Tips for Layering a Rug over a Carpet

Whether you’re bringing a rug in over a larger area rug or wall-to-wall carpet, layering rugs is definitely on trend. It adds coziness and texture, and it’s an easy way to change up a space. This House & Home video presents several tips for layering a rug over a carpet:

In order to layer a rug over a wall-to wall carpet, you have to make sure that it’s a lower pile; otherwise it will look a bit strange and won’t really work. “Pile” is referring to the thickness from the very bottom to the very top. The rug you’re layering on top should be lightweight and not pose a tripping hazard; a Berber rug is a better choice than a sisal or seagrass rug.

You don’t want the rug to shift or move around when it’s layered on top of the carpeting. One way to avoid this is to use a rubber pad to create a bit more friction between the rug and the area rug so that it doesn’t move around.

Think about the placement. You want to make sure that the rug on top of the carpet isn’t floating off in the corner on its own. You want to have it in relation to your furniture, so place it either underneath some furniture or at the foot of a bed.

In most cases it’s not advisable to layer multiple rugs on top of a carpet as it gives the impression of a carpet bazaar. If you do want to go for it, think boho vibe and you can probably pull it off.