apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

how can anyone have that zebra rug at all...
it just looks like a steamrolled zebra. gross.

This room looks good.

Nobody's environmentally perfect, but a zebra skin?

Really: zebras? Most zebra species are on the endangered list. Those that are not, are being closely studied, meaning that if more people choose to layer rugs like this, well, those species will be endangered, too.

Let's layer some formaldehyde emitting synthetic rugs instead and leave the zebras to the lions.

Layered rugs might work in some circumstances but not in this photo. Here it doesn't look right at all. Plus, I don't ever think I can get into animal rugs or faux animal rugs. They look strange and dare I say, hideous.

I don't like any rugs so...

I would worry about someone (including me, the klutz) tripping and gashing their head open on the coffee table.

I like the look with a solid base and then one bold pattern rug on it. The arrangement in the photo would work without the zebra --and not because I have any issues with zebra rugs. Three rugs just seems like going OTT.

Good luck tripping and getting your new front crowns! Why would anyone want to cover a rug that "should" be in itself something worthy to look at with another one, so that they cancel each other.

The whole room is a decorating faux pas.

I don't understand what is the obsession some people,designers etc. have with zebra or any animal rugs.
These are innocent animals that don't deserve to die to end up on someone's house. Can they just get the fake zebra rugs. I know a place in Miami that sells them and I wish Peta would get on their case.

In any case this layering looks horrible.

i think the zebra rug obscures the rug beneath it, which actually looks fairly interesting.

I swear I've seen it work, but maybe I was naive at the time. I don't know how much longer everyone is going to think a zebra rug is just the thing to zazz up a room, but it's been a cliché for well over a decade. Tired tired of the zebra. This room above looks like maybe they are attached to the two area rugs sentimentally and determined to use both, come hell or high water, or indecisive. They should be separated, I think. One or the other to define a space within the larger white rug, although I can't see the rest of the space. I think take them both away and try again?

Room would like fine minus the zebra rug. Move it to another room if you really love looking at the hide of an endangered, beautiful animal (I'm assuming it's real). I've seen faux zebra rugs that look great in a room, especially the subtly-toned ones.

This room looks like a thrift store.

This reminds me of the ridiculous Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs that feature the guys in multiple polo shirts. Ick.

Eww. Somebody please take that zebra carcass off the floor and give it a proper burial.

Shudder...

Oh, here we go... fur is murder, blah blah blah.

To zebra or not to zebra 'twas NOT the question.

Yes, layer... an area rug over a larger carpet... a sisal over wall-to-wall... a Persian rug over seagrass matting... and YES, even a hide over another rug.

C'mon, people, find the inspiration even if you object to the example.

I think a cow hide with a sisal rug is really attractive. The image you posted just shows the idea poorly or over done. I prefer natural materials (straw, jute, wool, hides) to synthetic.

(I don't like the endangered species/wild animal rugs, but think cow hides are ok, as they are a way of making use out of the whole animal... that sounds gross... but its true.)

Hey Carter--

I think you mean J. Crew. None of the Abercrombie catalogs I have have the models wearing ANY clothes at all. Thank god. ;)

I just find zebra print jarring fake or real, maybe in a more simple manner this would work, but for some reason any type of animal rug literally makes me want to vomit as I walk on it. So I avoid them for obvious reasons.

I do agree with hhitchc though on using the whole animal, I may not want to walk on it, but I do agree.

One layer of area rug on top of wall-to-wall carpeting makes some sense to me, to define a seating area or break up the big solid colored space. Piles of rugs on an area rug do not.

I think it's a great way to use the traditional-ish red rug in a modern-y space without having it take over. The rest of the room makes me cringe (giant mauve pillows? really?), but the layered rugs look cozy, and allow for precise amounts of the under-rugs to show.

I like that the neutral base and the zebra force the patterned rug to be "negative" space. The red patterened rug should technically be positive space, but the hide in the foreground and the hyper-neutral in the background tie together in a way that they're really the focus, and the bold stripes are really the focus. I like it. Also, I always wonder, do people think that vintage fur/hides are alright? I mean, I don't support people being mean to anything (hunting for just sport and killing for just fur count to me, as do animal abuse, etc etc.), and I think killing an animal for just one use is crap, but is it better/more ecologically sound for this (and other) vintage hides to be used as long as possible or to be sent off to decompose in a landfill (or even more questionably, to me, buried in "nature" so that dangerous tanning chemicals can leech into the soil)? I always wonder what people think.

