Decorating and Design - new capet and furniture??

HELP!!! We are in the process of buying new carpet and furntiure for our living room and I am clueless as to colors and fabrics. It will be a moderately used room for our family of 8 as we will soon have a family room for more active use. The room is papered in hunter green 2/3 up the wall with 1/2' gold accents every 2-3". The border is atop the paper in the same green with more ornate gold accents. The above wall is painted off white. The window coverings are hunter too.

My husband thinks a slightly marbled hunter green low pile carpet would look great but will that be too dark??

And where do I go with the furniture?? Our accent colors are beige and cranberry. Should the furniture have any pattern and if so, what? and how about colors?? Beige??

Well, sounds like something I would like!! As far as the carpet being to dark, that would largely depend on the overall size of the room, ceiling hight and amount of lighting - natural and artificial. Is there an option for a bare surface like hardwood or pergo? That would really free you up to make the other desicions like furniture color and style. Just a thought!

Thanks for the input. My first choice for the floor was hardwood, but unfortunately it isn't in our budget right now and no time to do it ourselves. I am leaning toward a lighter biege carpet now to enlarge the room and give more options for darker furniture. We'll see. Thanks again.

I was thinking about that option as well, and due to the size of your family and ineveitable traffic maybe a tightly woven pile carpet (Gerber-esque) might do the trick. They seem to be fairly stain resistant and show traffic marks less. And you can find them "sprekled" light base with darker threads woven in. Kind of the best of both worlds.

Why not go with both huntergreen and beige/off white. The gold could be an accent in a floral with those same colors. Think stripes (green with beige or off white). Floral and stripes look very good together. The floral could also include your cranberry. It would really pull the room together.

Go for the beige, It will make the room look more open. Also it's better to have a nuetral in carpet as dark carpets sometimes fade unevenly. Also if you redo the room you will be held to a dark green in the color scheme.

Berber is good for high traffic, but check with people you know who have it, most people either love or hate it and most don't know til it's too late!

Good luck!

I meant the furniture not the carpet. I think your idea for the carpet is fine. As for dark carpet fading unevenly I have had a dark green in my family room for the last 5 years and I have yet to see any such fading. The two patterns go well together, one on the sofa and one on chair/s. I missed the fact that I didn't mention the furniture when I discribed the patterns. Lotsawhite said she wanted to know what to use in the furniture not just the carpet and it wasn't being addressed. I must have been in a rush that day.

Gini, I knew you must have meant the furniture as stripes and floral in carpeting wouldn't cut it. :) You guys have really given me lots ponder. Talked my husband into a more neutral carpet giving us more options with the furniture. Considering an even cut berber - have it in another room and it's great for our "high traffic" family. The piles just show too much wear.

Also like the stripe/floral idea. Thinking of stripes of burgundy and green on beige for a couch and and maybe a small beige pattern on a green chair. Thanks to all for the input.