Coordinating Art with Rug

QUESTION
My client has found a beautiful rug that is 5x7 that has a soft neutral background with about 7 flowers the size of your hand in muted colors. The picture she likes to put over the love seat is a European scene with two very small sailboats, a rock wall in the foreground with a vine of muted red flowers which are about the color of the brick fireplace. What do you think about a picture with this scene with the rug I described? Is there a good rule for choosing pictures and rugs that work well together?

ANSWER

Rules:
1) Colors must blend and harmonize with everything else in the room;
2) Size of art must be appropriate for the wall (proportion);
3) Size and format of picture must be appropriate over the loveseat (scale).

Remember your 2/3rds rule I gave you.

Otherwise you can mix anything together, so long as the colors fit and you get a good feeling. I'm not one who requires some hard fast style and no other in the same room. Just have a good mix if you're breaking style.