Burning Question: Rug On Rug Action?
We wanted to take your pulse on this always controversial subject. Do you guys like the area rug over wall-to-wall carpet look? Or do you prefer not to layer the two (and only endorse accent rugs on harder surfaces, like hardwood or tile floors)?
We’re itching to hear where you stand on the issue. In fact, we whipped up this handy little poll to keep everything tabulated:
[poll id="15"]
We’d love to hear more about why you voted the way you did, so feel free to comment away with more details.
Image courtesy of PointClickHome.
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I like the added color and texture an area rug can bring to a room, even if it is over wall to wall carpet. After living in 4 apartments in 5 years all with plain boring carpet you have to do something.
Now that we have a house with the cheapest carpet on earth, (I think it is made from barbie hair since it mats the same way when it gets wet) I want to cover as much of it up as I can until we can afford to rip it our and redo the hardwood.
I think the rug on rug looks great in the room pictured here, but I am not sure an area rug would look as polished on top of my wall to wall blah builder carpet.
The house we bought has wall to wall berber and we can’t afford to install wood floors right away. I want to try the carpet-on-top thing because I’m not lovin the whole sea-of-carpet look in our open floor plan. I’ve been procrastinating on it, mostly because I’m afraid of making a mistake. If anyone has some great pointers on how to do this well, I’m all ears!
Hi youngsters :-)
ok I know your blog is not about babies ;-) but we are dying (I use the plural because I’m sure that all your readers are with me) to know some information about Clara and you.
Please consider to open a little “baby-window” a “p.s.” a “tag” or what you want, maybe at the end of the post, just to tell us how is it going ^_^ (of course just if you want to share this kind of personal information;-)
For example: are you sleeping at night?
:-)
Baci!
Hey Cristina,
We have the best baby in the world! We’re still sleeping 8 hours a night (interrupted by feedings of course) but Clara is awesome about eating and going right back to sleep. In fact we have to set an alarm to wake her for each feeding because she would sleep right through them if we didn’t! She’s also a great little eater (she gained 5 ounces in just 2 days!) and is an all around joy to be around. It might sound weird but we expected it to be a lot harder (so many people told us we wouldn’t sleep or eat and breastfeeding would be hard and we wouldn’t know which way was up) but we’re happy to say that she’s a dream and we’re so in love. It also might help that John wins daddy of the year. At the beginning every single night feeding he goes into her nursery and gets her from her crib when our alarm goes off and he burps her afterward, changes her diaper, and puts her back to sleep. In fact he’s in charge of all diapers (day or night) since he says I’m doing all the work when it comes to feeding. Teamwork really makes all the difference! And I guess having an amazing baby helps too!!!
xo,
s
I can understand why it’s done, but it seems like overkill to me.
I’m with Annie and Sonya. Until we can afford hardwood flooring, we’re sporting the over-the-carpet-rug in our family room and living room and I must say it doesn’t look bad!
The only reason I chose the “hate all rugs and carpets” is because our son has bad indoor allergies to carpets and we have two dogs who have occasional accidents (and never on the hard surfaces!) My goal is to get rid of all our carpeting.
I think the rug looks great in that room. I am definitely pro-rug.
I love area rugs but I avoid wall-to-wall carpeting like the plague. During the last three apartment hunts, one of my top requirements was hardwood floors throughout!
We just installed hardwood flooring in our house this year, and I bought a Flat Braided Jute rug for the living room. Then I layered a Swedish Stripe rug from Dash and Albert under the coffee table. I think it looks great, and adds a little bit of color to the room and keeps it from looking too boring. Here is a link if you want to see: http://the7daggetts.blogspot.com/2010/03/some-pics-of-new-wood-floor.html.
When I told my daughter that I was going to put a rug on a rug, she thought it sounded odd, but of course I then showed her some pics in the Pottery Barn catalog, and in Country living magazine of some rug on rug action, and she understood. If it’s good enough for PB and CL, then it’s good enough for me! :)
My grandparents do the rug-on-rug action and if anything it’s annoying, especially when cleaning/vacuuming. Either do wall-to-wall or rugs on top of bare floor. Rug-on-rug is just overkill, I think, haha.
It’s been a while since I have visited you blog, so I hadn’t heard about the baby yet! Congrats!! So happy for you guys!
I’m really happy to know that Clara is so.. brava bambina! :-)
I believe that if mummy and daddy are a team all is easier and if the parents are organized and relaxed the baby will feel relaxed too! ;-)
Good job boys! ;-)
(keep us informed.. just a little bit.. uh?;-)
I think carpet on carpet usually turns out badly.. I suppose it could be done but I’ve never seen it except the picture you posted.
I agree with more baby posts! I’m curious with how your DIY has changed with Clara.. You guys have done such an awsome job keeping everything updated!
Congrats again! :)
In general, I don’t like carpet on carpet. However, in the photo it looks good, the wall to wall carpet in the photo is “flat” and textured looking. I wish I could put carpets on top of my cheapo, boring carpet but it would look even worse in my opinion.
