Modular carpet tiles are extremely popular for commercial interiors. Interface/FLOR has done a great job of marketing this idea to the public but at (what I feel) is a premium price. Before you buy, you may want to google modular carpet tiles or carpet tiles- you may find another manufacturer/ liquidator that can give you a similar product for about $2 sqft. icarpettiles.com even lets you buy left overs. It may take longer for you to find the neat graphic patterns similar to FLOR's, but the money you'll save using commercial stuff will probably make it worth while. You'd be amazed how well the thick puffy double sided tape works for holding tiles down, provided it's not too puffy, and you can get that stuff at a hardware store.

cb2.com has a nice 8x10 wool rug for $499. it's the light color you're looking for and has a subtle circle pattern for added design and texture. also available in smaller sizes.

it's the [url href=http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=170f=2198]eclipse rug[/url]

gl!

Depending on the season, you can usually find a decent rug at [url href=http://www.westelm.com]West Elm[/url] for under $500. They seem to change their syles/products about 3 times a year and have a nice selection of affordable pieces.