Design Dilemma...

While I have wonderful visions for my living room and what the furniture and built-in shelves should look like, I forgot a key piece of the puzzle.  The flooring.  Right now, we have oatmeal colored Berber carpet.  To be nice, it's REALLY not one of my favorite parts of the house.  I'm sure when the house was new (17 years ago) the carpet was lovely.  Our house has changed owners 4 or 5 times and I think the carpet has remained the same.  Also, I like to roll around on the floor, stretch, and hang out.  Berber isn't exactly conducive to that kind of behavior.  If you read the blog last week, you are aware of my long list of things that require money right now.  Carpet isn't on the list.

Here are two ideas.  I really need some feedback on the second one.

Idea #1- The room is small.  I'm sure I could find a store that sells carpet remnants and get a pretty good deal.  There is still the expense of ripping up the old and installing the new, though.  I am  probably looking at a project that will require patience and money saving.  Not really interested in that. I want instant gratification (by now I'm sure you have read between the lines and seen that I am ALL about that!)

Idea #2- If I offend any design junkies, I apologize in advance. I'm just throwing this out there to see where it lands...What about an area rug over my existing carpet?  Did you just throw up on your keyboard? Please don't hate me.  I got the idea from House*Tweaking

Photo courtesy of House*Tweaking

Although Dana Miller used this rug as an accent, I would buy a rug big enough to cover the majority of the carpet.  I'm also thinking of using an indoor/outdoor rug...please don't click over to Facebook, yet!  

I found this Dash & Albert Rug that I think I like a lot.

The dogs seem happy lying on it.  Surely I would be, too.

www.dashandalbert.com 

The problem with this rug is that the 8'5" x 11' is $514.  Also, I have never actually felt an indoor/outdoor rug so it could feel awful to my alligator-like delicate skin.  My thinking is that how nice would it be to be able to take the rug outside and squirt it off and let it dry in the sun???

An example of why this is so important to me:

He fell asleep while watching t.v.  Just slumped right over and conked out.  He was apparently in the middle of eating or storing something brown in his mouth (in addition to his ever-present pacifier).  When I picked him and his monkey up, there was something really gross, wet, and sticky on the carpet.  This was on his father's watch, not mine!

Ok...give me your opinions!  I can take it, I'm a big girl!

Marlene