At Home: Living Room Redo: Red Rug

Well, I did it.  I hemmed and hawed about what color rug would add some pop and youth to my living room.  I love the space and the bones.  I have a lot of cool antiques and eclectic touches.  But I worried that it looked old.  I wanted a geometric rug and touches of bright color to add some personality.

I think I put down five different rugs in five different colors.  I settled on the boldest choice.

Before:

We had a very neutral rug.  It was calm and serene and worked. The Before photos show touches of the fall, when these were taken.

Now:

Before:  

Now:  

Before:  

Now:  

I went with a geometric red and tan rug.  It seems to ground the entire room and pull the red from the floral chair.  I added simple panels to the windows and it really finishes it off.

I also added many little touches of teal with accessories.  The addition of color and pattern made the room have a more lively feel, which matches the personality of our family!

Before:

Our floral chair.  I am not sure I would still have picked this one if I went shopping tomorrow.  However, it is what it is and I want it to look it's best in the room.

Now:

I added the gallery wall and changed out the lampshade.  I also think the panels balance out the floral.

We have unique windows in our dining room and living room as they have shelves built in over the top.  I love them and how I can display some of my favorites things.  How to hang panels became the question. Most decorating blogs tell you to hang curtains wide and high, but I didn't have that option.  The window is huge and I wanted to add panels without spending a million dollars.

I decided to use small, wrought iron cafe curtain rods that went across only the smaller side windows.  It totally works and adds a little black to the window.  I love how black can ground a room..  I still get to display all my letter Ms and some other art I created with scrappy supplies.  I am having a hard time getting a good photo of the windows with the panels.  They are jute striped from Pier 1.  The perfect amount of texture and pattern without competing with the rug and chair.

It is funny...most decorating blogs talk about not using red too much because it can be chaotic.  I decided to go against that because it seems to be just what my living room needed.

Boldness, color, punch, life.