Wednesday 20 April 2016

How to Mix Multiple Rugs In The Same Room

Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs3
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There are certain design dilemmas I've been in denial of for a while – mostly because the answer is super tricky. But, after thinking, staring, pinning and of course shopping I've finally figured out how to mix two rugs in a shared space and have furthermore provided you with 20 pretty darn good pairs (that are EHD approved).


Let's start with the easiest option –


Use the exact same solid or simple rug, TWICE. Duh.


Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs9
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This is a conservative, safe and yet totally classic and acceptable option. I didn't round this one up for you because you simply double your order and you have succeeded in this look. You can also mix two solid rugs in different colors very easily in the same room. That's just a matter of choosing both in your color palette.


The rest of the combinations are trickier. Let's keep going shall we?


Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs8
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Mix different patterns in the same color family. Now this photo, above is more about layering rugs but if these were in different areas of a shared space they would work just as well. I think one of the reasons it works is that they are all similar weights visually, and the styles of the rugs are bohemian which lends itself well to mixing and matching. But, if you are not into bohemian then make sure that the rugs both work with the color story of the room, like so:


Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs2
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Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs6
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Now what about this??? (This pic may look familiar as it is from The Fig House which I designed a few years back)


Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs5
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Ha. That's trickier to do, but doable. The reason these work is that they are all the same style and virtually the same pattern (1930's deco) and are all very saturated in color, even though they are different colors. If one of them had been an oushak for instance or a calm Persian style rug it wouldn't have worked.


You can always pair a solid with pattern. We do this all the time (see below) and its not only legal and safe, but it allows for more flexibility and prevents it from being too busy. Check out Cup of Jo's whole makeover HERE.


Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs7
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Here's the deal – you can mix any two rugs together if they share the color palette of each other and definitely the palette of the room. I find that burgandy persian rugs are hard to mix with others (so best to play with solids there) and you should know that two bold patterns are fun, but will make your room feel busier/smaller (and more energetic which isn't a bad thing). Also, virtually ANY rugs look good combined with a cowhide or a sisal rug. So if you are totally stumped with your rug, just bring it to a carpet store and get a simple carpet bound into the size you need or grab a cowhide. Pull the color from the busier rug and call it a day.


But for those of you who are in the process of buying two rugs right now, feast your eyes on these couples (which all come in various sizes, but we have priced them out as 8'x10′ on the roundup):


Emily Henderson Mixing Rugs

1. Sumack Rug + Ardabil Persian Rug | 2. Skyline Rug + Dash and Albert Wave Sisal Rug | 3. Geo Tufted Wool Rug + Flokati Fluff Rug | 4. Thea Wool Rug + Gold Cross Hatch Wool Micro Rug | 5. Half Stripe RugMonroe Hide Rug | 6. Sahara Sand RugFringe Hand-Loomed Rug | 7. Desert Dhurrie RugCrush Rug | 8. Changes RugDollop Rug | 9. Grand Canyon Faux RugHand-Loomed Shine Rug | 10.  Kajal RugSeagrass Rug | 11. Boho Textured Rug + Textured Rug | 12. Mali Indigo RugCut Stripe Silver Viscose Hand Knotted Rug | 13. Masinissa Hand Knotted Rug + Citra Hand Knotted Rug | 14. Arlequin RunBarkley Silver Rug | 15. Palani Rug + Hadley Jute Rug | 16. Faded Shag RugScallop Hide Rug | 17. Kalpana Kilim RugMangrove Rug | 18. Wool Kilim Rug + Sisal Chenille Jute Rug | 19. Desert Tribal Print Rug + Harper Denim Rug | 20. Anice Hand Knotted Oriental Rug + Gray Cross Hatch Wool Micro Rug


I own #13 and I LOVE IT. I wanted to own #14 but when I was shopping for the guest room it was out of stock, so I just stared and stared at my sample wishing I could get it. Of course now it's back but I already have another rug. I also love #1, #13 and #14 and have them in my house. Deciding between them for a favorite would be VERY hard. Check us out on Snapchat today where we each announce our favorite in a fun office game we are playing 'Rapid Fire Styling'….


Craving more roundups design mistakes and dilemmas… check out: The Generic Sofa Roundup | Rugs That Are Too Small | Painting a Small, Dark Room White | How To Hang Art Correctly | How to Hang Curtains


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