apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I just got the Cannes Sofa from Crate & Barrel. Looks great in my apartment and its super comfy. But I'm feeling challenged trying to find a rug and paint to match. The fabric is silvery with a touch of green. Very little seems to go with it. I'm looking for a rug to weigh down the room a bit and prevent everything from being to light in color. I'm liking an espresso brown rug from Pottery Barn, but I can't find a paint color that will go with the rug and the sofa. Any suggestions? I'm desperate.

Here's a link to the sofa:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=931&f=22737

I'm looking for a good, reliable electrician for some jobs in an apt. The ones listed in the Services section have some negative comments so I'm reluctant to hire one of them. Does anyone have a recommendation?

azul, what other colors are in the room? What else is going on in the room? A deep taupe would be calming and sophisticated. A slate grey/blue would also be lovely. But it just depends on what else is in the room that's staying in the room.

Hi Anne-
Thanks for your comment. The room is a blank canvas (it's a new apartment)! Which is part of what makes this tricky. There is a bright red rocking chair, a bunch of plants, the sofa and that's it! The sofa is so light and slightly green, that it's hard to figure out what to put with it.

If you had a magenta or a puce colored sofa you might have a bit of a problem but you don't have a problem. How nice to have a beautiful neutral to work with. Don't make it a dilemma. There are a lot of colors you could choose. First you have to go thru design books/magazines and see what rooms you find yourself attracted to. What colors do you find appealing. Are they cool blues, soft greens and lavender? Is it caramel, greys, creams? Look in your closet. What colors do you wear and buy over and over again? Any of these will work with your sofa. Once you decide on your favorite color palette you can find a rug that works with it.

This is always the fun parts for my clients. It's like play time. Live vicariously thru all those wonderful interiors.

Take a look at http://www.vicentewolfassociates.com/index_.html

The way he puts colors together will help you. And look at Matt's floral photos he posts here every weekend. The colors in those photos are breathtaking.

I could see it with this Angela Adams rug:
http://paylessrugs.stores.yahoo.net/angela-adams-pooky-breeze.html
and there are others by her that might work
http://paylessrugs.stores.yahoo.net/angela-adams-rugs.html
or maybe this one by twinkle
http://www.designpublic.com/shop/twinkle-living/6848

If you choose the chocolate rug you like, a greyed teal or yellow wall color would work.

The whole task will be simpler if you start by finding a paint chip that matches the sofa itself. You're not necessarily going to paint the walls that color -- you're going to use the chip to see what other colors are labeled as "coordinating" by that paint maker.

Most paint makers tout their colors by providing ideas for color schemes, and you might as well take advantage of their research if you're having trouble with ideas of your own. At the very least, that'll help you rule out what you don't like.

Behr Paints has a program you can download free. You can use your own room to add any of their colors to see how it looks. If you pick a color that's close to the sofa color and put that on one wall and experiment with the other colors you can narrow down a palette.