One of the lessons I’ve picked up about design schemes is to start with the floors, and work your way up from there to create a cohesive space.  Ie, find a good carpet that you love, and pull from it, letting it dictate the color palette and style of the room.

I was set on finding a coral carpet, the perfect shade of bright, “off red” that would complement my accessories and breathe life into the living room.  I had my heart set on the below Brooke pattern from Madeline Weinrib in Pink, but not only is it overpriced, the 8×10′ has been out of stock for awhile (probably a sign):

So I just Zipcar-ed it out to the ABC Carpet & Home Warehouse this weekend in the Bronx and was blown away.  What a place.  It’s spilling with cast-offs from the pricier flagship store in the Flatiron, and there’s a full floor devoted to rugs.  Here are three frontrunners I pulled:

They’re all close to what I’m looking for, but not close enough.  But they say those with an open mind are rewarded!  I found a cute lamp (on the floor, above) that’s already made its way onto a bookshelf:

…and a new coffee table as well.  A mirror-topped neoclassical shape that brings a strong masculinity to my space:

You’ll notice it’s resting on my current carpet.  Babysteps..