Moving to the West Coast from NYC, where the sun is always shining, created a major design shift. The new wood floors in my beach cottage were too beautiful to cover up unlike the floors of my NYC apartment. Covering up and camouflage were often the first decorating impulses in my tiny city rentals.

Layer Smaller Rugs to Make a Larger One

I wanted to repurpose the shearling rug my mother gifted me many years ago, but it was not large enough to properly anchor the living room. In tight quarters, try and find a rug that is large enough to touch or run underneath the legs of the sofa and chairs. The eye follows the line of the rug, which hints at a more generous floor plan.  In an attempt to keep the slim budget on point, I layered the long-haired shearling over a shaved shearling rug I found for only a few hundred dollars.

Challenge Decorating Rules

The mix of two textured rugs layered together add interest and depth in a small living room. And as a duo, they visually enlarge the living room paired as one large area rug. I realize many professional decorators consider layering rugs a faux-pas, but I was never a rules girl. Evaluate your decorating approach on a room by room basis. Sit with it and don’t be afraid to move things around and to change your mind.  Sometimes we feel defeated if we don’t hit the decorating plan out of the park the first time around but realize it’s an organic process. You’ll know when you get it right because the design will feel like it should have always been this way from the beginning.

Tip

Always ask if you can return a rug before purchasing so you can give it a test run in your space. Designers do this all of the time.

Enjoy the decorating journey!