Positioning the living room rug & dining room curtains update

The chevron knot rug is heavenly. And I say that because the texture feels just wonderful!



 

I wanted to lighten things up in the living room and downplay the formality of the space with the more traditional and a few global pieces of furniture. My living room truly is an eclectic playground of colors and styles.

 

The living room is 22' x 14'. The previous rug had been removed a few months ago while I searched for something different. The rug arrived. I had a number of pieces of furniture to move to make way for it and I did it by myself.

 

 

But first, the rug pad had to be place in the exact position I wanted. Then I had the rug (still rolled up) all ready to position when I realized it needed to be moved width-wise on the rug pad. I had to haul it gradually; it was very heavy. Then I opened it up, straightening the rug pad as I went along.

It is not an easy task if you take it on all by yourself after moving furniture aside. But like I had said before, I was not waiting for help.

 

 

 Rug pad and rug need to be perfectly aligned before the unravelling or else...

 

 

 

Quite frustrating! I nudged the rug over from the opposite side, straightening it even more as I went along. Made of wool and cotton, it had some give to it and so I then gradually pulled/stretched it at the end.

 

 

 

Not an easy feat but well worth the effort.
And then all the furniture was moved back in.


In the meantime, the dining room curtains have had the beaded trim added to the bottom to increase the length. I picked them up last week and they are look great. They currently lie on my dining table.

I have to reinstall the rod and get these curtains up next.

Enjoy your weekend! We hope to enjoy some fun fall activities; perhaps some apple-picking.
 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Living Room : the octagonal table

I have referred to a slightly new layout I have introduced to the living room once the new west elm rug was positioned . Before I write a post about that I wanted to share this special table with you.

 

It was gifted to us several years ago. My parents carried it with them all the way from India. It is an antique piece and unusual because of its octagonal shape.

 

 

 

 

About 31" in diameter and just 7" high, it has adorned the living room as an end table. It has graciously stood beside a couple of different occasional chairs as I moved things around and has been used to showcase framed photographs, some of my National Geographic magazine collection, and a table lamp as well as a few objets d'art.

 

 

 

 

All along I believed I could put it to better use with more focus on it.

 

It has a rustic look and certainly that global feel with the aged, hammered brass around the edges. The legs are not perfectly straight but that is part of its unique quality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It has been moved to a new spot and I am working on styling it,  details of which I will share with you very soon.

 

 

 

 

Can you tell that I really like to mix things up a little?

 

 

I have not  been able to publish a blog post as frequently as before but I will get back to it soon. I am trying to pin down the kids' after-school schedule more accurately - particularly that of my high-schooler - but activities have picked up in the last couple of weeks. Weekends are similarly busy and I am also trying to finish up my Professional Organizing course before the holidays are upon us.

 

As always, thank you so much for your visits and comments.

 

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

 









About My Coffee Table Books

While I work on styling the coffee table over the new rug in the living room, I thought I would share some of the books I am incorporating. Besides the various colors and titles and fonts that make such a vignette interesting, a collection of books says so much about the occupants of a home.

 

I love a collection of good books. I buy a book with the intent to read it. I also think about what my kids would be interested in and there are a couple that have been gifted to us.

 

Yes, my collection includes a few books relating to interior decorating and design (like below).

 

A History of Art was gifted to me by my Godmother when I was a teenager.

A favorite book to browse is always the Ethan Allen series.

 

 

And Susanna Salk's Be Your Own Decorator is a must for inspiration and in my opinion is for anybody who does not decorate by following "rules".

Another fascinating, inspirational and really spectacular book featuring global perspectives on design - I would love to share some of the pages with you in a different post - is The Way We Live by Stafford Cliff. It has been described as 'an ultimate treasury....' and that it truly is. My kind of book.

This next book was picked up by my husband on a business trip to China many years ago. It has stunning photographs of serene Guilin, one of the most picturesque regions in the area. I like to incorporate this book because of the turquoise and teal colors in it. The colors lend a tranquility to the coffee table vignette.

To mix up the subjects, I have incorporated a hardcover book on wine; Windows on The World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tend to play around with these books to see what works height-wise and also color-wise. I have removed the cover of A History of Art for now, as well as the one belonging to The Biblical World - An Illustrated Atlas. I love a good National Geographic book - it is always educational and has great pictures.

 

 

 

 

There are more books. I will probably switch them around every so often.

 

I have thought about covering them up in similar colored paper to achieve a more uniform look but perhaps another time.

 

Do you use a selection of books to decorate your rooms and enjoy them as much for their colors and titles?

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

 



Can you guess which rug I chose?

Last week I talked about shopping for a rug. After much research online and in stores I traipsed into west elm a few times and decided to go with one from their selection. And because I waited I was rewarded with a 15% reduction in price -  all rugs happened to be on sale till Sept 24th!

Can you guess which rug I chose?

 

Gorgeous texture!

I went with a 9' x 12' Chevron Knot Rug. I decided on this one because of its texture and pattern as well as because the color would be versatile in any room. I wanted to downplay the formality of the living room. 

 

The rug looks a little different in the picture above from the west elm picture below due to lighting as well as because one is a close-up. It is the same rug.

 

 

It has been delivered and I spent the better part of this afternoon moving furniture out of and back into the living room in order to position the rug pad and the rug. I did not want to wait for help to do this -  evenings are busy and so is this weekend. It was not easy but I did it.

This is a picture in the midst of the chaos, attempting to unravel the rug pad. And subsequently all the furniture was moved out of the room while I set about precisely positioning it before unwrapping the rug itself.

 

 

 

I am working on a new layout for the main seating area in the living room - something a little different. I drew it out and it seemed to work and I am trying it with the new rug. All will be revealed.

 

Enjoy your weekend as we head into Autumn!

 

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

While shopping at west elm

west elm opened up a store on our local high street a few months ago. I have long been a fan of their goods, have purchased for and recommended to clients and own a few pieces myself.

 

I have visited this new branch a few times and during the last visit I took pictures of some of the furniture that grabbed my attention.

 

The laquered Source Bench - part of a collaboration with a South African design studio, Source - caught my eye because of the color and then I noticed the woven leather seat. I am drawn to furniture with a woven element wherever I see it, and I always marvel at the different woven patterns. I also love the contrast in the spindles in the backrest as well as the colorblock effect on the feet.

 

 

This bench would look stunning with a variety of throw pillows on it. Playful, functional and a work of art all by itself.

 

Source Bench

 

 

It is also available in white.

 



Incidentally, the Source Dining Chair is also part of the same collaboration.

 

 

Source Dining Chair

I saw a customer buy one of these and walk out with it. I took a quick picture of one by a dining table. It is the John Vogel chair.  

 

John Vogel Chair

Besides the handwoven synthetic seat  - which adds a pretty pattern - the rounded backrest is an interesting aspect of the overall design.

Also on the shop floor was the John Vogel Bench.

 

John Vogel Bench

One of the reasons I was in the store multiple times was because I have been shopping around - in no hurry - for a rug for the living room.

This ivory Chevron Knot Rug, although neutral in color, is stunning. Its design lends dimension and obvious texture to the piece so therefore it is very appealing.

 

 

 

My other current favorite rug at west elm is this gorgeous Snow Peak Rug - luxuriously soft underfoot.

 

Incidentally, rugs are 15% off until September 24th.

 

 

 

Snow Peak Rug

 

 

I shall keep you posted on the rug situation. Are you a fan of west elm?

 

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.