My first thought is a creamy ivory for a more classic look. Then I imagined a bright teal or turquoise for more pop and fun. But I have a hard time picking rugs too!

Graphic black and white or black and cream would make the whole room pop. And black and white DO go great with gold and brown.

Gold walls, Brown Leather furniture and a Red Chair:

You need something to pull these colors together to make your room cohesive rather than random - I'd suggest looking for a rug that has ALL these colors in it.

Thanks for all the ideas so far!! I'm trying to stay away from ivory since I've got two little kids and, well, I tend to spill red wine. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a link to my flickr album with pics of the room. Ignore the ugly lamp--it's coming together one piece at a time. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31947518@N07/sets/72157626218533215/

I think that either of these two rugs could work really well; I like the idea of having a rug pull together all the colors of the room. My preference would be for the first of the two because I think the red is a better match. http://www.rotmans.com/s-445-nickelodeon-brownblack-area-rugs.aspx
http://www.rotmans.com/s-448-nickelodeon-multi-area-rugs.aspx
I love the colors in the room - very warm and appealing!

Congratulations on your new chair. Gorgeous!
Looking at your fickr photo, I'd go for a darker and larger rug than what you've got now, one whose tones echo the dark surround of the fireplace and that--to quote 'the dude'-- really pulls together the room.

Maybe something like one of these, that has both modern and traditional elements in its design might work well for your place (I know the colours aren't exactly right. . . .)

http://cgi.ebay.com/DAMASK-BROWN-GOLD-AREA-RUG-5X8-PERSIAN-CARPET-1000-/140524731160?pt=US_Contemporary_Rugs_Carpets&hash=item20b7ed3b18

http://cgi.ebay.com/8ft-x-9ft-Vintage-Genuine-Hand-Woven-Wool-Indian-Rug-/320568592935?pt=Rugs&hash=item4aa3608a27

Or a more traditional oriental, like what you've got now, but in darker colours including those suggested by selena and forever lovely, sort of like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/C1875-SENNEH-PERSIAN-ANTIQUE-RUG-CARPET-BLACK-/320534600950?pt=Rugs&hash=item4aa159dcf6

I think you'd want it large enough so that it touches the front legs of both chairs and the sofa.
Will you be keeping both the lamp and coffee tables? Your red chair and brown sofa have a lot of competition from these two different shades of timber.

After seeing your photo I'll suggest something from Flor. I think something in a teal or blue would work.

http://www.flor.com/styles/solids-2.html?dir=&order=price&color_family=8&

@missbrown2you--yes, I'm definitely thinking of a larger area rug, and a bit more modern than the traditional. I wish I could get rid of the big coffee table but it stays for now, unfortunately. The lamp I think you're referring to is a large grandfather clock--that's staying for now as well--it is all a lot of wood, and eventually will have a different coffee table.

I like the black/white/darker rug ideas--what about getting flor tiles, cutting them into triangles and then arranging them into a chevron stripe pattern? Maybe in black/white/and adding some blue?

I'd go for a deep shag rug - it would be a nice contrast to the smooth leather sofa. For color, I would love ivory, but since you don't, maybe a two-tone with gold and bronze - or you could pull some of the colors of the fireplace tile in.

You should check out my Papunya rug http://www.maleneb.com/collections/signature/papunya/ or the Tap Tap http://www.maleneb.com/collections/limited-edition/tap-tap/ Either one could definitely be the finishing piece to bring the room together. It can be custom colored and sized.

I am really liking missbrown2you's first suggestion. The black with brown/gold in a large scale pattern like that would give a lot more oomph to the area. If you can get a larger rug, that would be especially good. Also, you could tie the red in with some graphic accent pillows. Once again, I think a large scale print would help it feel more up to date than what you have now.

An other thought: have you seen those cool frames for kids' art that swing open and let you easily change the art out? Target sells them, and I imagine they're not the only ones. Looks like you have some special artists in the family.

