Making it Yours 15B: Pink Persian-Style Rug

Thank you for the great response to my new approach to these Making it Yours posts! I love sharing a bit more about the thought process behind the designs.

The last post was pretty girly and young, and this time we’re going a bit more grownup, a bit more neutral. Well, as neutral as one can get with a pink rug as the foundation, but I’m going to show an alternative color scheme at the end. This is going to be a living room, so with the rug already chosen (since we’re seeing it in three looks), the next big choice is the sofa. Sometimes I know exactly which piece I’ll be incorporating, and sometimes I have to look around a bit. In this case, I immediately thought of the latest sofa from Interior Define, designed by Maxwell of Apartment Therapy.

The walls are going to be painted either in Clunch or Dimity, both by Farrow & Ball (I’m considering both for a project I’m working on right now, so the colors are top of mind). Between the pink rug, pale walls, and the beige sofa, it’s all very light. We need a little depth and contrast in the form of dark finishes, maybe leather or velvet, and wood. How about a big display cabinet, or maybe a wall of bookshelves to start?

DARK CABINETS AND SHELVING: Chelsea Display Cabinet • Tuscan Flush Bookcases • St. James Armoire • Geometric Double Door Cabinet • Soft Metal Industrial Cabinet

It’s probably going to be the chelsea display cabinet or the geometric double door cabinet (both hit the right mix of modern and traditional), but I won’t decide for sure until everything else comes together.

Now chairs. A matching pair or two different styles? Maybe one upholstered (good way to introduce leather and/or color), and one wood? Gotta see what’s out there and what works. Maybe one pricier option and one more affordable — I try to mixup the price points as I would in my own home.

I started by looking for slim-profiled dark leather chairs with metal bases. These are a nod to the lines of the SAIC sling nightstand in the bedroom.

SLIM METAL-BASE CHAIRS: Barcelona Chair • Cue Chair with Brass Legs (velvet) • Borough Leather Chair • Milo Leather Chair • Major Leather Chair w/ Polished Brass • Mellby Leather Chair

My favorite of the bunch for this room was the cue chair with brass legs. It’s the only non-leather chair of the bunch but it fits stylistically, and because it’s fabric, it’s a bit more affordable than most of the others. I think wood is out for the other chair now; these need something more plush. And what color? Pink, bien sûr. Maybe a wingback, or something with tufting? It needs to be different in shape from the other upholstered pieces, and a bit larger in scale than the cue chairs.

PINK CHAIRS (numbered, so we can discuss)

1. Tom Dixon Pink Wingback Chair
   So cool! So tall! Too tall?

2. Linen Gwinnette Chair
   This is a good option. I like the tufting that’s not present anywhere else. On the traditional side, but that could work depending on what else ends up in the design.

3. Bliss Down-Filled Chair-and-a-Half
   I like the envelope styling of the cushions, but this is a bit too wide and low for the room.

4. Thompson Wing Chair, Blush
   Kind of feminine — a good balance to the masculine chairs.

5. Linen Astrid Chair
   Maybe too feminine? It’s a contender though. I bought this chair ten years ago in an orange/red pattern. Sometimes I still wish I had it.

6. Belgian Chair, Blush
   Subtle reference of the sofa arms, but not an exact match (that’s a good thing). Nailhead detailing is a plus, as is the traditional lines.

7. Söderhamn Light Pink Chair
   Great price ($330), but a little too flat and lean for my liking here.

8. Linen Glenlee Chair, Wilcox
   The rolled arms are too similar to the sofa’s pared back version of the same style.

9. Saba Powder Pink Amélie Swivel Chair
   A little deco. I’m into it.

Screen shot! Here’s what I’m looking at as I write this. (The post is coming together stream-of-consciousness style. It’s different for me, but I’m enjoying it! Also, we’re at the point where I want to chuck all of my furniture and do this in my house. Happens just about every time — I’ve gotten good at ignoring it.)

The rug, sofa, and black chair are staying. I think the geometric cabinet is staying. For chairs, I’m thinking #2, 4, 5, 6, or 9. Let’s look for a coffee table, shall we? Not brass — too on-the-nose with the brass chair legs. Wood, or maybe lucite? OK, found what I wanted without too much searching: the Boom Coffee Table has a nice wood tone, and the chunky/blocky shape is nice against the spindly legs of the chair and the turned legs of the sofa. A little gold accent table for next to the pink chair would be good with it.

Boom Coffee Table • Ellison Side Table

I had been thinking I would bring back one of the white table lamps from last time, but now I think a floor lamp would be the better choice, and I know just the one. Time to pull this all together!

1. Floating, Alice Gao, Offset for West Elm

2. Brooklyn Summer, Erik Melvin, Artfully Walls

3. Thompson Wing Chair, Blush, Serena & Lily

4. Ellison Side Table, Birch Lane

5. Cue Chair with Brass Legs, CB2

6. La Jolla Baskets – White, Serena & Lily

7. Caged Bubble Vases, West Elm

8. Clunch Paint, Farrow & Ball

9. Boom Coffee Table, Dwell Studio

10. Pink Persian-Style Rug, West Elm

11. Judy Bust Statue, CB2

12. Geometric Double Door Cabinet, Restoration Hardware

13. Cylinder Floor Lamp, Rejuvenation

14. Maxwell Sofa by Maxwell Ryan, Interior Define

15. Channels Ebony & Ivory Pillow, Arianna Belle

OK, and just because it’s so simple to change this out, let’s take a look with a different color scheme. Everything is the same except for the rug and the color of one chair. Funny how color changes things so much, eh?

IDENTICAL, EXCEPT: 3. Thompson Wing Chair, Gold, Serena & Lily • 10. Taza Hand-Knotted Jute Rug, Dash & Albert