After looking at the red rug under the table for a week, I decided it was a little too small for the space and it made it too dark and formal. I did like how it defined the space however. Who knows, maybe I'll bring it out in the winter when I want things to look warm and cozy and put it away in the summer. I also took the yellow plates off the table and just put all my red ones on there. Then I replaced my red cloth napkins that were in the iron plate holder on the table, with some burlap ones I had stored in my china cabinet. The napkins match the curtains in the keeping room. Okay, done and done... or am I???
I switched my "Big Lots"rug from the keeping room and moved it into the breakfast room. Then I got the rug I had rolled up in the attic and put it in the keeping room. It used to be in the keeping room, but when I moved the ottoman from the family room to the keeping room, the gold rug didn't work. For some reason, when I put the tan curtains up and took down the bright red ones, that rug worked. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the rug is 2 toned and has tan and gold in it. The red rug seems to define the breakfast nook. Oh, and I ended up getting bigger rods for the keeping room windows. (Home Depot had the best deal on those.)
Before
After
I found a pair of panel curtains at TJ Maxx clearanced for $12.00 and I grabbed them. Only problem, I couldn't find another pair for the other window. So I cut them in half and voila, only spent $12.00 for curtains for my family room. Then I took the long curtains off the family room windows and put them in the keeping room. Only problem, I needed 3 sets of panels and couldn't find one more, so I cut them and put the thinner panels on the smaller windows. I didn't spend any money in that room. Then I went to Lowes and found window treatments for the bay window in the breakfast room. I'm still deciding if I want just the valence or the valence with 2 panels. Hmmm... Those weren't clearanced or free, but they weren't bad ($15.00 per valence and $30.00 per panel). I guess I'm feeling a little entitled since I was able to reuse the same rods and I've put up with my K-mart bright red valences for 10 years. It seems to give the space a little less of a "bistro" feeling and a little more sophistication. Because of less contrast in the window treatments and the walls, it seems to tone down the yellow walls that were always a bit bright for me, but didn't bug me enough to want to spend the money to repaint the whole interior. Who knows, I may faux finish one wall in the keeping room like I did in the family room. I think the older I get, the more I'm drawn toward the neutrals, with just a splash of color.