This brings up a question. I think it’s possible that there could be some sort of wood floors under my wall to wall carpeting. Our house was built in 1930 and is located in central PA. Should I just pry up the carpet to check? Will I have difficulty getting it to lay flat? Should I call a professional? Any ideas??
~Suzanne
Yup, best thing to do is to carefully pry up a corner of the carpet. It should lay flat again if you don’t have anything good under it with the pressure of a few books on it for a few days. And if that doesn’t work, even a loop of duct tape can hold down that corner for the long haul. Just the smallest little corner slice will do for you to see what’s under there. Hope it help!
xo,
s
I guess I’m still torn. I love rugs over hardwood to warm up the room (especially if it’s a textured one), but I like the rug over carpet in some cases. I guess once I get rid of my nasty 20-year-old carpet, I’ll feel like it’s overkill. For now, it’s just a better way to brighten up an otherwise ugly floor. I also think smaller area rugs (whether over hardwood or more carpet) are a great way to divide up a much larger room (such as a reading area in a master bedroom).
I love rug on rug… like in Katie Bower’s basement.
Ditto with Beth on the grandparents doing rug on rug. Mostly because they had these great oriental rugs before they moved into their last house. The biggest problem is that the rug on the top gets messed up if it’s a high traffic area. I think they make a special pad now that you put between the rugs that help stop it (I’ve seen it at Bed Bath & Beyond I believe). I think the look can be good though, especially if you have a neutral or natural rug below and a colorful rug on top.
http://www.houseology.net
Thank you thank you thank you! I posed this question to you via Twitter awhile back, probably others have too, and I am so stoked to see the results when I voted. We have wall-to-wall carpeting and it is either replace all or nothing because we have an open floor plan. But I do not like it and it is drabby-looking so I was wondering about putting an area rug over it to give it some color and interest. It looks like most people seem to be ok with it, or say that with the right skills, it could work. Woo Hoo!
I just love the polls you guys have started doing! Very neat idea and to see what people think!
P.S. I am glad Clara is being very good!
What I really love is this room, especially those beautiful windows!!
Yeah for Clara being such a great sleeper. In a week or two, you’ll be able to just let her sleep. Sounds like she’s got the bf’ing thing down pat. You are a lucky family!!
http://www.houseography.net
Not gonna lie, I’m NOT a fan of wall to wall carpet ANYWHERE. It seems that in the 80s everyone carpeted every inch of their house–the living room, the stairs, everything upstairs–YIKES! Even with the “suckiest” (hahah) vacuum, there are all kinds of allergens and mold and dust and craziness that get trapped in wall to wall carpets. I’d rather do area rugs for all spaces. That way you can change things up if you decide to go for a “new look” and you can keep things squeaky clean!
I hate, hate, hate the rug on carpet look. I can’t help but think to myself that there is a bad stain on the carpet and the solution was to cover it up with a rug. It’s just so clunky looking; something that is maybe acceptable for grandma’s house but not at all acceptable for a stylish dwelling.
Huh. How about that? I did not know I was so opinionated on this subject.
I never would’ve thought to layer a rug over carpet, but when we moved from a house with wood floors to a house with carpet, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to my fabulous rugs. I love the extra pop of color they add. Also, we have a dining room and living room that flow together, and the dining room rug serves as a good way to differentiate between the two areas.
I love layering all sorts of things- clothes and carpets included! I have never lived in a house with beautiful carpet to begin with, so maybe that would change my mind. BUT tons of texture makes a good room great if you ask me!
Congrats on baby CLARA!!!! LOVE her name and she is beautiful!!
It’s definitely a necessity for apartment living. Most aparments have cheap wall to wall carpeting. Using accent rugs not only help you protect your security deposit, but also define living spaces and add a little bit of dimension to a space that can look bland and cookie cutter if you don’t add your own style.
As the caretaker of cats we find bare is best. Rugs get too much crud and dust on them, and you can’t clean them like you can bare floors. The only area rug we have in our whole house is in our office under the rolling chair. We have beautiful hardwood floors and enjoy them naked!
I agree with more baby updates! Glad to hear she’s doing well. As for all the “you won’t know which way is up” warnings, I find it all depends on the baby (fussy or not) and the parents (again, fussy or not). Sounds like you guys lucked out with a great combo!
As for the poll, I didn’t vote because it didn’t have the option I’d pick: I’ve seen it done okay (so I don’t hate the look), but I’d always advise against it because of how much more dust and grime gets trapped in the room when you do that! Allergies or not, it’s not healthy.
I strongly dislike wall-to-wall carpet, so an area rug over wall-to-wall is a great way to compromise if you just can’t rip up the carpet and go bare.
I Wish I had hardwoods all over my house, but I do not have them in every room. But, I totally think adding an area rug on top of it looks great and delineates the seating areas even more,as well as adds texture. So, to me, they’re a great way to add some additional texture, color & interest even if you do have wall to wall carpet. I have them in several areas of my house over carpet. In fact, it takes the eye away from the fact that you have wall to wall carpet, in my opinion. I have never had problems with my rugs moving all that much either.
