The Rug Dilemma

Hello dear readers!  I hope you had a good holiday.  I'm not much in the holiday spirit this year, I'm not sad or lonely (thank goodness), just don't want to participate for many reasons.  This will be the subject of a future post, and it's not a sad one - it's a hopeful one.  A claiming of power.  Sorry...I digress...for the next few days we're going to have some fun with my favorite obsession - decor!

Let's start with talking about my favorite topic.  My apartment.  Remember my post below showing you its recent incarnation?  Well it doesn't look like that any more!  As you know, I have design ADD.  My apartment has taken some surprising turns, and I'll be giving you the scoop.  I love the way the light pink sofa cover looked, but I was unhappy about my rug situation.  Even though I have carpet, I feel like I need a rug to anchor the space. Blogger friend (and constant source of inspiration) Kim of Desire to Inspire confirmed this fact when she mentioned that I need a rug.  If Kim says it, I know it's true.

So this is a dilemma I need to solve - without spending money. Tricky, as you know, rugs can get very pricey.

I've shown this room from the CB2 catalog before.  I dearly love that rug.  I don't think it's available any longer, but it doesn't matter, it wasn't in the budget.  But dig that color scheme.  Love hot pink orange and gray.

Here's a couple other rugs I dearly love.  So gorgeous.  Like paintings for your floor.    These would look so great in a large loft with white floors.  But alas, until I win the lottery, not to be.  So, I made the very wise decision to shop in my trusty closet. I a big proponent of use what you have. Sometimes using something you already own in a different way helps you rediscover why you loved it in the first place. Rugs from left to right:  Leif and Inmod.  For more gorgeous rug inspiration, see my pinterest board.

I've shown you this arrangement before.  Cute rug.  But too small and too busy.  I dismantled this arrangement as soon as I photographed it.

Perhaps the problem wasn't the rug but the turquoise pillows?  And maybe the hot pink is too dark, although I do want my apartment to be cave like for Winter.

Again to my trusty closet, and a lighter pink for the sofa cover. Hmm.  Love it, but still need a rug.

I pulled this furry rug from my closet. I had a larger one, but it got damaged in the laundry. I'm tempted to buy another at Target, but trying not to spend money. Not easy.  Again, this is just too small. I tried to trick the eye by placing the ottoman assemetrically, but it didn't work.  As I often do when I have a decorating dilemma, I decided to take a break and peruse blogs.  Kim's page at Desire to Inspire is always at the top of my list, and it never fails to inspire.


THE INFLUENCE...

There it was - the answer!  This gorgeous room has carpet.  And rugs!  The room is quite large, and the rug has unexpectedly been placed on an angle. I haven't been a fan of rugs or furniture on an angle, but this room may have changed my mind.  The rug anchors the space, but does so by emphasizing the triangle created by the furniture, rather than the square I usually go for.  P.S. I adore the use of color against the neutral brown and the white walls!  Image jj LOCATIONS via Kim's page at Desire to Inspire.

I have a cute chenille rug that I got on the cheap from Urban Outfitters several years ago.  If I place it on an angle, it just might do the trick.  By not placing it squarely in front of the sofa, perhaps the eye will be tricked and not notice that it is not the right scale.

Ta da!  I love it!  When entering the room, it feels very welcoming.  Like a red carpet! Indeed, I am the star of this environment.  Ahem, sorry for that horrible pun.

I decided a need a couple of pops of black, so added the pillow and moved Kim's lamp from the bedroom. This is how the apartment looked last weekend. It was a beautiful, lazy day in Ohio, and my apartment is the perfect place for lounging.