How To Layer Rugs Over Carpet

Layering rugs whether on carpet or hardwood floors is a smart and simple way to give a room texture and take on another trend.

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. In those cases laying a thick luxurious shag rug adds a wonderful sense of softness and elegance to the space. 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. A neutral color with a cut wool pile and no heathering or interesting variation.

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. The key to layering carpet over carpet is to vary the texture. The right rug can actually look flawless when placed atop carpeted floors. Rugs should always be anchored whether used on a hardwood floor or on top of carpet.

In most cases wall to wall carpeting is very basic. Area rugs generally work best over short pile or looped carpet. Choose something with a different texture and or fiber like jute sisal silk. But today we re seeing multiple rugs laid in a room that are more related to each other.

The thought of layering up here may seem counter intuitive but the design reward is well worth it. 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. 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. On a hard floor an untethered rug is more likely to slide or slip but when layering area rugs over carpet the rug is more likely to wrinkle or ripple.

Layering rugs gives you license to have a little fun but don t go rug wild.