Yuck. Every other photo in Domino lately has a living room with an animal rug of some sort- usually zebra. Why? And more importantly, why?

In all honesty, I'm trying to transition to a cruelty-free life, but I don't see what's wrong with, say, wearing out stuff I already own. I think "creating a demand" is an overstatement, as there's really no swaying some people just from throwing out my shoes and coats.

My zebra issue here is a different one. I think they've squeezed all the decorating life they can out of zebra prints and rugs in particular. It always seems in all my shelter magazines that the photography team comes in with some props to glamourize a space if it's just a teensy bit blah, and one of those props is the zebra. I've seen it forever, in all types of apartments and houses. That zebra isn't going to magically live if we take it out of this room, but it's not doing the room any favors. I'm torn, because it's still useful as a rug, but also ugly and overused. I have also read in the same publications that feature zebra rugs of industry and/or social bans on other creature materials like ivory and tortoise shell, even if the items are antiques. Those items helped to endanger animals so that we can't decorate with them now without deserved scorn. Some people get teary over the useless taxidermy squirrel, but a lot more people get incensed if it's something more like a peacock, because peacocks are exotic and rare and beautiful, while squirrels may be cute, they are common and a menace, and what's the harm if a few of them died to help me define myself as quirky.

I don't like the fake zebras is what I'm saying, and the hide-shaped oriental rugs (recently featured here), or the cowhide, or the fake pony made from cowhide. Rectangles are great! Zebra stripes can take a break.

Fine with layered rugs but I never like rugs over wall-to-wall.

like Lily - i'm a KLUTZ!

i would trip over those any time i went into the room.

MCNicole "...And more importantly, why?"

you made me spit out my coffee laughing. :-)

I think layered rugs are fabulous when done well. I think this example is well done.

Layering rugs could also be very practical, especially with antique (or just old!) rugs. Layering could hide damage, or possibly prevent additional wear.

Practical Question: When the top rug is larger, it would probably have sufficient weight to keep it in place. But I wonder about smaller top rugs -- do you have to tape it or do something else to keep it from being a trip hazard? Do you use a rug pad between the layers? Has anyone had any experience with this?

I love hard wood floors! and i agree that tripping is a big possibility and i don't have the $$ for new crowns. I also think animal rugs, real or otherwise , are not attractive.

"Also, I always wonder, do people think that vintage fur/hides are alright?"

alysaari: I've always thought that this is a really interesting question. on one hand, the animal has already been killed, the 'crime' has been committed, so it should be used as much as possible. it would almost be more cruel to just throw it away-- the animal died for a purpose, perhaps a shallow one, but a purpose nonetheless-- so to just throw a hide away makes it seem like it really died for nothing. plus, if you use an existing hide, that's one less new carpet you have to buy, and buying/producing less stuff is good for the environment. on the other hand, many argue that the continued use of these items, even when they're vintage/antique, just perpetuates the trend and enables continuing desensitivity to cruelty to animals. not everyone will be able to find an antique hide, so it may create a demand for new hides and thus more animals would be killed. both sides make some good points.

I happen to know someone who owns an antique elephant tusk (it's probably a good 150 years old). it was passed down from relatives, and now sits in her house. I have such mixed feelings about it. she certainly shouldn't just throw it away, but every time I've seen it I pictured a dead elephant with its tusks sawed off, left to rot. in an of itself, it is pretty neat looking, but it's also something that causes a lot of guests to raise their eyebrows.

obviously the choice to keep/acquire vintage hides and other animal products is a personal one. however, if you happen to own something you'd rather not keep, look into donating it to a museum. I've even seen sections in museums that show antique or newly confiscated animal products to discuss the history of the practice and how it has affected many species.

that said, I, too, am just tired of the zebra skins, real or fake. to me, their presence looks contrived and trendy in the vast majority of rooms. plunking a zebra on your floor does not earn you instant cool points.

question regarding layered rugs: won't it cause them to wear unevenly?

yikes! slaughtered zebra???

