A Modern Guide to Layering Sisal and Jute Rugs
Layering rugs is a timeless interior design style that’s well-suited for a huge variety of spaces. However, layering doesn’t work in every space, or with every kind of rug.
If you want to layer rugs in your home successfully, there are a couple of design and placement principles to keep in mind. You’ll have to choose the right rugs to layer, understand the way different colors work together, figure out how to effectively style your rugs to make the best use of space, and more.
But don’t worry: we’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know to start layering rugs like a pro.
Need more tips? Check out the top common rug mistakes you want to avoid.
Why do people layer rugs?
Layering rugs is a design choice made by a variety of homeowners for a variety of reasons:
- Sizing: Maybe you’ve found a rug you love, but the size isn’t optimal for the space you want to put it in. Layering a smaller rug on top of a larger rug is a great way to create a space that meets both your practical and style-based needs. You can layer your smaller “not quite right” rug on top of one that better fits the overall layout of your space.
- Inheritance: You’ve inherited a heirloom that you’re having trouble incorporating into your home. Some of us are more sentimental than others. If you’ve inherited a rug but your home’s space is already perfectly laid out and styled… you can just put it on top of one of your existing rugs!
- Comfort: Layering multiple rugs can soften hard flooring, add a cozy and warm vibe to an otherwise cooler area, and generally make a space more comfortable.
- Practicality: By layering multiple rugs that are made of different materials, you can benefit from the best elements of these materials while accounting for their disadvantages. For example, if you put a wool rug over a jute rug, you’ll end up with a rug space that’s as soft as wool and as sturdy and textured as jute.
- Variety: Layering rugs can be a great way to introduce multiple different styles and feelings into a room. You could lay a neutral rug on top of a patterned rug, for instance, to create a stylish contrast that brings out the best in both rugs. By coordinating color, texture, and pattern, layer rugs can help you achieve multifaceted and attractive looks.
What types of rugs are best for layering?
Any rug can work for layering, but there are certain types that work better than others.
A layered jute rug, for example, is an excellent choice for a base rug that others are layered on top of. This is because of the textured, tight way jute rugs are woven. They can give you a natural, neutral palette to layer more colorful rugs on top of.
When you’re choosing a bottom-layer rug, it’s best to go for durable natural fibers like jute and sisal. Layered sisal rugs will provide the right combination of softness and stability to help prevent slipping. Your top layers should be as soft as possible, so something plush like a wool rug is a great choice.
Layered jute rugs
Jute rugs are textured and durable, making them an ideal base for a series of layered rugs. For example, you could partially place a wool rug or even a few different rugs on top of a sisal rug to help grant them extra stability and texture while retaining their softness.
Jute rugs are also highly naturalistic, rugged-looking rugs, which can make them an ideal choice if you’re interested in bringing out a rustic aesthetic in your home. Layering jute rugs in a small living room or on a hardwood floor can help make your space feel cozier and create comfortable sitting and lounging areas - for both you and your pets!
Sisal rug layering
Like jute rugs, sisal rugs can be a great bottom layer for layering rugs. They provide stability and texture, help prevent rugs from slipping on the floor (or underfoot), and look great doing it.
Sisal rugs can also look beautiful on top of other, less textured rugs. You could try layering a smaller sisal rug over a broad, matte-colored wool or polypropylene rug to create an interesting contrast of colors, textures, and aesthetics. Sisal rugs also come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, which makes them fun to experiment with. Layering rugs of different shapes on top of each other can help you see both and add a dynamic aesthetic to any room.
How should I layer rugs in specific rooms?
The short answer? However you want! If you’re looking for some inspiration, however, these are a few of our best ways to make the most of rug layering throughout a home.
Living room
Layering rugs is a great way to mark out small, discrete areas of your living room. You could layer rugs around a coffee table to create a cozy, intimate meeting place, for example. You could layer rugs around and beneath a couch to create a sprawling sitting area with space for everyone. You could even try layering rugs around tertiary furniture to create special-use areas such as reading nooks or workspaces.
With the help of a few rugs in different sizes, such as overlapping combinations of runners and larger, more rectangular rugs, you could even create informal “walkways” between these areas. Any combination of color and texture will work for layering depending on your living room's existing style, but neutral, patterned rugs tend to look especially eye-catching in such cozy, lived-in spaces.
Dining room
Layering rugs in a dining room can add a splash of color and texture to what might otherwise be a relatively neutral space. You could try adding a plush, bright rug beneath your dining table to contrast its more naturalistic colors, for example.
Alternatively, you could further enhance the elegance and simplicity of a dining room with a neutral patterned or textured rug. As with the living room, you could also add multiple runners to give everyone at the table a comfortable way to walk to the table and support their feet while eating. A natural fiber rug like jute or sisal could enhance the beauty of a table or floor’s wood grain, highlighting and enhancing the thoughtful aesthetic of your existing furniture.
Bedroom
When it comes to layering rugs in the bedroom, comfort is King. Consider creating soft, high pile combinations to give your bare feet something smooth and silky soft to walk over when you’re getting into and out of bed. You could also create pathways and miniature “use areas,” such as a walkway to your en-suite bathroom or closet.
When it comes to color-coordinating your layered bedroom rugs, make sure to keep your flooring, bedding, and curtains in mind. Each offers an opportunity to further emphasize or offset the room’s prevailing colors and patterns with your rug choices.
Are there any important rug layering styling tips to follow?
Of course! Keep in mind that none of these tips are ironclad rules you have to follow. As long as you like the way your layered rugs look, that’s what’s most important. Here are a few things to consider while styling your home’s rugs:
- The lower the rug, the lower the pile: It’s better to use lower pile rugs as the bottom layer. High pile rugs on the bottom can create an awkward look as the top rug “sinks” into the bottom one.
- Coordinate: Be thoughtful about the color and patterns of the rugs you’d like to layer on top of one another. There are no hard rules here - feel free to try a neutral base with a vibrant rug on top of it, or a highly textured rug beneath a simpler one.
- Experiment with different angles: It’s a good idea to mess around with angles! You don’t have to layer rugs exactly on top of each other, one on one. Try different combinations of sizes, angles, and kinds of overlap to see what works best for your space.
- Feel free to multilayer: There’s no law that says you can only layer two rugs. If you have an especially large base rug, you can try layering others on either end or a similar multi-rug ensemble.
There’s one thing you’re definitely going to need no matter how you decide to get into rug layering: rugs! Take a look at a selection of our best-selling natural fiber area rugs here.
