprisingly enough, they do. Solar Shades come in lots of colors, but I vote for a light colored neutral hue like white, linen, or cream.

Save for Puffball Kitty, you've got a lot of hard, modern lines in the room so I'm going to go against the blind-loving crowd and say go for drapey -- a bit of softness could be a nice balancing touch here among all the angles. A white would be nice but you could also have both worlds and add a colorful trim in one of the rug's darker colors (pink or blue would be too cartoon-y) like black or maroon....

I always love a tailored Roman shade, perhaps in combination with a blind or solar shade.

And I like the idea of getting something tailored and sharp going with something organic and softer, since that seems the vibe of your combined pieces so far... hence the combo suggestion.

I love roman shades too. The IKEA roman shades are incredibly cheap, and would do on their own. I have also sewn fabric (in my case vintage barkcloth) to them so they served as a lining--I got "custom" shades for under $40 per window, hardware included. That wouldn't cover postage on something from Smith & Noble. Assuming price is a factor. I forget it isn't always!

I got a great bamboo roman shade at Target for way cheap.

Love the rug! Love the sofa! Love the table! Please share your sources!

The rug seems to be "Mums and Asters" by Kim Parker from the Rug Company (it's one of 3 rugs I lust after -- the other 2 being Paul Smith's Swirl and BDDW's Harall).

my two cents: bamboo blinds in similar wood tones as the chairs (do they make bamboo blinds?) or simple curtains in off-white or tan, possible bound or bordered in the pale blue that's in the rug.

I love the sofa too. Where did you get it?

I have a question for slick,

I would like to put up the solar shades but I was also concerned about privacy. What percentage are you using? 3, 5, or 10%. Also, please speak in detail about the privacy. What can you see, what can't be seen at night.

Thanks

Also, slick,

Where did you buy these solar shades, and did they install them for you?

What do people think about the shades that give you the option to bring the shade down from the top, or up from the bottom?

Great Sofa.
Great Cat.

your choices so far look great together! all of the legs on the furniture are visible/open which adds to that hard edge geometric look. if you want to mix it up, i agree with an earlier poster- you need some sheer drapes/curtains. also, your coffee table looks so lonely! you could add a soft plant or something else non-geometric to pull it all together a bit!

question: is there art on the wall?

If West Elm still has them, they make an inexpensive cotton velveteen drape that comes in a color called "rice", which is a soft off-white very much like the background color of the rug.

They would add softness, warmth and texture, but still be very tailored, neutral & just a bit retro, in keeping with your wood pieces.

Great Beastie, great rug and furniture, lovely panneling; I have a few questions about your room: (1)what direction does it face, (2)does it have enough light or too much or just enough, and (3)do you rent or own the space. Please reply. If you own and the place is South facing, then investing in wooden shutters painted white or in a natural wood, oak or maple, might work and would save overhang on valuable floorspace that curains might occupy. Otherwise I suspect that wood blinds , basswood in Maple or light oak, migh lte you raise them and get maximum light. Any folded paper shades are out of bounds if, like you, you have a feline beastie who possibly might jump and crumple the paper. Bamboo might be a good inexpensive choice if your renting the space. If the room is cold in winter, then some type of curtains may be your best choice for comfort alone.

I still would like to know more about the room.

Regards,
JonathanD.

oops
lte =let
your = you're

I'd go with a set of mid-tone grey roman shades for this room.--There's a a wide variety of prices and styles to choose from.

wonderful rug and cute cute cat :)

can you give more info about how to DIY the solar shades? i went to the bed bath and beyond website and did not see anything matching the search words "solar shades". thanks!

I would go for a double - blinds and curtains. Bamboo blinds are neutral but lend a lovely natural warmth. Then I would go with a blue curtain to bracket the windows and frame the view. I would match it to the cool blue leaves in your rug, since your couch and rug already have plenty of warm tones, but you know the blue matches.

Kudos on the rug by the way!