apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Not sure about the rug, but may I ask how you like that couch? My boyfriend and I are looking into the same one for our house - is it comfy? Durable?

you've got a beautiful floor! i'd pull the couch off the wall a foot or two, make better use of that great side table, and hang a big canvas on the wall.

YS,
Your space is wonderful! Congrads! My opinion would be to keep to something simple. You obviously have a little Mid Century undertone showing through which I think you should stick to. Try something a little sculptural like a neutral (tan/white or grey/white) cow hide rug. That way it’s adding a little shape or dimension to your other forms which are relatively boxy. That also will play up the movement of the herringbone floor pattern. Once you have the hide down lay it at an angle, with possibly one corner under one of the sofa legs, that way its filling the space without designating another rectilinear shape under the sofa!
http://www.sunlandhomedecor.com/322213-p-brazil_lg.html

Once again, your space is great and good luck

Do you really feel a strong desire for a rug? I have a huge one, but only to cover up the horrible beige carpet in my apt.

Your floors seem pretty nice; maybe you should skip the rug.

a painting, maybe with lots vibrant red, would go well behind your pale blue couch.

Perhaps an off white round or oval rug

YS,

Here would be my suggestion. You need to achor the space with a rug. The cocktail table is lost in the wood floors and the sofa is merely floating in the space. I like the subtleness of the look that you have going on. You can grow with this look by adding and taking away over the years. You have chosen a versatile enough palette that you will be able to pop it with both naturals and strong colors. Have some fun with it

There is a rug that Ethan Allen carries called Broken Line it is New Zealand wool and an 9x6 will run you about $469. Its a modern rug without being to over the top and locking you into a certain look for years to come. It has many subtle earthen type tones including the mineral that is in your sofa. But it gives you chance to play with very grown up colors that will serve as inspirations for years to come.
Whatever you choose, I suggest that you chose a piece that will compliment your furniture, not over power it. And something that you will want to live with for years. Something that can work in different spaces of your flat. This is where you will get the best value for you money.
If I may offer another suggestion, pull the cocktail table away from the sofa. You are putting all the weight to on side of the room. You want to flow amoungst the pieces you are collecting verses just walking past them. When you add in chairs and end table, lamps and such you will have an amazing flat! Best of luck to you.

An off-white would pull in the credenza and help show off the coffee table and couch.

There is a rug retailer on the ground floor at 32nd and Madison. They have a stack of 5' x 8' rugs that they call "samples". There are at least 70 to choose from and they would normally retail for high hundreds and thousands... because they are discontinued or samples that were never put into production they sell them for $199.00 I am super picky with flooring and I had a hard time choosing which one I wanted for my new space because of the "candy-shop" like selection.

I've been looking at the peace industry felt rugs after I saw them blogged on AT. I think they're beautiful-- sort of organic looking, but also graphic and modern. Their wesbite shows the range of designs-- you might want to check it out. I'm thinking that rich jewel and earth tones would look great in your space.

i think a simple neutral shag rug would work...you can get a 4 X 6 on ebay for about 90 bucks from the kathy ireland collection if you dont want to break the bank.

i really like that tv stand. who makes it?

Something rich and with color. We thought our home looked fab but once we put down the rugs my dad brought back from Eygpt they really tied everything together, gave the room "grounding" I suppose. Everything else is pretty neutral like your home, so it gave color without "trying" to add color just to do so.

Add a ZEBRA RUG with some acrylic or mirrored side tables on each side of the sofa to bring up the glam factor. Some white or off white table lamps on above mentioned side tables would also be nice. For artwork go with something bold and graphic yet not too colorful behind the sofa (charcoal gray over a cream base, would be nice or even something sage green to compliment). A series of nice black and white photographs in black frame for behind the tv.

hi everyone! thanks for the feedback so far. it's really helpful.

sister ray: we've had the couch for only a month or so, so i can't comment on the durability, but we are very happy with it. no regrets at all, and i love the feel of it.

also, costa, the tv stand comes from west elm, actually. it's the modern media console. the one drawback is that the doors really trap the heat of the components -- so much so that we have to take them off when we're actually watching tv. not ideal. but still, it looks nice, and is otherwise very functional.

the splash of red on the wall is a great idea -- that's something i will definitely look into (i'm more partial to orange, but we'll see).

http://www.funkyrugs.co.uk/shop/customer/home.php?cat=159

Look on the left and click FUNKY. Good Luck!

