Have you fallen in love with a rug that is too small for your space? or, you love the rug layered look but don’t know how to pull it together? well, good timing! this post is for you.

I feel like this post should have come out a loooong time ago. I love the layered look! and have been layering rugs in our home for a long time now, it is like “when in doubt, just add one more rug” and it totally works every time! and…I feel like I have become an expert in the matter haha (insert, smart looking emoticon). The True is, it is not hard at all! basically all you have to do is put the rug on top of another rug and follow just a few simple guidelines.

Lets start with the base rug,

I love to use a natural fiber rug or a jute rug for the base rug -this jute rug its been my favorite for years- they add another layer of texture and are also the perfect neutral base to start, I have tried lots of layered looks with this style of rugs and the colors always work so well. I truly recommend them.

Now, one of the most important parts is having the right rug size for your space. A 8’ x 10’ or larger rug is the size that works best for most spaces, but it is a good idea that you measure YOUR space before buying a rug. Ideally all of your furniture needs to sit on the rug, at least half way. Use blue tape to mark the area, this will help you visualize the size that you need.

Once you have that part ready, lets start with the top layer.

For the top rug, I like to be more playful and incorporate pattern and color into the space. You can also go neutral! It is all about the look you are going for.

Living room

I love layering rugs in the living room, accompanied by a good mix of other textiles such as pillows and blankets it is just all good stuff.

For your top rug you want to go smaller than the base rug, around 1’ or 3’ feet smaller. It will all depend on the other elements in the space.

From my experience, an 8’ x 10’ base rug goes really well with a 5’ x 8’ or 6’ x 9’, or even a 4’ x 7’. Now, here is the tricky part. You have to take in consideration your furniture, in particular your coffee table since it will be on top of the rug. If you have a visually light coffee table (skinny legs and tabletop) you can go with a smaller top rug since most of the rug will be visible. But, if you have a chunky piece of furniture like the coffee table we have in our living room, a small rug would be lost in the space and it won’t be as visually appealing as if you added a bigger size rug.

Here are a few examples;

Bedroom

When we are layering rugs in the bedroom rules can vary a little bit. For this space I like to use wide runners, these rugs work great for covering larger spaces and you can save some $$ by not getting an 8’x 10’+ and at the end you achieve a similar look. In this case, take into consideration the base rug, all your furniture ideally needs to sit on the rug and also, you need the rug to cover enough floor space on the sides.

Add the top rug under the foot of the bed (as shown in the pictures)