Layering Love

When I get bored, one of my favourite things to do is browse house tours on Design Sponge.  I was doing so Saturday as therapy after a brain-killing trip to the mall, and I fell in love with Kate Hayes and Jack Ehrbar's home.  The maps, the stacks of books, the giant Mikael Kennedy print (here I am revealing just how derivative my taste is--ah, well), that fantastic little nautical lamp.  Most of all, I fell for their rugs.

I feel like it's tricky to make layered rugs look good without feeling lumpy, but this room goes right past "good" and settles into "comfy."  That's success.  I tend to shy away from buying rugs, I guess because the cost often seems prohibitive for something that just lies there, but I've realized recently how much I really love them.  A great rug can be exactly what you need to add just the perfect amount of interest and intensity to a room.  Here are some of my favourite styles of rug (digitally layered because: why not?):

Clockwise from the top left, that's Madeleine Weinrib's Ikat Blue, the Tan-Tan Rug from Anthro, MB's Red Zig Zag, Ikea Stockholm Rand (MB's Buche is a similar, pricier option), MB's Pink & Orange Lulu, and the Rens Sheepskin from Ikea.

I love the look of stripes up against zig-zags up against kilim and ikat designs.  For the record, I would never actually layer rugs like that.  I think the reason the layering up top really works is that the anchor rug is a lighter color and calmer design.  My little mock-up is WAY too busy.  It's also REALLY expensive, which is why I do most of my rug browsing on eBay, Craigslist, and in my mother's basement.

But that's why God gave us the internet: for madcap daydreaming about perfect rooms.

Bonus:  I love Jamie Meares (of the fabulous Furbish Studio)'s Rugs 101 post.  It's a really, really great place to start.