How To Layer Rugs Over Carpet

Rugs should always be anchored whether used on a hardwood floor or on top of carpet.

How to layer rugs over carpet.

In most cases wall to wall carpeting is very basic. The thought of layering up here may seem counter intuitive but the design reward is well worth it. Years ago the layering trend started with simply placing a patterned rug on top of a sisal or other natural fiber carpet. Area rugs generally work best over short pile or looped carpet.

It s all about color coordinating says fire. Layering rugs whether on carpet or hardwood floors is a smart and simple way to give a room texture and take on another trend. A neutral color with a cut wool pile and no heathering or interesting variation. The right rug can actually look flawless when placed atop carpeted floors.

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. 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. 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. But today we re seeing multiple rugs laid in a room that are more related to each other.

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. 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. In those cases laying a thick luxurious shag rug adds a wonderful sense of softness and elegance to the space.

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