Oh, dear, that IS bad. I don't have suggestions, but as a former landlord I can tell you that if you offered to either replace carpet or refinish floors, I would be all over that and would probably spring for half. It would definitely increase value of the place.

Good luck!

I wouldn't offer to rip up the carpet myself. Instead, I'd start by asking the landlord if s/he would be willing to rip it up for you and refinish the floors. It's not your investment property, so you shouldn't have to foot the bill. You may get a "well, I can do it, but it'll raise your rent" answer. A former landlord of mine offered to put in central AC and told me the increase in rent. I decided it wasn't worth it to me, so went without, but the next tenant (who I knew) sprang for it.

I would collect a bunch of really great floor rugs, preferably antique and lay them out at different angles, with some overlapping, etc. This way the carpet only shows through in small, tolerable patches.

I don't recommend putting money into the apartment itself if you don't have to.

Here are some examples of what I'm thinking:

http://ow.ly/71aB4

http://ow.ly/71aEt

I second the area rug idea - but use a pad that's meant for going over existing carpet to avoid bleed-through/erosion.

Made that mistake once w/a cheap rug & it carved a hole in the carpet after a year or so.

I third the rug idea... if you can't rip it out, cover that nastiness up!

You might offer to refurbish the floors, but if your landlord won't go for that, check out the chartreuse post from yesterday. I happen to like emerald green (although I wouldn't choose wall-to-wall emerald), and think emerald and chartreuse would go very nicely together.

You could use a very deep charcoal or greyish teal as other colors. Using an accent like chartreuse in the same color family will keep the carpet itself from being the focal point, it is dark enough to function almost as a neutral.

I love hardwood floors, and so I faked it until I found a place with them. Here is a picture of the wood rug I used to get the look I wanted without the huge price tag, but there are a lot of different neutral options you can use, sisal rugs for example...

http://i.treehugger.com/files/KonaRug.jpg

I agree with the rug idea - if you redo the floors yourself make sure the landlord compensates you or reduces your rent

offering to "spring" for half as mentioned above is crazy to me - it's their property and they are making money off of you - so why would you increase their property value so they can make more money in the future and you're out all this money but your apartment is pretty?

Yeah, i think you'll need to go with area rugs. I don't think it makes sense to pay to replace all the carpet. I'm sure the landlord wont do it. The place is already under priced, and you are already there. They have little incentive to make changes right now. Maybe after you live there a few years. Plus there is nothing wrong with area rugs on carpet.

In a closet or a very discreet corner, I would pull it up and see what is beneath it and how it was installed. If there is carpet and nothing horrble like tack nail strips keeping it in, I would offer to rip it out. Get a carpet knife (looks like a sharp hook/talon shaped thing) tear it into strips, roll it up and haul it out and just live on the unbuffed floors. They probably have an old layer of varnish on them that may not look the best but may be livable with some rugs.
I grew up with hardwood and just can't handle carpet because of the allergens and dust and the previous renter's cats and all that other craziness. Plus that green... oh my.

Good luck!

*In the 2nd line, when I said "If there is carpet and..." I meant "If there is existing hardwood and..."

I'll go against the grain & say that this carpet won't look so bad with vintage furniture, lighting, the windows you described, built-ins, etc. Our previous home had the exact same carpet; & our paint colors, furniture, artwork, & decor contrasted nicely with it (as long as it was constantly vacuumed--it will show everything!). Area rugs are a plus, too. Work WITH the color rather than try to completely hide it (if you're unable to make the changes you want).

Thank you all for the suggestions! I actually have spoken to the landlord since I submitted this query to Apartment Therapy, and he was delighted to inform me that there is "lovely hardwood" beneath the carpet... Of course I asked how I could make that mine, and he informed me that that was not possible - the carpet is there to provide sound insulation for the neighbors below. The green carpet is here to stay. I know, deep sigh.

@sarahbou, I actually was incredibly inspired by that chartreuse post! I love the idea of it against that awful carpet, but such a bright color makes me a little nervous. We'll see.

I would ask the landlord if you ripped up the carpet yourself if they would pay for the refinishing or if you refinish the floors ask for free rent for a certain period to compensate. That way you get the floors and likely the landlord won't end up paying a ton either. I would be willing to remove the carpet for free is it meant living with nice new floors.

@SQ mind if I ask about your color palette?

We had lots of high-gloss white trim and doors (french doors, too); some colorful stained glass, and walls that were close to a light taupe; I'd recommend China Doll (Sherman Williams) or even warmer, Powell Buff (BMoore). Plants! Upholstered furniture (hand-me-downs) was camel-colored; some antique pieces in warm to dark woods. I'm looking for photos but they all have my kids as toddlers...I'll see what I can find. Having great windows & lots of light is a bonus.

