Before I bought this rug, I read all the reviews and didn't know what to think. It's subtle, no its vibrant.....well, turns out they are both correct. People forget that rugs have a nap ( the yarn direction). In this rug if you have it oriented in on direction it is very subtle, the colors blending into an almost pastel effect. When you flip it around you get an entirely different, vibrant coloring-reds stand out, turquoise is more prounced and brown in dark brown. So I'd say play with it a while. The colors are in order of coverage 1) Red-a crimson red; 2) Beige/camel (I have a camel couch with brown leather trim and it is awesome on this rug; 3) Brown-In one direction the brown looks almost dark gray, but with the nap, its dark brown; Dark blue (not a lot). These are the colors that jump out at you. I am using it in a library full of leather-bound books and it makes the room pop with color. I love it. Why 4 stars? I'm picky and one end has a significant amount of backing showing. Fortunately, it ended up under my couch.