A TikTok viewer recently asked how to layer rugs without creating a tripping hazard.
The unfortunate truth, Gentle Readers, is that there is no way to layer rugs 100% safely. In fact, experts evaluating older people’s homes for safety generally suggest removing ALL of the rugs. Now, this can be a great look, especially in dining rooms.
However, if you’re determined to layer rugs on top of one another and are willing to risk a broken hip, here are a few things to keep in mind.
#1: Make the bottom layer as flat as possible.
The first layer must be flat so that the rug on top of it won’t bunch up. This is why seagrass is such a popular option: it’s tightly woven and has no give — no sponginess. Wool flatweave rugs also are a good choice. Rugs with a low loop are kind of flat, but they can be springy. The loops must be very low and tight.
Rugs with a cut pile — “plush rugs” — will never work as a first layer. The rug on top will kick up constantly. I made the conscious decision to break this rule when I used a Gabbeh as the bottom layer in my family room.
I justify this by a) already having the rug (bird in hand and all that), and b) knowing that this isn’t a high traffic area. Am I constantly tugging the top rug to get out the folds and wrinkles that have occurred from what little walking there is? Yes. Yes I am. But I’m just not willing to spend money on another, flatter rug for this room.
#2: Make the bottom layer as LARGE as possible.
Cutting a broadloom carpet to the shape of a room is a wonderful look — and it makes a room look huge. Doing this with seagrass is hugely popular, but we do it with wool flatweaves all the time, too. A small rug on top looks great and shouldn’t bunch up.
#3: Tape the corners and edges of the rugs.
Two-sided rug to carpet tape (and of course rug to floor tape) damages neither your floors or other rugs. (Read the product descriptions carefully; I prefer the mesh-y kind.) If you have a particularly stubborn corner, as I do with a seagrass area rug in my foyer right now, roll the rug the opposite way for several turns, leave a stack of books on it overnight (or longer), and then apply long strips of rug tape down both edges when you unfurl.
Bonus tip:
If you are placing a rug on a bare floor, please, PLEASE make sure you have a non-skid rug pad under it. My favorite is felt with rubber backing, which comes in different thicknesses. (I love the thick kind because they’re the cushiest underfoot, but obviously thin pads are lower and therefore less hazardous.)
I generally do not recommend the rubber waffle-y rug pads because they disintegrate over time. However, if you promise you’ll replace them before they turn to sand — every few years — I will look the other way, because they are the flattest rug pads you can buy.
Yes, if you have a gigantic hand-knotted rug that’s under every piece of furniture in the dining room, adding a rug pad is a pain in the tuchus. “It can’t slide,” you tell me. “There’s too much furniture holding it down.”
That may be, but may I suggest another reason for using a rug pad? Over the years, a knotted wool rug will act as sandpaper against your beautiful wood floor. Do with that information what you will.
There are many aesthetic reasons to layer rugs, but I alas, I do not have time to tell you about them here. If you enjoyed this post, I will do a different one on that subject in the future ;)
I hope you enjoyed these darling illustrations by Tania Lee! They’re in my book, My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes, and I’m delighted to announce that I have just contracted with Artisan Books (Hachette) to expand/revise/in some way reproduce it in 2025. The first edition is sold out, unless you happen to be in Atlanta in April, where I will be doing my final book signing. Thank you to all who purchased it!
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C.