True Life: I Have Area Rug Struggles

Confession: I have ADD when it comes to selecting rugs for my house. I don't know what it is, but I debate over colors, prints, and materials forever when I'm trying to make a final decision. After we moved into our house a few years ago, a rug was the first big purchase I was excited to make because we have all wood floors (which I love) but I think it took me a full 6 months to a year to select a design for the dining room. To me, area rugs are statement pieces that set the tone for the room, so I always worry I will choose one that I'll end up hating in 6 months or growing tired of and wanting to change the entire color scheme but being pigeon-holed to a certain style. Not to mention, I always end up looking at rugs online and get concerned that the image in my mind won't transfer correctly in real life.
However, I am happy to report that I recently selected a rug for our living room (after 3 years, finally!) and am very pleased with how it looks. This is the room we sit in the least, though coincidentally, it's one of my favorite rooms in the house because of the overhead loft and the beautiful natural light. With that said, I haven't spent as much time on decor in here, it's more or less a combination of both of our things and a few purchases we've made over the years so I figured it was time to start working on it. I was trying to choose between a bright color with a vintage looking print or a a neutral color with a modern pattern and I ended up going with the latter. My thought process was, I love the idea of adding pops of color to a room but if I want, I can swap those things out more easily (throw pillows, wall art, bookshelves, etc.) rather than replacing an over-sized area rug. 
Here is a before shot of our front room:

Here are the after shots with my rug from Rugs USA:

Side note, the vintage chest you see in the left hand corner of the photo above is one of my favorite parts of the room. My neighbor actually had this at the end of his driveway, trying to get rid of it because to him it may just been taking up space, but to me, it's a treasure. It's a gorgeous trunk with an unbeatable old world look and not to mention, perfect extra storage for stashing cozy blankets. The inside is all wood and has a matching old-library book smell that you couldn't recreate if you tried. Last year, I took it out on our deck and washed it with teak oil...next on my list, cut a custom piece of glass to fit the top to give it new life as an actual end table.

P.S. This is almost an exact replica of the chest if you're interested in securing your own vintage piece!

Next on my list of room updates are painting the bookshelves a sea foam/mint color and doing the same to the wall behind the couch to add a fun punch of color. I'm also on the hunt for accent chairs...give me a shout out if you have favorite places/brands!


Shop the post:

Rug: Moroccan Trellis
Cow print: Homegoods (similar)
Follow your arrow Pillow: Kirklands (love this one too)
Pineapple pillow: Homegoods (this colorful one is adorable)
Silver bar stand: Homegoods
Coffee table: Purchased from previous home owners (similar)
Framed quotes: The Motivated Type

Thank you to Rugs USA for partnering with me on this post!