I had a bedroom in rental once with carpet that color. My solution was to embrace the green and paint my walls a bright chartreuse and to go with a monochromatic look. I can't imagine doing that throughout an entire apartment, but for my one room it worked and actually made it look chic and cheerful.

Well carpeting may be there to stay, but it doesn't have to be that color. I bought a house came with that monstrosity. One thing I will point out is that it shows everything. It gets noticeably dusty too. It is the bane of my existence. We've ripped it up everywhere but on the stairs, because we're saving up to get them recarpeted.

I looked at a townhouse that had that same carpet! In some areas, that is, in other rooms the carpet was pink. I think the rug idea is your best bet, and there are a lot of options (based on your furniture) for color and style that could work very well. Plus extra carpets will be extra sound insulation.

Oh man! I would ask if you could just put down area rugs/runners on top of hardwood. I know a friend who rented an apt. and covering something like 75% of the floors with area rugs was a rent stipulation (for sound insulation).

I once passed on a large, cheaply priced apartment in a good neighborhood for the same reason - but bright cobalt blue instead of green. I would cover it very large, woven or braided rugs and tack them down discreetly with little brads. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50168285/

Flor tiles won't work on top of carpet - they need to be on top of a flat floor to stay together. Or, if you plan on staying a while and can afford it, you could also research the cost of replacing the carpet with more wall-to-wall but in a better color/texture. If you're actually going to have to buy enough rugs to cover the whole place anyway, it might not be that ridiculous of an idea.

It is brutal that you can't rip that up (and how cruel for the landlord to rub your face in the "lovely hardwoods" you can't have!), but I actually do agree that the color itself is not terrible and actually might be workable. But you will never be able to hide all that rug under area rugs - I actually think the idea of laying rug upon rug upon rug will only draw attention to what you're trying to detract from. Embrace the emerald. I love the suggestion of contrasting some chartreuse. And also, I am sure it will look better once your stuff is all moved in and you're not just seeing a wide expanse of green everywhere. It is still 1000x better than the Apartment Beige carpet in most rentals.

Your other option, of course, is to tear the carpet out yourself and sacrifice your security deposit.

I agree with Muffy that once your stuff is in there, it'll likely fade into the background. Think this way: it could be worse!

Since the wall-to-wall must stay, I'd look into the cost of recarpeting with a more neutral color. The landlord might be willing to cover the cost, or at least subsidize the endeavor if the change makes the place more marketable. You'll probably have to buy a lot of area rugs to cover the green, and that can get spendy if you're going for something along the lines of the example posted by ajostes. (I wanted that look for a room in my apartment and, unless there's some magic, super affordable source that I'm missing, those kids of rugs are generally out of my price league, even on Craigslist and ebay. It would cost a pretty penny to buy enough to get a layered look.) If you recarpet with an affordable neutral, then you can still put an area rug over the top (like something affordable from Ikea) to minimize the wall-to-wall look.

Haunt Craigslist for area rugs to cover what you can and just live with the rest. My parents have this same awful colour throughout the upstairs of their house. It was installed by the previous owners who built the place in the early 90s when emerald green was all the rage. All the downstairs walls were painted green as well (with hardwood floors).

They have been meaning to replace it for years but it actually doesn't look that bad. They painted most of the walls a muted golden yellow and one bedroom a light slate blue.

Incidentally, this Dwell Studio runner would look great in a hallway: http://www.dwellstudio.com/home-decor-accents/decorative-rugs/zig-zag-citrine-rug-2-5x9.html

They have others as well.

This colourway would be even better:
http://www.dwellstudio.com/home-decor-accents/decorative-rugs/zig-zag-lapis-rug-2-5x9.html

Buy neutral rugs and try to limit the colors you use in the space to avoid clashing too much. Don't forget to have the carpets steam cleaned (or as the landlord to do it) to make sure they are the best looking version of ugly possible. ;-) The green could work if you keep the rest of your decor toned down.

@Muffy St John I know you're right. I just keep imagining the space empty... with miles of high-pile emerald green carpet.

Any ideas for a couch color to build off of? Our current couch will be going in the reading room. I can't decided if I should go light or dark.

You can put the kind of laminate over it, that you don't have to glue ('click' laminate?).
It's easy to remove and doesn't harm the crappet.. eh carpet.

All greens go together... So if you have mid-century/Danish/teak style preferences, then you might add avocado, seagrass, chartreuse to the mix. For the metals, I'd go with brass and golds instead of chromes and silver to warm it up a bit.