Thanks, jatasu, for offering such a great opportunity for procrastination (nothing like a major writing project to make thinking about other people's decor decisions extra fun! Also, btw, the lamp table I was talking about offering competition is the blonde timber one, next to the couch.)

And thank you, RedShark, for introducing me to the flor site.

Took a look through flor with jatasu's idea in mind. . . didn't see a chevron, but here's a couple I thought might work, in different ways.

This one with browns and blacks extends the colours of the fire place, making a dark backdrop for the new bright modern chair:

http://www.flor.com/morning-coffee-dark-roast.html

And here's one, with deep teal tones that would really pop with the red chair and also against the golds, reds, browns that dominat the room:

http://www.flor.com/stripe-it-rich-c-note.html

Ah, I misunderstood you--the table is a vintage piece I refinished myself and thus love too much to get rid of.

You're right, there's no chevron flor tiles but you can cut them in triangles and create one easily, like noted here:

redjetwhistle.blogspot.com/2010/06/before-after-custom-flor-carpet.html

I think that black/brown or black/gold would be very cool and look great in the space.

@gaidig--I've seen those frames but my artists work in large format only and the art doesn't fit. My take--it's only a few years of scribble art and they love seeing it on the walls and I love celebrating their artwork, so I'll sacrifice a bit of design. :)

check out this blog, from www.theperfectrug.com I think an oversized sisal would work well. A good mix of traditional and modern.

http://theperfectrug.tumblr.com/

Custom handmade rugs by me: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EnRouteStudio?ref=pr_shop_more

We'll make any kind of rug, and we have a lot of teal like one commenter suggested. We're doing some specials now for the Renegade Handmade fair, so convo me on etsy if you're looking for a handout. :)

Was intrigued by this rug from CB2. Maybe it will work for you.
http://www.cb2.com/new-accessories/new/peacock-rug/f6423

Then I'd use pillows to pull all the colors together.

Oh, that is a VERY cool idea. . . I've seen this house tour, but didn't realise what they had done with the rug. I like the black/brown or black/gold. . . maybe with a little splash of the red or eyepopping teal. What fun.
I perfectly understand re. your side table. And once you've simplified the setting of your items (like with this fab rug idea), I'm sure it will live happily with the other elements.
I'm all for the credo of "pick out things you love and they will go together"! Harder to manage that just buying everything at once, but the results have more soul.

Charisma124--thanks for sharing your work. These rugs are amazing.

Hello Alexis --

Congratulations on your new chair!! It's gorgeous; probably my favourite version of one of my very favourite chairs.

In answer to your question, I think that you are already on the right track with the rug that you have; the size needs to be much larger, and the colour of red a bit deeper. Ideally, the rug will have some touches of blue. The deep traditional red of such a rug, along with its traditional style, will contrast most effectively with the bright red aniline dye and modern styling of the chair.

Here is an ideal rug (not this exact one, since it costs as much as an expensive car, but just to give you an idea):

http://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/antique-rugs/antique-heriz-serapi-persian-rugs-43621-3137.cfm

Other great ones:

http://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/antique-rugs/antique-sultanabad-persian-rugs-43458-3006.cfm

http://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/antique-rugs/antique-heriz-persian-rugs-43346-2778.cfm

I would discourage you from going with a modern design -- well, unless it is a custom rug from Malene or Charisma124 (those are truly gorgeous) -- because of everything else you have going on in your home. The grandfather clock, the mismatched traditional dining chairs, the modern sofa... pulling all these threads together so that every thing looks and feels good, so that everything is balanced and feels part of a cohesive whole, is a decorating challenge. A traditional Persian rug (and most specifically, a Heriz Serapi, which tends to have the exact colours you need, and which is simultaneously traditional and yet rather modern) is the rug that I think could do that best for you.

