layered rugs...four ways

image: Park and Oak

The first time I saw a vintage rug I thought YES. THIS IS WHAT I NEED.  Something lived in. Something authentic. Something...cheap. Because a  new 9' x 12' Moroccan rug is going to run $4000 minimum at Elte,  and at my current stage of life (sofa forts, spilled apple juice) I just can't handle that kind of stress.  So I started obsessively browsing online for the perfect pre-loved Turkish kilim. I quickly found that they come in weird, non-standard sizes: super long and narrow or kind of square. Not the tidy 5' x 7' and 8' by 10' we're used to. What to do?  Layer.

I just love the look of a tidy seagrass or sisal area rug beneath a beautifully worn, time-softened tribal rug. Pefection. If the base rug is properly proportioned to the room, practically any size or shape can be layered on top.

image: The Fox and She

image: One Kings Lane

They're everywhere, but I still really like fluffy Beni Ourain rugs. Those tassels. Here a creamy off-white Beni is layered with a flat woven Turkish rug in a hot orange that makes those blue pillows jump off the sofa.  Take away the colourful rug and the room seems a bit flat, doesn't it?

image: D Magazine

A huge area rug like this one, or a room with wall-to-wall carpet, can make furniture seem like its floating, unanchored. The cowhide defines the seating area above, and adds some texture in a monochromatic room.  Cowhides are kind of weird on their own, anyway, so as a rule I would always layer them.