I first saw this a couple years ago in my Southern Living Before & Afters mag:
In last month's House Beautiful, Peter Dunham put two Ikea jute rugs together in his One Day Makeover room:
It's really great when you put a rug over the seam.. no one will ever know you put two rugs together!
But I also like the idea of stitching the two rugs together, too (like in the first photo).
I've been thinking of doing this in our living room. I recently purchased an 8x10 Jute rug from West Elm but when I put it in the space it just felt too small.
I did, however, like the width because it provided a nice walkway/open area where the french doors are.
Two of these IKEA Tarnby rugs would work really well for the space and it would only cost $200 versus the $400 of a 9 x 12 West Elm Jute Rug (which of course isn't bad, but I like to save money when I can!) It would create a rug that is 8'2 x 11'10.
I think it'd be cute with a blanket stitch like this:
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And eventually, I could get a great vintage rug to put over the seam like Peter did.
I feel like I have so many projects I have plans for/need to do for our home in my head, it's overwhelming. I think I need to make a list and prioritize!
I feel like I have so many projects I have plans for/need to do for our home in my head, it's overwhelming. I think I need to make a list and prioritize!
Bryn, I think you should go for it! I did the same thing (without sewing them together) in our guest room. We had 2 5x7ish rugs that I put together to make one big one. I love how layered they look, and since the big "seam" is mostly under the bed, it doesn't become a tripping hazard.
ReplyDeleteYou can see it here:
http://thenestinggame.com/nest-tour-2/nest-tour-guest-room/
Plus, I think it's a pretty custom look you won't see a lot of places.
I like the idea of putting two rugs together then eventually getting a vintage rug to cover the seam. I think it will look great!
ReplyDeleteI don't really like the stitched look, but I might have to suck it up because my living room needs a B-I-G rug and an exposed seam is probably not smart in such a heavy traffic area. I think using 2 rugs instead of 1 bigger one is such a smart use of money!
ReplyDeleteI don't care for the stitched look either. I would tape them together on the reverse side.
ReplyDeleteI was just looking into the Ikea Tarnby and found this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ikeafans.com/forums/ikea-hacker/41877-help-tarnby-jute-rug-lotsa-dirt.html. REALLY concerning. Just thought I'd point this out in case it could be of any concern to you. I've been looking into rug options for my upcoming move. I'm disappointed to see that the option in my price range could cause permanent damage to floors. :(
The dirt/debris the poster was describing is pretty common with 100% natural rugs. My rug from West Elm does the same thing in our bathroom. A high quality rug pad will prevent the damage to the floors.
ReplyDeletegirl, you are talking to me this morning. I am really contemplating combining those two ikea rugs you talked about.
ReplyDeleteI used two Ikea Erslev rugs together in my bedroom--total cost $80 for a rug that's about 8x11. I put it together with carpet tape, since the seam is under the bed, but I'm not happy with the way the tape has held up. I picked up needle and thread to sew them together, I just need to sit down and do it.
ReplyDeleteI have two Urban Outfitter zigzag rugs in my sitting room. They didn't come in a large enough size, so two did the trick. I covered the seam with a faux antelope skin rug!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the title of the post, I thought you meant combining two rugs together "on top of each other" as if you were layering them...but I love this idea too! Most rugs I adore do not come in a large size that I need...why not combine them?
ReplyDeleteI have had cheap carpets (from UO, etc) stitched together by our 'rug people' to make a larger rug out of smaller rugs. It's not as expensive as you might think. We have had them just stitch two carpets together and also to stitch a few carpets together and then trimmed and bound the rug to a specific size.
ReplyDeleteDepending on the carpet type, you may see a seam but usually it's pretty seamless.
I definitely think you should go for it. I love this idea and you show so many examples of it looking great! I especially like the stitch you may use...nice little detail. Would you use and accent color thread?
ReplyDeleteI also recently saw someone put two rugs together that had borders. I think it was Sarah Richardson. It looked great as well.
Can't wait to see how it turns out!
love this idea! I really should do this in our den because our rug def looks too small but i never want to shell out the money for a big rug!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have posted a comment, but must tell you first I am a big fan!
ReplyDeleteI was inspired by the House Beautiful feature and bought two Ikea rugs and placed them together in my BIG living room, I am waiting for a cowhide to layer over it. It is an economical solution for a big space, especially when you layer.
xo~Jill
http://forevercottage.blogspot.com
I vote for 2 rugs with a cowhide over top!
ReplyDeleteNancy
I loved the HB version - don't care to see the seam (as in your first pic), but the hide over it was clever. When big rugs are SO expensive, I think it can be a smart way to save. Wonder if you priced getting jute carpeting bound if it would be more or less? $200 is hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteDO NOT BUY THOSE IKEA JUTE RUGS!!! I got two and did the same thing, looked great but started to sand down my hardwood. Also, there's so much dirt in the weave that I had to vacuum under them every week, hard to do with furniture. That's how I noticed the distress of my beautiful floors. They're in the trash now and I had to buy a new rug. Being cheap can be expensive!
ReplyDelete