Starting with a rug... where to go from here?  

I'm not sure if the best procedure is to decide on a rug before other furnishings,
since rugs are used to unify a space, and are available in an endless array of dimensions, colors, and textures; why limit yourself to accommodating THIS specific color & texture, available in only two sizes?
But the question of "where to begin" is a good one.
I guess the first thing I'd do is determine the furniture items I consider essential (sofa, desk, dining table, whatever). Then assess the architecture & layout of the empty space before deciding on anything specific. How much wall space is there to play with? Are there furniture pieces that would be better than others in front of those enormous windows? Ceiling height? Where do I want the dining table in relation to the kitchen? How about the room's traffic patterns to the kitchen, bath, bedroom, closets?
Decide where the living, dining, and office areas should roughly be, that'll give you an idea of the the types of pieces that would work in those areas.
Then, do a lot of shopping and imagining before committing to anything in particular. Decide on a sofa and dining table & chairs that work well together and within the space. Then fill in with coffee tables, easy chairs, etc.
I can't see why you'd BEGIN by choosing a rug, frankly. I'm inclined to think that all of the furniture pieces of the "living area" should sit atop an area rug to unify the space, so how can you know the ideal size, color, and texture of your area rug until you've decided on the furniture?

First of all, thank you so...
First of all, thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I have always heard that rugs 'unify a space' but somehow forgot this concept when I picked out this rug. To be honest, having no furniture for a while is not really an option and since this is the only thing i'm certain I like I decided to go with it and build everything else around it. It takes about 4 weeks to deliver so I wanted to jump on it.
I know where I want everything to go in this space (there really aren't a ton of options here as it is such a small living area). I know that I like this moss green, gray, white, black and brown. I also love copper, but not sure how I would bring that in.
10 foot ceilings and large windows will bring the eyes up naturally correct? There is SO much natural light in here all day, I feel like I can get away with some darker elements. I can picture most of it now, but I probably should avoid the knock off Platner coffee table and Barcelona chairs, right? I have this feeling that reproductions are something I would be embarrassed by in little time.
Where do people go who want more comfort and quality than Ikea, less cost than Rolf Benz, Ligne and yes, even Bo Concept, and I suppose a little more chic than Crate and Barrel? I'm sure this is why people bring in designers, but I really do enjoy this and am eager to learn as much as I can. Not to mention as a photographer and brand designer myself this should be part of my skill set!
Thanks again for your help!

There are better reasons to avoid those Barcelonas.
Embarrassment over the fact that they're knockoffs will be the least of your worries. Much more important are these truths:
1. Barcelona chairs are supremely uncomfortable.
2. Furnishing with them shows a complete lack of imagination.
When you write -- before choosing anything but a rug -- "I know where I want everything to go in this space (there really aren't a ton of options here as it is such a small living area)", that says to me that you're not starting with a broad-enough set of possibilities.
Where are you geographically? East Coast of the United States? If you're near New York, get off the internet and go visit some furniture stores or places like the New York Design Center. You'll see a lot of things that you can't afford or that aren't exactly right, but some of them will stimulate your thought process and maybe give you new ideas for good choices that are totally different from what you're thinking of now.
And if you're not doing so already, read. Books are good, but you'll probably get more immediate benefit from magazines like Dwell, Metropolis, and even Wallpaper. Again, you're not necessarily looking for pieces to buy there, but for general concepts and new perspectives.
Color is clearly important to you; it's practically all you've talked about. Is it possible that you're focusing on color because you don't have enough knowledge of other qualities that differentiate pieces? Perhaps it would be helpful to go through stores or magazines or websites and try to pick out pieces you like (or hate) while consciously ignoring the color. You might learn that there are other characteristics that you feel as strongly about as color.
And don't forget that you don't have to buy brand-new pieces. Some people are freaked out by what they imagine might be lurking inside used fabric-upholstered furniture, but even the nuttiest germophobe shouldn't have any problems buying pre-owned hard furniture like tables and barstools. Vintage pieces on Ebay (or on Craigslist, if you live near rich people with taste) are much less expensive than the new versions, and they're often nicer.
Good luck...

If you need to buy immediately
and haven't the time or patience to really plan, I suggest you start with a sofa and dining table first, then choose side tables and other items to work with those.
Keep in mind that a well balanced, harmonious room furnished with nondescript pieces always trumps a thoughtless riot of discordant pedigree designs. You can always jazz it up with art, lamps, and accessories, down the road.

Agreed and nice rug, I'd have...
Agreed and nice rug, I'd have bought it too. I don't think Barcelonas are that uncomfortable but if the copies use the same profile of steel as my crappy Brno they can cut you, seriously I stubbed my little toe on mine a few days ago and it cut a nasty flap of skin that bled for about an hour.
A floor plan would be good, with Cardinal points too, you might want to screen some glare or something...helps if folk here can see the layout, brown leather sofa would be nice with the rug and a THICK slab of glass for a cofee table, maybe you could afford a proper Mies table at least?
And plants..or screening off one of the bays? Maybe a bench in that area?

