We have a decision!!
I know, it hardly seems possible, but it is true! Here is a rundown of voting (because I found it quite amusing how evenly it was split):
1. Jute rug with Terra Cotta-colred border = Three votes
2. Natural colored rug with concentric rectangles in brown = Five votes
3. Colorful, ethnic-print rug - Two votes
4. Pretty neutral stripe Pottery Barn rug = Three votes
5. Large-print floral rug = Three votes
So I should definitely respond to each of you individually on your blogs (rather than here - sheesh, how self-centered of me! Goodness.) but for a dozen reasons, I am exhausted and really just don't have time for all of that. So I will do so on here.
Several of you suggested one of the more neutral pieces, and I want you to let you know that I really appreciate your counsel - I need your kind of vision to help balance my sometimes.
Dot: I'm anticipated that there will be heavy wear and tear, so I only looked at rugs that were intended to go outside . . . fear not, I was concerned about the very same thing.
Macy: The light is probably an issue I should consider. My choice will not help brighten the dark area, but it will look nicer than it does empty. Hope you like it anyway!
So here it is, the rug that's on its way to me:
While all your viewpoints helped make this a tremendously easier process, the biggest vote (the husband's) was for this one, in brown. (Thanks for noticing and getting me to the chocolate-colored ones, Trisha!) Also, it helped that it cost approximately 1/3 of each of the other rugs - hurray!
Individualized comments coming soon. See you, all!