I don't have any suggestions for a rug but I have to say that your space IS gorgeous.

I have nothing more to add about the rug - I tend to not like rugs very well and there are some great suggestions here. I just wanted to mention what a lovely place you have.

I immediately thought you needed the following: a painting with pale blue and orange, a standing lamp and an organic bowl for the coffee table. You don't need much more.

In my opinion, I would not mount a book case to the wall. It will be overpowering, and you already have two very lovely bookcases.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you can't go wrong. You're off to a great start.

I like the idea of a richly-colored rug, but be careful with pattern size because your wood flooring has so much pattern to it as well. Maybe something with large shapes wouldn't compete with the beautiful wood.

It seems to me that you should get a Flokati-type or fluffy wool rug in an off-white color. You have a simply structured coffee table and couch, and depending on what you're going to do art-wise (I assume some color to play with your couch's color?) the rug could help anchor the room but make it sort of cozy. It'd be a nice way to bring some soft texture into a room that otherwise has some squarish edges (couch, coffee table) and the hardwood floor. That and maybe some sort of basket by the couch for your magazines or whatnot could make the room cozy. If you don't like the shagginess of Flokati, then I'd get a basic thick cotton rug from a Pier One or a Cost Plus or Ikea in a color that will blend with the rest of your plans... I agree with the poster who said that your wood table atop wood floor sort of "disappears."

Did I miss where that couch was from? Could someone clue me in?

Sorry I can't help with the rug question, I'm pondering the same thing, and was similiarly disappointed with the FLOR samples I got.

regards,
trillium

www.indib.com

the rugs are beautiful and the company is totally new. very decent prices for a suepr good quality. check it out.
the cream with orange branches would look perfect in your space.

Hey I just installed my FLOR tiles (Twill Ride and Checkered Past) for my living room after having had the boxes for several weeks. Here is a picture of Checkered Past http://tinyurl.com/25qdm5 from the FLOR website.

I am pretty happy with them after having installed them this Sunday. The color is a little different than what I thought. But its pretty good and they feel nice on my feet and look nice on the hardwood floors. We will see how they hold up over time in my living room. I was a little anal about this whole rug process and wasnt sure I wanted to go the Ikea route. But I lucked out when I had a business trip in Atlanta so I was able to check out all the tiles at the showroom. Lots of folk will poohpooh these tiles and say they are so overpriced for what they are. But they work for me as an apartment renter who doesnt know what the dimensions of my next space will be. So time will tell if this was a good use of 300 bucks for an 10 by 10 rug.

a medium/smallish angela adams rug would look nice in this space.
www.ModernEssentials.com

that couch is absolutely gorgeous.

oh the couch comes from crate and barrel. the rochelle.

one more question: any color theme you'd like to recommend for whatever we end up deciding on? several of the ones suggested here are in the running. i am thinking nothing that would dirty too easily, and probably nothing brown (wouldn't solve the disappearing coffee table problem, of which i am even more of a non-fan since the table is my favorite thing in the apt), but the colors i am gravitating towards -- maybe a burnt orange with some flecks of blue that the couch would make pop -- i worry might be too much.

again, thanks everyone for the feedback.

I think this one would look great in your room

http://madelineweinrib.com/ama/cotton_flatweaves/45-Zig-Zag-Red-&-White.html

my living room actually has the same size/ furniture layout, and I've been having similar questions.

One thing I wonder is if you anchor an area rug between the couch and tv stand, then will the dining set in the back of the room be lost and feel disconnected? Would I need a second rug to define that table area?

and as for the tv/couch rug, is it best to have something that extends beneath both pieces of furniture, or something that floats between them?

Hi,
If you like some handmade leather rug then you can chose from the below online website:
http://www.globalartinteriors.com/leather_rug.htm
http://www.globalartinteriors.com/leather_bags.htm
Thanks
Anne

If you like kilims (flatweaves), Kilim.com is the ultimate source for rugs. They have many kinds of design and many rugs are suitable for contemporary settings.
http://www.kilim.com

It's a great space to work with, and the herringbone floors are gorgeous.

I think that what you need is some texture and contrast in the space, and definitely, a rug. My suggestion would be for a Stepevi rug, which they carry at ABC. They are modern take on Turkish rugs, and they often introduce a glam element, like long silky fibres or a silvery cast.

Maybe something like Select Touch Me 00292 or Organic Lines 00320/00392 or Touch Me Long 31L

http://www.stepevi.com/warm.html

check it out...