I love the layered look – I actually have it in my living room right now. However, I think that after living in apartments with wall-to-wall carpeting for three years, I will be looking forward to revealing some hardwood floors when I finally get a house of my own.
I also wonder if certain rooms are better for layering. I think it would look really amazing and cozy in a bedroom – but perhaps too much for a living or family room.
Sarah
p.s. Sherry, I cannot believe you have been responding to comments days after an emergency C-section. You never cease to amaze me. And John – it’s wonderful to have you “here” full time!
I like rugs but I wouldn’t put them over carpet only because i find carpet revolting. All that dust and yuck and omg ewwness just really skeeves me out. I have nothing but hardwood in the house and I don’t mind putting a rug over a rug. Just no rugs over carpet. I’d have to start yelling about carpet in the house the way Mommy Dearest yells about wire hangers!
It works in the photo, but I still prefer hardwoods with an area rug as an accent.
PS, Congratulations on the birth of Clara! She will bring so muchjoy to your lives.
I wanted to get a rug to go over the carpet in my bedroom, but my husband works for a carpet cleaning company and he said absolutely no. Something about it will mess up the carpet underneath. oh well. I think an area rug looks great over jute or seagrass, but I don’t really like it over plush carpet
I’m DYING to add some area rugs to our living room and master bedroom. My husband is against it. Both rooms have beige berber and taking them out is not an option right now but I’d like some darker area rugs to center and ground the rooms. I have them all picked out, too!
Anybody have a source for the rug in the photo or a similar one? I can’t find the pic on ElleDecor.com. They don’t seem to give sources for most of their photos anyway…
Amelia & Oonafey,
We’ve seen similar rugs for sale at West Elm (and you can try searching ebay for “west elm rug” to see those that are no longer available)- and as for the paint color, Baja Dunes 997 by Benjamin Moore should be really close. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
a little off topic, but i’m in love with the wall colour in the pic of this post! any idea the colour?? where did the pic come from?
I have seriously been contemplating this for weeks so I love that it popped up on your blog! I am about to move into my first apt (out of my parent’s house!) & unfortunately it has wall to wall carpet… not sure how I’m going to handle this but it’s great to get everyone’s opinions! Thanks!
I have done this in 2 areas of my home– in my family room to help define the seating area and add a punch of color to a very monochromatic area… and in my living room to hide a unreamoveable stain while I save up for hardwood–
In both cases it looks great (if I do say so myself!)
I LOVE the look of an area rug over wall to wall. I use them all over my house. My carpet is boring beige. What would I do without my colorful area rugs. How boring would life be without them!!!!!
I’m not against it, but sometimes it does look weird. However, I can totally understand why people do it and I probably will do it in my apartment to cover up the really ugly carpet that’s in there.
Congrats on your little one! Its a magical time, I tell you, cherish every second! As for rugs on top of wall to wall, it works only if your wall to wall is not super plush. Ours is, and the area rugs bunch up if you try to place heavy furniture on top of it. Case in point, my dining room table is always scrunching up the area rug which sits on top of the carpet, it looks terrible and is a hazard. Rugs on top of hardwood or tile? Absolutely!
Rugs are Good, by Dana Miller (*not to be taken seriously*)
Rugs on carpet,
Rugs on wood.
Rugs add a layer,
Rugs are good.
I love rugs anywhere and everywhere…especially to HIDE my builder flooring and anchor seating zones in an open floor plan.
Hysterical! Love it.
xo,
s
I always seem to trip over rugs on top of carpet. Always. I don’t mind how they look, but I do mind the massive bruises that result.
-Cara
I think it would work well, as long as you layer a solid with a pattern. I think two patterns might be overkill and require a professional eye, and two solids could just be pointless and wouldn’t make much of a visual impact, but could be nice in it’s subtlety.
Congrats on the new baby. She’s so adorable!! As for rugs-on-carpet. It’s not my ideal look but unfortunately our home has wall-to-wall carpet nearly everywhere (it’s our first home and we couldn’t afford upgrades like hardwood) and I LOVE rugs. Therefore I need to find some inspiration so I buy rugs that really work with my carpet (and that are cheap!). Because yes there are many rugs-on-carpet that look super cheesy. Our carpet is not the best quality and I’m already noticing that high-traffic areas are looking dingy no matter how much I vacuum and clean. I’d love to put rugs over them but don’t want people to think “gee there must be a giant stain under that rug.” Anyway…great post! Thanks :)
I was just thinking about adding a jute rug on top of my beige carpet in our bedroom. I guess maybe I shouldn’t now… that’s what the polls show…
I think rugs over carpet looks like you’re hiding an ugly or stained carpet. I like rugs over hardwoods or tile floors for the warmth and pop of color.
So glad Clara is being so good for you guys, I hope once I have kids I will have the same experience ;)
I don’t really care for the rug on rug combo, but have seen it done nicely. Right now we have hardwood and only rugs in front of the door, cuz I love seeing the wood floors!