Take your time, visit local reputable rug dealers (or really good ones in a major city), maybe check out some estate sales, Craigslist, the classifieds... Once you have an idea in your head of what would work, research the style so that you are able to get a handle on quality, value and price, well, then you will be able to leap into action when you come across an affordable option.

Otherwise, I would suggest trying to get a second red chair, so that it becomes more of an anchor and statement in your living area.

I really like your refinished 2-level side table -- it really is beautiful -- but think that it would be better on the other side of the sofa. If you move it, you will give breathing space to your Eames chair, and it will make more impact. I'd suggest this floorlight in that space:

http://www.ligne-roset-usa.com/products/lighting/floor-lamps/Easy-Light_693.aspx

As for the other lamp in the room -- the swing arm architect lamp by the fireplace -- I would just change it out for a slightly smaller black version. Or perhaps a Micro Tolomeo wall light (in brushed metal).

The one thing you need to change out is the wood coffee table. Combined with the sofa, the other leather chair, it is just too much heavy brown.

Your home is beautiful and warm, and shows a rich life full of varied interests. The children's drawings taped up to the door are charming.

On second thought, instead of changing out the coffee table (for your current stage of life, I am sure it is a useful design feature to have the shelf underneath to stash stuff), change out the leather swivel chair.

This is the most comfortable club chair I have ever sat in; it is perfectly proportioned (I particularly like the high back version). If this every becomes affordable (Ligne Roset has an annual sale; Craigslist, etc.), it would be a great addition to your living room, particularly in the black version.

http://www.ligne-roset-usa.com/products/living/armchairs/Rive-Droite_1423.aspx

I understand not wanting to ditch the coffee table that you love and put so much work into; however, seems like the pieces in the room are of a different scale, compared to the new chair. I agree on considering changing out the leather lounge chair that seems to dwarf the new red Eames chair. Right now, the red chair looks as if it could be for someone to sit at the coffee table. I think adding space to the arrangement will really help. A much larger rug as suggested and spreading out the grouping (moving the couch and the Eames back) will help the set-up as well. If you do move the leather chair to another spot in the home, I might consider moving the red chair to that spot an anchoring the other side of the grouping with a floor lamp or a plant.

Jatasu, I actually think that displaying your little artists' work is great. I just thought those frames were a cool way of easily having the best of both worlds.

That peacock rug is pretty cool, too. So are some of the FLOR tiles. The red would really pop against either, whereas I think it would get lost against a red-based turkish rug.

I'm not sure which table is the one you love and refinished, but I like the tiered side table. It would look nicer on top of a large rug, since it is a similar color to the floor. The coffee table is more difficult because it is such a similar shade to the couch and the other chair that the whole room feels full of big blocks of that color.

@gaidig--the side step table is the one I refinished. I'm not really all that fond of the dark coffee table, either, but as someone else has noted it works well for now. We do have a nice vintage square glass topped table--maybe I'll change to that one especially once we get the new rug and I'll post pictures. It's larger in size but much lower to the ground.

I'm loving the idea of a black/gold or brown/gold striped rug in the space, large rug (8x10 or 8x11), moving everything back and out, and switching the side table to the other side of the couch. Especially with the glass table, a cool rug would show through and be great.

I don't love a larger version of the rug we have--I think I really want something different.

And the big lounge chair is definitely oversize, another vintage find (Ekornes). I'll play with that but you all may be right about needing to move it.

And as much as I LOVE all the custom rugs that Malene and Charisma124 have, they're sadly out of my price range. The chair was a definite splurge so I'm trying to save on other stuff.

You guys are awesome--when it's all done I'll post new pics and submit myself to another round of critique. :)

After seeing your flickr photos my first impression was that there seems to be a lot of brown in your living room (couch, dr chairs, floor etc.) In my opinion, the BEST way to make your new red chair pop would be a white/off white shag rug. Even a big flokati rug would lok cool. Crate and Barrel has modern shag rugs that are nice and don't shed alot.