For fun, pick up some Emerald City/Wizard of Oz art on Zazzle or Etsy ;-)

My two cents!

I would rip it up an put down new stuff. (If the reason the carpet is there is for sound proofing, then the landlord should not object. ) The cheaper the better.

Teal is an emerging trend. Keep it and play with it. You are ahead of the curve. Seriously. :)

I like the idea of multiple layers of different greens. Find some fabric you love that has a bit of the carpet green in it and pull colors from that.

I especially love the idea of a pop of chartreuse here and there.

So, how much is your damage deposit? Is the landlord likely to come in while you live there? I had this same problem with BLUE carpet. I could NOT live with it, so I pulled it up, rolled it up, and shoved it into the closet. It was a pretty big room too. I laid IKEA laminate "hardwood" and one year later, I put the blue carpeting back!
I say: You're willing to loose a little money anyway, so PULL IT OUT, lay down rugs, adopt a "no shoes" policy, and no one will ever know! Until your landlord sees it, and keeps your damage deposit....

In my first apartment there was horrible mixed colored red shag carpet from the 70s that smelled and was hideous so I did exactly what was mentioned before, I made a cut in the closet of my bedroom and pulled it back to find beautiful hardwood floors! So I did what any human being would do-ripped it out! Only to find that the bedroom was the only room that contained hardwood floors and the living room and hallways were sub-flooring. So if you do decide to test to see if you have hardwood floors underneath-test in all areas of your home!

wow! every post of advice was very helpful and embracing of your green monster problem..yes, the landlord hassss to please steam clean all of it..so it smells fresh and looks new..THEN you can brace yourselves and begin to nest in your beautiful and affordable new home..and slowly it will become a lovely haven filled with your treasures and the rug color will be just a neautral base...not even noticed! :)

neutral.. : }

Persian rugs with jewel tones would look amazing over this carpet. Buy them cheap from Ebay or discount rug stores - they don't have to be antique either. I'm loving pairing mid-century modern furniture with persian rugs and enough white to keep it straying into stuffy territory.

I honestly would've passed on the apartment. (Both for the colour and because I'm horribly allergic).

Sigh. I have that same color in my bedroom. It was one of many design choices made by the previous owner of the home that made me shudder when we moved in.

We're not going to replace the carpet any time soon; it was new when we moved in and it is quite good quality; so I have decorated the bedroom in blues and whites and greens and a very colorful chinoiserie comforter from Pottery Barn, several years ago.

It's a pleasant, peaceful look.

@alex_pina -
I second (third? fourth? I've lost count) the idea of area rugs on top of the carpet, but not in the sense mentioned earlier of layers-upon-layers of rugs. You don't need to cover every square inch of the carpet in every room. I'd add a few large-ish rugs to define spaces (for example, a seating area), maybe in a lighter or more neutral color, and let the green carpet become a border of negative space. Combine that with a complementary color scheme, and I think it'll tie together your midcentury furniture and the art-deco/20's style of the house very well.

How much do you value your relationship with your landlord? If a lot, don't tick him off and rip up the carpeting ESPECIALLY when he explained the reason it is there. I am old fashioned but I wouldn't enter into a contract and then break it. If you can negotiate with the landlord and afford to buy new carpeting that he endorses, fine. If not, ignore it. I lived with hideous pale grey green carpets once - I decorated in a way that lifted eyes up.

I gotta be honest - if it were me, I woulda not asked the landlord about it at all. "Better to ask forgiveness than permission" is my motto. And to be honest, even though you've talked about it, I might *still* go ahead and take it out and refurbish the hardwood floors - just be super careful about wearing socks. Or, if you're willing to bear the expense, put FLOR tiles over the hardwood floors. I'm not sure that FLOR tiles over the carpet would look very good.

If the carpet absolutely has to stay though, I say just go with it. Awkward cover-ups inevitably look worse than the originals and just end up drawing attention to the disastrous design element. I like muffy and fledgling's ideas of going with a green theme.

And if nothing else, you can turn it into an opportunity for some zen gratitude - everytime you want to hate on the carpet, just think about how lucky you are to have a nice warm place to live.

GOOD LUCK!

Why does ugly carpeting exist!!! I don't get it!!!! >:(
#angry

Ask the landlord to rip it out and then either refinish the hardwood yourself or replace the carpet at your expense. Emerald green carpet is a crime against humanity and the person who selected it should be tried and punished. No area rug is going to be able to hide it. It will always be visible at the margins.

I guess my thoughts are that you already have to live with it because you were told it has to stay. I say before getting lots of rugs etc move you things in and try it out. It's fully possible that you could end up being really surprised. After you have tried it, then consider area rugs to cover.