apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'd pick a bold solid color -- solid so it doesn't fight with the busy curtains, but bold so that it complements the curtains' own bold color scheme. Since the walls are a greenish-grey, what about a dark purplish-grey, an eggplant color, but with enough greys in it to make sure it doesn't overwhelm? Something with a subtle contemporary design using squares might be a nice way to mirror the curtains' pattern. Good luck!

I love your curtains too - where did you get them? I'd love to get a pair! Thanks.

Sisal with a bound border in cream or red, is what I'd do.

I would go with a solid color or a subtle pattern and I wouldn't pick anything too dark, since the room is already painted in a dark shade.

Here are a few I found that may look nice in your room:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p10729/index.cfm?pkey=cprwrugall

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1267&f=12886

http://www.chiasso.com/store/item.aspx?DepartmentId=46&ItemId=54075

I know you said that you have boring furniture, but I would still stay with a simple rug and add pillows to your couches as you find ones that work with your room.

It already looks great. Only thing I'd change would be to get rid of that oval chair (to better cohesiveness and the flow of the room) and place a rug with its colors on the floor (because they do look great). Those curtains are a HUGE fire element and you'd need a big water element to balance it out (in this case black would look better than purple) and a sisal & black combo would look very cute. Also, those curtains are pretty contemporary, you might want to add a little bit of that sexyness to the cushions to heat up that beautiful white furniture.

Sisal carpet sounds like a good idea to me and I agree on moving the oval chair. It also blocks the window and I think the curtains would make an even better statement if there was nothing in between them (could you move the table and lamp to the other side of the recliner?).
I would pick a cream border for the rug and maybe a red pillow or two.

I agree with Erin - the issue isn't the rug or lack thereof(actually, it looks great without one, and I rarely ever think that). You need some bright, graphic pillows to pull things together.

I'd have a rug made - I do this a lot for my clients, and it's astonishingly affordable! Most carpet showrooms will stitch carpet together in simple designs and bind it for you. I'm having one done for a client in wool, black, amber and teal (matches her beautiful art glass collection), 6 x 9, $400. I suggest you use the lovely grey of your walls with the red of the curtains and one other colour, eg black or white, or something very punchy like lime green. I agree with Djluckyonline - that oval chair is the wrong scale! You might also want to get a nicer light kit for your ceiling fan (eg a simple frosted glass bowl), a skinny side table to put next to your chair so the cool curtains are not obscured, and I agree with yellowcanoe about cushions. I'd do a small-scale contemporary print in red/grey.
Great job so far, Andrea - let us see the progress!

Love the curtains!! Where did you find them?

Ditto to everyone who loves the curtains! Also, I'm in the camp who believes you need to add some pillows and change the light fixture on the fan. Our house policy is single lights on all ceiling fans.

Do keep us posted -- you're doing a great job!

Easy to see why you love those curtains--they're fabulous! I second the suggestion for bound sisal. A fun alternative might be a big, extravagantly shaggy flokati in white. Either option would ground the room with an appealing textural element.

Great place. My vote is for thick black and white stripes. I think Ikea PS does one.

I agree with the pillow comments. I love the curtains and I think you just need to tie them in to rest of the accessories in the room. and I disagree with the oval chair comments. I like the chair and I think it works stylistically with the curtains and tables, slightly better than the upholstered pieces. also, I really like the wall color, what is it?

i agree with everyone on the colorful pillows. you need to bring color to other areas in the room for balance. i've always been a fan of shag rugs in white or cream.

Sisal rug for sure!

Thanks everyone! I actually found the curtains, brand new at a thrift store I was so excited! Only to find out they are IKEA! GO figure :-) But hey, when it works it works! Thanks for all the suggestions. I like the idea of a flokati rug also, but with a border collie running the place, my husband has a strict, "must be able to vacuum" rule. I'll check out some sisal rugs for sure and I have extra fabric from the curtains that I plan to make pillows out of! Oh and the paint color is Old Mill from the Colorplace Paint line at Walmart of all places!

I would get a hooked rug in the colonial style