Buying a rug can be one of the most difficult home purchases to make. That’s why we’ve written articles like our rug guide to provide the best shopping experience for all of you. But sometimes one just isn’t enough! Layering rugs provides a space with a super elevated and textured look that we adore. Here are our top tips on how to get the look!
Wondering How to Layer Rugs? First, Define Your Space
If you have a large rug and a lot of furniture, your space can end up looking unfinished and a bit unresolved. But by layering in a smaller second rug, you can spotlight something special. For example, a cowhide rug can highlight a seating area, making it feel like an intentional design decision. Without the layering, the furniture would look adrift, floating purposelessly on the vast rug like ships lost at sea.
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Add Contrast with Rug Layering
Pattern on pattern is a HUGE trend right now in interiors. But whether you’re a fan of fun, playful pattern or not, layering your rugs will provide your space with sleek contrast that’ll elevate your design style. Challenge your creativity, and choose a rug that breaks up your color palette or choose two rugs that clash just perfectly enough to give your space that whimsical “undone” look. Adding a fur pelt rug is another route you could go to add contrast with a soft and inviting texture (see the next tip for more details!).
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Embrace Textured Rugs
We love the yummy neutrals, fun printed fabrics, crushed velvet sofa, and ample greenery that makes this room a visual feast for the eyes… but it’s the layered sheepskin rug that transforms this space into a lush, rumpled, and textured living room and gives it that dreamy appeal!
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Try Hide Rugs for a Rustic Look
You might know from our Instagram or this article that we love hide rugs. But hides are especially great for layering! Why? Since they have no pile, hide rugs are very thin, so you aren’t likely to trip or kick up the edges. Second, hide rugs have an unusual shape that makes it difficult to cover a space or protect floors. But layering a neutral rug underneath is an easy solve you can use to cover an entire area.
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Final How to Layer Rugs Tip: Consider Proportion
One of the common mistakes we see with layered rugs is having the top rug be too big or (more commonly) too small for the base rug. As a general rule, the only time smaller rugs or runners work well with big rugs is if the larger rug occupies the entire room, almost acting like wall-to-wall carpeting. What tends to be most successful is a larger neutral rug as the base layer and a patterned or textured rug on top of it.
2 thoughts on “The KKH Guide: How to Layer Rugs Like an Interior Design Expert”
Being that I’m a vegetarian, I bought a faux hide rug to layer over my jute rug. It looks beautiful. Many of the faux hides have come a long way and should be mentioned in this article.
Agree Lizzy! I’m not a vegetarian, but I am an interior designer and purchased a faux hide rug for both a trial and puppy insurance. Turns out, it’s gorgeous, soft, and virtually no one thought it was fake and for the record, I live in Austin, Texas! The only thing that gives it away is if you touch it. Unlike the real thing, a faux rug is so soft and feels luxurious underfoot. I purchased a large (5 x 8) from Overstock for $116. My only concern is how it will hold up after a couple of months, will it have that matted hair look? To be determined…but for now, it was the right choice.