Don't know your budget, Judson--
But what about Room & Board? Their website features some nice looking sofas.
I acquired a secondhand Room & Board "Copenhagen" cabinet recently, and I find the quality quite impressive.

I'm liking all of this. So...
I'm liking all of this. So helpful and I really appreciate you all refraining from calling me a spammer, newbie etc... I don't know what i'm doing but just these comments have opened up my way of thinking?so i will press on.
The "classics" don't really represent me, since i've only wanted them since I discovered them a few weeks ago. I want to really design a space the clients are wowed by, but not because of the price tag necessarily. I do want nice quality and am willing to pay.
Craigs list in Boston is FULL of junk. I'm trying to find a "steal" and will happily pay $2k for a $5k sectional from ligne, rolf ? if it matches my space.
Room and Board seems great. A little bit conservative to me. Maybe i'm missing something amongst way too many options. I like the urban-chic, asian-modern of a W hotel or Mandarin Oriental (who I do a lot of graphic design work for). I'm sure when my clients stop in they will be happy and comfortable in that familiar sexy, asian oasis feel.. Well, eventually
Check out the floor plan here, maybe that will help?

I don't know from the urban-chic, asian-modern of a W or Mandarin Oriental
or what makes your clients happy, comfortable or wowed-- you're on your own there.
Unlike the floor plan shown, your apartment has no terrace, right? That passageway is one less thing you need to take into account.
I'm not seeing how your Envelop desk will fit into the equation. I'd ditch it and find a wall-mounted shelving system that features a desk, and put it along that left wall (that the sofa in your diagram faces).
Confused as to whether you intend to have a real dining table-- you mentioned a Platner table earlier, but also a bar table with stools (maybe it was a Platner coffee table you were talking about). Why a bar table, and where a bar table?
I wonder if the following would work-- shelving unit with desk against left wall, L-shaped sofa, low slim Parsons dining table with 3 chairs abutting sofa? The table could seat 4 in a pinch-- 2 in middle, 2 at either end.

I like WHC's idea of a...
I like WHC's idea of a wall-mounted shelving unit with the desk built in. Look up Cado systems. Lovely MCM wall systems.
Also, I thought from looking at the floor plan that the bar stools were because the original poster was going to try to possibly increase counter space for the kitchen by adding a bar between the kitchen and living area. Use part of the bar for food prep and part for seating. My friend did this in his loft. He had a smaller kitchen like that which was completely open to the living area. He segregated the space by adding a bar between. If you do the bar option, will you also be having a dining table or will that be the only dining area? My friend didn't have alot of room to work with but he wanted a dining able in case he had company. He got a nice sized teak dining table with ends that folded down. The middle section was actually quite small with the ends folded down. He has a chair on each end of the table (all that it will accommodate with the ends folded down). The rest of the dining chairs are scattered throughout the apartment. He uses one for his desk chair. One in the entryway for putting on/removing shoes, etc. He just grabs them when he has company and viola a full dining table.

That's a pretty nice-looking...
That's a pretty nice-looking smaller apartment. Just out of curiosity...what city is it located in?

I don't think he or she wants to spend the time required to hunt down the right vintage Cado unit.
But, there are contemporary solutions, such as Rakks systems. (Or Vitsoe or Atlas Industries, if you're rich.)

envelope desk
I think the envelope desk is a good idea. It's small, and easy to move around if you find too much glare or sunlight on your work space. That should be an important consideration in a room with those large windows.
I have an envelope desk myself and tend to shift it around a bit in the morning when the light comes in low and bright. But the best part of it is that the work surface is so adjustable. I had been working at a fixed desk using my computer for ACAD and Excel spreadsheets and developed a very painful ulnar nerve problem because of that. If you plan to do much work at home, you should find the very best work station/desk you can.

the ulnar! that's why i have...
the ulnar! that's why i have to have this desk! :)... or really 🙁
i'm glad that you like it?i'm in fairly miserable pain each day and so while wall storage/desk solution would be ideal and attractive?i need the desk/chair combo to take precedence to all else

the desk
Yes. I like my desk. I still feel some twinges of nerve pain, but so far it hasn't come back like before. It was so bad, I could only manage to sleep 3 hours at night, and would only fall asleep when fatigue somehow overpowered the pain. I hope you are getting physical therapy. I went for several months, although the first two weeks of stretches saw the most improvement. It almost seemed miraculous.
By the way, I also bought the Embody chair. As an architect, I got a fairly good discount. Still, I don't think the Embody is the only choice. But when I sat in it for the first time, I adjusted the armrests just so, and felt pain relief for the first time.
Good luck with your recovery,....and your decorating.