Ah!!! Bad karma!! This is bad bad energy in a home.
Here is the story of the beloved zebra which I must tell:

The zebra is a threatened species. Face the facts. Certain persons in the trading industry would like you to believe that the zebra population is healthy and adundant, but sadly that is not the case. Grevy's (Imperial) zebra is the largest of all the zebras and it is indeed an endangered species. It is the most sought after zebra in the design world because it is a tall, very striking zebra with narrow stripes which encircle the rump in a concave pattern. I know this as in Uni I briefly studied the zebra (Hippotigris) in biology, and befriended a couple of exchange zoologists from Kenya. Several years ago there was a significant increase in poaching, particularly in northern Kenya, as there was a great demand for the narrow-striped skin of the Grevy's zebra for the manufacture of rugs and other products -- design trends!! This resulted in the sharp and sudden decline of the species. Since Kenya banned all hunting, and the export of zebra skin products, the poaching has declined somewhat, but numbers have not yet recovered sufficiently for the Grevy's zebra to be removed from the official list of endangered species. Many species of zebra are now extinct because of hunting practices -- where there is a market demand, the poachers shall supply ($$)!

It is illegal, not to mention horribly cruel, to purchase zebra skins (which are obviously poached). By owning a zebra skin, you are supporting the animal parts poaching trade which results in thousands of indigenous zebras being butchered for their beautiful stripes, their skinned bodies left to rot in the scorching African sun.

There are so many faux and cruelty-free options available in interior design (and I don't mean printed cowhide as that too is animal derived) that there is no excuse to support illegal wildlife trade. Animal skins are best left on animals.

I suggest all of you who deny the cruel nature of animal products do your research before you display and glorify slaughtered animal atrocities in your home. As it turns out, the zebra is endangered because it is hunted and killed for the very skin the design industry glorifies, and many of you choose to purchase.
Supply & demand: it's the backbone of consumerism (pardon the pun)!!

Thanks ilovebc. As a vegan, I have always had an aversion to animal hides, furs, leathers etc. It's a dark, cruel cruel industry which I refuse to support!

Assuming for a moment that its a fake zebra rug, I still think its a bad look in this case.
Good: Plain over patterned, patterned over plain, plain over plain.
Bad: pattern over patterned (when the patterns don't mix well)

Fantastic and fabulous! Love, love, love it. It's a look that I've tried but could never quite pull off. Kudos to the designer.

Sticking to the question at hand, I have some layered rugs in my living room. The room has hardwood flooring, and I have a large cream colored plain flatweave with a patterned rust/cream smaller flatweave layered over it.

It is an especially good trick when you have a patterned rug you like that is a bit small for your space; layering it over a larger plain rug gives it added impact.

fledgling - Real skins are preserved with toxic chemicals, which can include such fun substances as formaldehyde and mercury fulmonate. Before you run around condemning synthetics, kindly do your research. (Synthetics also require less space and energy to produce.)

I would only layer rugs if I lived in a cold climate and needed extra insulation in the winter. It's decor overload.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Layered look with this poor murdered zebra... ummm...
a resounding NO!!
This makes me so boiling angry & sad! Once a living, breathing, feeling animal senselessly butchered as graphic floor decor to end up on an AT deliberation about layered rugs! What the...?!!!
I did some of my own research to follow up ilovebc's powerful, insightful comment re: zebra hides. The information out there is explicit and infuriating: the poaching ["culling"], the exotic trade black market, the 'smoke & mirrors' propaganda and disinformation, the facts about domestic & wild animal bloodshed [especially ponyskin which moved me to tears!], blah blah blah.
Now I feel sick to my stomach.
Everyone should research before commenting on a subject so contestable, heated & controversial.
If only the gluttons out there in the design world educated themselves before supporting such hard-hearted consumerism & barbaric design!!! What ignorance.

Yipes. The layered look is definitely not working, especially not in this room: I spy 4 different colors of wood, wrought iron. in close proximity.

Also, I would be one of the people who would trip on the zebra rug, curse at it, then trip over the oriental rug and suffer a concussion.

^ edit: I spy 4 different colors of wood, and wrought iron, in close proximity.

This blinding combination of patterns totally screwed up my punctuation. Haha.

I love layered Oriental rugs. And rugs on top of sisal or Stark leopard carpet (my fur pattern of choice).