Apartment Files: Progress Here and There

Apartment decorating continues fairly slowly.  I feel like I've spent a lot of money with nothing major to show for it, but my cupboards are full, my frig is stocked,  I've got a mattress and somewhere comfortable to sit in the living room.  Its not minor.  

I bought this sofa off Craigslist for $150.  It's Mitchell Gold, so it should be well made enough to handle reupholstery, if I ever decide to go that route.  (In my head I'm picturing grey linen with a single cushion across the seat and back, the back tufted, and the legs stripped of the dark stain... way more ambitious than is going to happen anytime soon).   I was afraid the rust color would look really bad with the wall color, but it actually looks good.  Photoshop really washes pictures out when you "save for the web," everything in this photo is brighter in reality.  The footstool and throw are from IKEA, the big curly wool pillow from West Elm, the little table is a cast-off, the Matilija poppies are from the garden.  They grow wild on the sides of some of the roads, so pretty.

 This is my imagining for adding artwork and a mirror.  I would have drawn in a low shelf under the windows, but my patience failed me.

The furniture arrangement is still shifting.  Visually I kind of prefer the couch under the windows, but functionally I think it needs to go across from the door.  I'm planning to get a low shelf or cabinet for under the window, and a small-ish chair to go where that mess of cords is.  For the time being I'm planning on sticking with the white curtains that came with the place, although the finials on the curtain rods are kind of driving me nuts.  Or maybe it's the black rods in general.

Anyway, I need a chair.  Not sure what direction I'm going to go in there.  And a rug.  I really need a rug.  I think my first choice is this Eileen Fisher recycled leather rug from Garnet Hill.  It's been on my wishlist for a long time now, and it would work well here with the color palette that's establishing itself.  The downside is the 4-6 week shipping delay.

I also saw and liked these striped wool runners at IKEA last week.  A couple of them laid side by side might work well, and would be really budget friendly.  Andrup, 2'7" x 8'2".  If not, I might get one for the kitchen area.

The chair?  Really unsure.  Scanning craigslist and ebay for something comfortable and with a small footprint.   I've also been searching for artwork, accessories, and lamps.  OMG it's  impossible to find a cool lamp when you need one.  You know, that doesn't cost 8 million dollars.
This is the dream chair.

Paulistano from DWR.

 Norton from Room & Board.

If the Paulistano is the "high" option,  this Norton chair from R&B is the mid-range option.  I really wish the the legs were a natural color, not stained so dark.  I also think this chair will feel too heavy in this tiny apartment.  Maybe that's a good thing?  Something grounding?  

And this is the more affordable option that was on my inspiration board.  The main issue with this chair is the terracotta color, which will now be a litlle matchy-matchy with the sofa.  

Fiberglass shell chair with low-rod base.  From Modernica.

So, that's the direction its heading.  I like it, but its still so undeveloped that I don't love it, and its not homey.  What do you think?  Ever tried to decorate a temporary place without buying temporary furniture?