enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

layered area rugs

Shortly after we switched out carpet for travertine in the office I turned my attention to the bedroom floor. In a perfect world, we would lay travertine across the whole house (it’s already in the rest of the main spaces) but it was expensive and not everyone prefers hard floors over carpet (which isn’t great for resale).

So instead I decided to cover up the beige carpet with layers of rugs.

My reasoning was like six-fold.

layered area rugs

First, I wanted to do something different. The very best part of our military lifestyle is that we get to move and change things up every few years. I’m married to Paul (and therefore the Navy) but I’m not married to any design decisions because “hey! We’ll be on to the next thing in 2017 anyway!”

Second, I thought it would be fun to bring in some color. I’m a neutral fan but pretty rugs are still my weakness.

Third, I got to collect something! It took me about a year to find all of these. The three biggest came from Craigslist. The small red one came from a local thrift shop and the pink and orange striped came from Project Bly which is a rad site that sells some one of a kind found items and even lets you “bid” on some of them.

layered area rugs

Fourth, they are so flexible. At our next house I can split them up and use them in different rooms if I want. I can also resell them, probably for almost as much or potentially more as I originally paid, if I decide I’m over them.

Fifth, we’re protecting that beige carpet for the next homeowners.

And sixth…rugs are rad.

layered area rugs

Over the past few months as I have been sharing peeks here and there I have got a few questions I thought I would address if you’re wondering the same things.

No, they are not hard to vacuum. We have this robot vacuum and it does a spectacular job, even over the different layers. On occasion it’s wheel will get stuck, but that happens. It’s a million times easier than trying to vacuum myself. And yes, the robot vacuum works great on our travertine and Ellerie’s carpeted room too.

No, I didn’t professionally clean them all. Most I just set out in the sun for a few days and vacuumed really well. One came from a nice guy with a dog and that one smelled so it went straight to the cleaners before it came home with me. I think it was $100 to clean and I paid $85 for the rug, so not cheap, but much less expensive than a new huge rug.

Yes, that red/brown striped one is from Ikea. But I did get it on Craigslist in good condition for cheaper.

Yes, they do sometimes get wrinkled or bunched up. It’s annoying but not deal breaker.

layered area rugs

I didn’t do much planning at all, just bought them as I thought about it or as I saw one pop up. Obviously I went with a loose “red” theme which was planned. But I didn’t think too much about sizes. I also didn’t worry about fully filling the space under the bed.

layered area rugs

I still have a spot by the door that I haven’t figured out how to cover. The door is really close to the ground so it will have to be something extra thin to slip under there. We’ll see what I can find. Either way, I’m happy to stamp this rug collection project nearly complete. This house is thisclose to being “done.”

links to a few of the other DIYs in the bedroom : hanging mobile, ikea hack nightstand, hanging plants, white curtains, black and white triangle quilt

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22 responses to “the one with all the rugs.”

  1. Johanna Avatar

    Maybe some kind of quilted mat for that door space? Okay, so I am clearly no rug expert at all 😉

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  2. lisa valinsky Avatar

    I’ve been eyeing this project since I first saw sneak peaks.
    I’m curious – has your home or apartments ever been featured on design sites or something like that? That’d be fun to check out, and I love how much DIY you do.

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  3. Kelsey, Especially Avatar

    This project is so intriguing! I’m definitely a lover of hard floors (two toddlers = SO MANY STAINS!), but I’ve been holding onto this project of yours for future inspiration. So cool to see/read more about it !

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  4. Allie Avatar

    I’m so impressed with your “vision” and how you get things to come together so well, even after a lot of searching, etc. I have troubles keeping with the vision if it’s taking too long to come together!

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  5. Amy Avatar
    Amy

    I love this idea! So fun! You always pull design ideas together so nicely. 🙂

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  6. Carrie Avatar

    So unique, Elise!

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  7. christi Avatar
    christi

    love this! can you give a ballpark idea of total cost to cover your room (or average cost of rug)? am thinking of how tough of a sell this would be for me to convince my husband–and he’s a total numbers guy! thanks!

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  8. Olivia Avatar
    Olivia

    Gorgeous!

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  9. Sarah Milligan Avatar

    I love it! Great flexible solution. We’ve rented for years (and moved a lot) and although it has frustrations, I always value and appreciate the gift that is non-permanence. I get to change my mind if I want to, switch things up and that way I don’t get bored. 🙂

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  10. Danielle Mapes Avatar

    I dig the red! Your carpets will be in great condition when it comes time to move. And on an unrelated note, please say that you saw this Still Alice movie trailer!

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  11. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    it has not! I’d love to “finish it and then get someone legit to come photograph it for me. 🙂

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  12. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    I didn’t keep good track because it was over a year but I think about $700-$800 total for the rugs and cleaning. So way cheaper than new flooring and also probably almost a wash if down the line I decide to resell. 🙂 good luck!

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  13. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    omg! I hadn’t but going to google it right now.

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  14. Mickie Avatar

    I love it :). Right now I am on the hunt for one awesome rug.
    I just need one, but it has to be just right, because I want it to really pull the room together and be my “base” with which to decorate the rest of the space off of.

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  15. Coty&Mariah|Quirks and Twists Avatar

    This is why I love your blog! So many great ideas that are doable. It looks wonderful!

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  16. Meredith Wheeler Avatar

    Awesome idea! Our house has this icky pinkish taupe-y carpet (not placed there by us!) and I have not been able to figure out what to do with it other than replace it. Your post has definitely caused my wheels to turn! Thank you!

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  17. Grace Nixon Peterson | Your Biggest Fan, Grace Avatar

    I’ve been dying for you to do a full post on this and I’m so glad it’s finally arrived! It looks amazing, I love the bohemian look to it. Wonderful vision, Elise!

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  18. Jennifer @ Brave New Home Avatar

    I’ve been waiting for this post ever since you shared some photos of your bedroom using some borrowed lenses! It’s great. I love your approach to the military lifestyle. It’s a powerful decision to let moving every few years empower your design process and let you take decorating a little more lightly. That’s one part of the military lifestyle I am still trying to come to terms with myself.

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  19. Kerrie Avatar

    Is the rest of the house travertine like the office? Looking at your home photos it seems like they might be. Was it difficult to match your office to the rest of the house?

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  20. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    yes, the main spaces are all travertine. It wasn’t hard to match – we just went to Lowe’s and it looked the same so we had it installed. 🙂

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  21. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    I hear you. It’s still hard. But it also is fun. I try to keep the focus on the fun. 🙂

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  22. Elise Avatar
    Elise

    Elise- when you were searching online did you use any specific key words that helped get you good ones?

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