Over the weekend I installed a rug over my parents wall to wall carpeting.
{ Totally not staged iphone picture}
When I told Jon and my sisters what I planned on doing they looked at me like I was crazy. I understand why they were hesitant. If a room already has carpet and your have a cushy spot to rest on you don’t really need a rug always, but there are certain times where when is helpful in the overall design of a space. Once we laid it out all of my naysayers agreed with me and were happy with the end result.
Here are some tips for achieving this look in your space.
1. If you have a big space like a huge room or an open floor plan layout with wall to wall carpeting use a rug to designate different areas of the room.
2. Only layer a rug over carpeting if you have a low pile carpet. You want the rug to lay flat on the carpeting to add pattern/color not a tripping hazard. Luckily most renters which typically have wall to wall carpeting have industrial grade carpeting which is low pile.
4. When in doubt go with a vintage Persian rug. Vintage rugs typically come in odd sizes so in order to still use them in your space it’s best to layer them over wall to wall carpeting or even a larger sisal rug.
7. When layering a rug pay attention to rug size. Depending on what it is going on under ie: a coffee table, sofa, bed, etc you will want it to be large enough to have at least a 2 ft border underneath the space. You don’t want to put a rug under a bed and then only have 5″ peeking out. Need help on rug sizes for bedrooms? Check out this rug guide.
I love this look! My in-laws have wall to wall carpet in their home and my MIL has done an amazing job layering rugs. She has the most beautiful rugs in every single room adding in a layer of pattern and color. Such a great look!
psssttt of course layering rugs is cool! It creates a mini space within a space- I love it and think its the only way to go in some spaces. I LOVE what you did in your parents room, it was totally needed 🙂
Thanks Linds! Miss ya lady! Please come to NY soon. I think I might be in the Boston area at some point in Feb with Jon and Hudson! We need to see each other if I’m there.
Totally on board with this! I tell clients all the time that rugs over carpet is perfectly acceptable as long as you do it right (which you’ve laid out so clearly in your post!).
After reading this today, I pulled out a rug I was storing and rolled it out in the living room. I love the look of it, but I may change out the rug in the future.
Did you do anything special to keep the area rug from bunching under the weight of the bed? I have an area rug over my low-pile apartment carpet with a storage ottoman on top of it but the ottoman pushes into the rug (without a hard surface under it) and creates some wrinkling in the area rug.
I had a similar problem recently occur. I haven’t found the perfect solution yet. Typically it helps when I vacuum the rug the wrinkles disappear for a couple of days.
I have a medium shade of blue wall to wall carpeting in my living room that I hate and and would love to cover up. It’s hign pile and shows wear but I can’t afford to replace it. Do you think I could place a large area rug on top of it and have it look good?
Hi, stumbled upon your website (google searched “which rugs look good over carpet”) Love your classy photos and style.
I got a little bummed when you wrote rugs only look good on low pile carpeting — I got off white shaggy wall to wall carpeting. ;( Do you think it would look okay if I put a large sisal rug over it (to create a flatter surface) and then layered a cool rug on top of that (either a Moroccan, Persian or cowhide rug)?
I'm Camila, A SELF APPOINTED STRIPE AFICIONADO WHO HAS A soft spot IN HER HEART FOR BLUE AND WHITE GINGER JARS, THE COLOR ORANGE, AND ELEPHANTS.
welcome, friend
get my no fail formula on how to style your console for free.
get weekly design tips & Inspirations for a colorful life in your inbox
get inspired with our own home tour
ON THE BLOG
My living room is one of the rooms that evolved drastically from when we first moved one. Originally I painted the walls chocolate brown and did accents of white, blue and orange. That lasted maybe 2 years.
Our dining room sat empty for months. Okay maybe it was empty for just a handful of weeks and then we couldn’t take it anymore and put in a folding table and plastic outdoor chairs, but in my mind that was still empty.
On the main floor of our house we have a Florida room. Being that it’s a Florida room it is a considered a 3 season room, because there is no heat in the room. The previous owners used it as an indoor patio with outdoor furniture and it looked like this when we moved in.
Fall is the perfect season to host an outdoor movie night in your backyard! It’s that time of year when outdoor furniture is still outside and it gets dark earlier than the summer which means your little kiddos can enjoy the movie night as well. It’s so nice to transform your backyard with cozy blankets, […]
Can you believe it’s already November? Before we know it Thanks No. 1 Modern bar cart with patterned sides that looks great as is, but would also look amazing painted a pop of color! Plus it’s only $157. No. 2 This lucite bar cart is a personal favorite of mine. Look at those chic lines! […]
For the longest time our backyard was mainly just grass and a little small area where we laid down some pavers so that we could set out a little plastic table/chairs during the summer. Not exactly ideal for entertaining. For the past couple of years we have wanted to build a deck and enjoy the […]
I love this look! My in-laws have wall to wall carpet in their home and my MIL has done an amazing job layering rugs. She has the most beautiful rugs in every single room adding in a layer of pattern and color. Such a great look!
Absolutely love the look of layering rugs. Happy weekend.
psssttt of course layering rugs is cool! It creates a mini space within a space- I love it and think its the only way to go in some spaces. I LOVE what you did in your parents room, it was totally needed 🙂
Thanks Linds! Miss ya lady! Please come to NY soon. I think I might be in the Boston area at some point in Feb with Jon and Hudson! We need to see each other if I’m there.
Totally on board with this! I tell clients all the time that rugs over carpet is perfectly acceptable as long as you do it right (which you’ve laid out so clearly in your post!).
Thanks Sarah! I think it can be a good luck a lot of times.
After reading this today, I pulled out a rug I was storing and rolled it out in the living room. I love the look of it, but I may change out the rug in the future.
Please oh please tell me where you got that rug!
It’s from Rug Usa!
Did you do anything special to keep the area rug from bunching under the weight of the bed? I have an area rug over my low-pile apartment carpet with a storage ottoman on top of it but the ottoman pushes into the rug (without a hard surface under it) and creates some wrinkling in the area rug.
Hi Lisa,
I had a similar problem recently occur. I haven’t found the perfect solution yet. Typically it helps when I vacuum the rug the wrinkles disappear for a couple of days.
C
Any ideas for keeping the rug in place? I have a few rugs on top of our wall to wall carpet, but they shift and I am constantly adjusting them.
I have a medium shade of blue wall to wall carpeting in my living room that I hate and and would love to cover up. It’s hign pile and shows wear but I can’t afford to replace it. Do you think I could place a large area rug on top of it and have it look good?
Hi, stumbled upon your website (google searched “which rugs look good over carpet”) Love your classy photos and style.
I got a little bummed when you wrote rugs only look good on low pile carpeting — I got off white shaggy wall to wall carpeting. ;( Do you think it would look okay if I put a large sisal rug over it (to create a flatter surface) and then layered a cool rug on top of that (either a Moroccan, Persian or cowhide rug)?