Almost a year ago we repainted our family room in Benjamin Moore Steel Wool, which I detailed in a Family Room Makeover post. We hung different artwork as planned, but I never got around to choosing a new rug. Now that our older son, who likes to use the floor as a picnic blanket, is in boarding school, I feel a little more comfortable splurging on a new rug.
It should be an almost solid color rug, but not quite. It should have some variegated color, but not actual texture. The rug we have now is chunky and loopy, and I imagine the crumbs embedded in it could feed a family of four for a month. (Yeah, we’re gross.)
The room is a narrow rectangle with a slightly odd extension off one side and a bay window on the other. I’ve often thought about having a rug custom cut, but not sure if I can bear the expense. Here are 20 almost solid color, not quite patterned but not completely plain rugs.
S H O P P I N G
Shop StyleCarrot partners and other retailers for subtly patterned solid rugs.
We never seem to have enough hooks, whether it’s in the closet, on the back of the bathroom door, or in the kitchen, I’ve been meaning to add to by my desk for my tote bag too, instead of always draping it on the back of my chair. I don’t want it to stand out, so I’ll need to find simple modern wall hooks.
With the holidays upon us, not to mention what’s sure to be a snowy winter, adding hooks to inside the closet, by the door in the entry, and pretty much all over the mudroom is always a good idea.
Here are 38 mostly modern wall hooks from StyleCarrot partners and other shops, many fun, all functional.
A few weeks ago I did a small roundup of modern rocking chairs to accompany a decor story in the Boston Globe. (Every Monday my lovely colleague Jaci Conroy writes an interior design article for the Globe and I pull together a corresponding group of furnishings & accessories.) I found so many great modern rocking chairs + contemporary rocking chairs that I figured a blog post was in order.
These all have great styling and are a far departure from traditional rockers or overstuffed gliders for the nursery. We have an Eames molded plastic rocker in sky blue on the Cape that we bought for my son, though I think it’s in our room now. Sometimes I use it on our little deck. I didn’t include that iconic example here, but there are other examples (mid-century modern furniture replicas), like the #16, the Swerve which has jaunty cut-outs and a full wooden base.
I love the look of #5, a very spare rocker from NYC shop Matter, and of love the tall mint-upholstered one by Normann Copenhagen. And if only I could place that blush colored Artifort rocker in the model apartment I’m decorating. Probably thought, the one that makes the most sense for my lifestyle is Gus Modern’s GT rocker (#13). It is definitely a contemporary rocking chair in style, but with enough cushion to be comfy.
Shop 30 modern rocking chairs from StyleCarrot partners and other favorite shops.
1 Comback Rocking Chair by Patricia Urquiola for Kartell, $890 at YLiving.
2 Taxed Rocking Chair by Segis, $1,309.99 at AllModern.
We have a modern grey sofa in the family room, and although it may not be as fashion forward as I’d like, it’s got clean lines, durable fabric, and big comfy cushions. It’s so long all four of us can watch television on it. We actually kind of built the room around it, insisting to our designer that the door to the study be extra narrow. (He wasn’t happy but obliged.)
Since everyone still seems to want to buy a grey sofa, here are 60 modern grey sofas you can shop for at 27 different stores (some StyleCarrot partners), from minimalist modern styles to more classic tufted chesterfield sofas, with a few gray sleeper sofas thrown in. Price points vary, with ten styles under $1000 and many falling in the mid-range.
1 Carmichael Loft Sofa by Gus*Modern, $1,999 at 2Modern.
2 Jacksonville Convertible Sofa II by Gold Sparrow, $360.99 at AllModern.
3 Sterling Sofa by BD Fine, $1,985 at Burke Decor.
If you’re looking for living room furniture, would you consider a leather sofa? Leather sofas, especially those in natural shades, can look truly fantastic in a living room with a more modern aesthetic. I would never have thought of pairing leather and sheepskin, or leather and bright pops of color, but the combination works.
If you are contemplating a purchase, here are 28 leather sofas in modern silhouettes and cognac, tobacco, and caramel hues. My favorites are 3, 13, and 23. I was not familiar with DeSede, but I’m loving it.
Shop modern leather sofas from StyleCarrot partners.