Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Thinking About a Living Room Update - Perhaps a New Rug

I have that itch to decorate and I'm feeling the urge to freshen up my living room. In general, I'm happy with the furnishings but the decorative elements are leaning a little more feminine than I would like them to be.


I really love the sofa but I think I need to update the legs, I'm not crazy about the legs the Karlstad sofa comes with. Perhaps I should paint them. The side tables are inexpensive ones from Urban Outfitters but they have a nice mid century modern shape so I'm definitely going to keep them. The coffee table drives me a little crazy. The base was an awesome ebay score but I never had a top made for it so I'm still using glass from an old coffee table. The glass is always dirty and we bump into those sharp corners all of the time. I think a round marble top would be perfect so I'm on the hunt for a vintage carrera marble top coffee table.

living room area rug ikea west elm overstock
1 - ikea 2 - ikea 3 - west elm 4 - overstock 5 - ikea 6 - overstock

I think the quickest and easiest way to update the space will be to replace the rug with new graphic rug in a more masculine color scheme. I definitely want something bigger, the current rug is 5x7' but since the sofa is so large it's really screaming for an 8x10'. My top six choices are shown above (Are you humming the "One of These Things is Not Like Other" song from Sesame Street too?). I thought for sure the Ikea Stockholm Rand rug (number 2) was going to be the winner but I decided to shop around a little before I committed to it. I found other graphic cream, black, and gray rugs that I also like and then I came across the last rug from Overstock and I fell pretty hard for it. Now I'm not sure what I want. Which one of these rugs do you like best?

(this is an older photo, we actually have baseboard molding now:)

This is the tv stand on the wall opposite the sofa. Right now I have the tv set up on a console table from Target. I like the simple set up but since the tv rests along a rather large wall in the living room it is not doing much to fill the space and it feels kind of bare. Time to research some tv display solutions that don't look like big, bulky entertainment centers...

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9 comments:

  1. I really like the rug you have! If you're making me choose then I pick #6. I think the brighter colors really make the room come together. What about two long tapestry pieces on both sides of the brick and a really cool print or vintage mirror on the brick? :) good luck! send pics once you're finished!!

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  2. @It's Ashli B I don't hate the rug I have now but it's definitely too small for the space and over two years later it still sheds :/

    I am loving #6 which is funny because it's not the original direction I wanted to go in. Hmmm...

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  3. I agree with Ashli, I really like the rug! But if it sheds I guess you can't do much about it. I'd go with #1 or 6. Guess it depends if you want something muted or not. And I think that coffee table base would look fabulous with a marble top. I've seen one on CB2 and have been obsessing over it for some time.

    Also, had no idea your sofa was Ikea! It looks more high end than that. ;)

    xoxo

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  4. I love #3 and #6. It really depends on the feel you're looking for. Do you want to add colour in with a rug, or with other things? I think either would look super with the couch. :)

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  5. Just stumbled upon your blog from pinterest. I'm actually about to move to a new apartment and am thinking about getting a karlstad, possibly the shape you have. They have new chrome finish legs which I definitely like more than the choppy wooden ones. I am curious—how do you like the sofa? Do you find that the cushions, particularly on the chaise, slip out frequently? Has it help up well over time?

    As for the rugs, I like the simple patterns on 3 and 4, but i agree with some of the previous comments, that a pop of color is important!

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  6. @Joanna We've had the sofa for over a year and considering we have a dog I think it is wearing really well.
    The cushions for the most part stay in place but the one large cushion on the chaise does slide forward an inch or two and I have to fix it often. For the price and comfort I don't mind too much.

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  7. You should check out the Medina rug at www.thesleeproom.com - they've got some great pieces!

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  8. I am loving #3 this depends on the feel you're looking for.

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  9. I have the karlstad and love it, we have the sectional... so comfortable, haven't had a problem with the cushions, we do want to change the legs in the future... I like your pilllows, where are they from?

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