Tips on Why and How to Layer Rugs

There are many elements you can change in your home, but rugs are one of the easiest ways to bring together the design plan for a room. Rugs set the tone for the entire space. And with so many options available, it can be tough to know what choice is the right one. In this article, I share with you a current trend - layering rugs. It is a great way to have fun with color, pattern, and texture. There are also benefits to rug layering.

You might be thinking that trying to pick one is hard enough and now you have to find two rugs for a room. The good news is that it’ll be worth your time - layering rugs looks great and isn't as daunting as it seems.

Here are a few of the benefits of rug layering:

1. Rugs add a pop of color - The use of rugs are great for bringing out a particular color in a room. And when you layer rugs, you can easily bring more color and interest into the space.

2. It reduces noise - Rugs absorb sound, which bring noise levels down. If one rug can reduce sound, think of what two can do. Having more than one rug in a room will definitely help with dampening the sound even more.

3. It can allow you to keep older rugs - Do you have an older rug that you still love and want to keep? The perfect solution would be to use it under another rug. This would allow you to add a bit of character to your home while keeping something possibly well worn, but still loved.

4. It creates a warmer room - Rugs are known to bring a special warmth to a room. It softens the space and gives it a more comfortable feel. Additionally, because of the insulating effect they have, rugs can actually increase the temperature in a room on cooler days.

Now that we have covered the reasons why you should layer your rugs, here are a few tips on how to layer them:

1. Working with the space you have - Every space might not be able to meet the best practices design guidelines for rug placement, which state that there should be approximately 10"- 20" of bare floor between the edges of the rug and the walls of the room, and that all the pieces of furniture should be sitting on the rug. If you don’t have the space to meet this rule, layering a smaller rug can help draw the eye towards the center of the room while adding a bit of visual interest.

2. Choosing the thickness of your rug - You can also play around with the texture of the rugs. Layering rugs that are different textures on top of each other is a great way to add depth to a room. Adding anything soft on top of a flat weave will add more visual interest to your space.

3. Choosing the color of your rug - When it comes to colors, choose a complimentary color or pick tones that are already in the room. The main reason people like to layer rugs is that it provides an opportunity to add more color to a room. Some find that a single rug doesn't offer enough color, while others find a colored rug covering their entire floor to be too much, so by layering they are able to have a neutral base with a smaller pop of color.

4. Playing with different patterns - Why not make it interesting by layering patterned rugs? When layering patterned rugs on top of each other instead of solid ones, use colors that are of the same intensity. For different patterns to work together, they have to have the same hues.

Please contact me today to talk about all of the options available to you if you are looking for a professional’s insight on layering your rugs.