How To Layer Rugs Over Carpet

You want the rug to bring life to the floor like in laura s adorable melbourne home shown above where she layered a graphic flat weave over beige carpet and a basic tiled hearth.

How to layer rugs over carpet.

A neutral color with a cut wool pile and no heathering or interesting variation. Layering rugs gives you license to have a little fun but don t go rug wild. It s all about color coordinating says fire. Rugs should always be anchored whether used on a hardwood floor or on top of carpet.

But today we re seeing multiple rugs laid in a room that are more related to each other. When laying the rug over carpet however the concern is more about the rug wrinkling or rippling which presents a big tripping hazard wrinkling will occur because as one area of the rug is stepped on it will shift assuming it is not properly. Choose something with a different texture and or fiber like jute sisal silk. In most cases wall to wall carpeting is very basic.

In those cases laying a thick luxurious shag rug adds a wonderful sense of softness and elegance to the space. The right rug can actually look flawless when placed atop carpeted floors. Layering rugs whether on carpet or hardwood floors is a smart and simple way to give a room texture and take on another trend. Area rugs generally work best over short pile or looped carpet.

Sure the unexpected contrast of weaves and prints may have guests doing a double take but if done right layered rugs can pop in a playful way and more practically pull together a space. The thought of layering up here may seem counter intuitive but the design reward is well worth it. When laying an area rug over a hard surface such as hardwood flooring the biggest concern about the rug s movement is that it will slide around. As a rule of thumb you can layer two or three rugs at a time but experts say that two is considered the sweet spot.

The key to layering carpet over carpet is to vary the texture.