Carpet in the living room may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly not an automatic design no-no either. Rather than dismissing it entirely, sometimes, you just need to embrace it.
Aside from being a soft to place to stand, living room carpet can make a room feel cozier and more colorful. Have carpet in your own living room? Here's 50 ways to make it work.
Pile On The Rugs
We all know that one rug can look great on top of carpet, but so does two. Layering multiple rugs on top of carpet creates a multifaceted look full of texture that will take your living room up a notch.
Repeat Carpet Colors
For a seamless living room carpet look, pick carpet that is full of colors and vibrant tones and repeat those colors elsewhere in your space, like in accessories, throw pillows, or furniture.
Use Carpet To Make Your Living Room Feel More Spacious
Dealing with a small space? Pair lightly-colored carpet with similarly colored walls and glass accents for a living room that will feel brighter and more open than it really is.
Use Floor Pillows
Need extra seating? Place floor pillows on your living room carpet. Not only do these provide a convenient spot to sit and chat, but they also act as an extra accessory to jazz up your carpet.
Bring in Other Rooms
Just as you can create a cohesive look with similar coloring in the carpet and the furniture and accessories that surround it, so can you create a cohesive look by mimicking the look of the carpet in other spaces as well—like the kitchen cabinets. This works well with open-concept areas.
Add A Pop Of Plum
Plum accents are the ideal companion to dark gray carpet in your living room. Consider adding a few touches of plum through throw pillows, blankets or vases.
Echo Patterns
Living room carpet is an easy way to tie in fun patterns and texture. Repeat those patterns and texture (or ones similar to it) elsewhere in your space, like in wall art or throws.
Bring In The Boho
A simple cream-colored carpet is the perfect base layer for a boho rug and some cozy floor couches. Finish the look with a dramatic, show-stopping houseplant and some complementary wall art.
Consider Your Walls
Adding carpet and unsure what color it should be? If your walls are white or off-white, try installing carpet in a similar shade. It can give your living room a marvelously minimalist feeling.
Embrace (Subtle) Texture
Bringing texture into your living room doesn't have to mean covering it in wicker or velvet—it can also mean embracing it small ways, like choosing a more prominent weave or tuft in your carpet.
Don't Forget Color
No matter how you style your living room and its carpet, don't forget some kind of contrasting color, even if you're going with a monochrome look. A dash of color in something as small as a picture frame or decorative bowl can help break up the space and keep it from looking too drab.
Bring in Small Patterns
Think of your living room carpet like a blank canvas and your furniture like the paint it sits upon it. And though your canvas shouldn't be covered in stuff before paint is added, a little pattern never hurt anyone. Try out a carpet with a small pattern and see for yourself.
Time For Tan
An additional stylish look for your carpeted living room is tying in furniture that's slightly darker than your carpet and pairing it with a rich accent color. The room will feel coordinated, but not too matchy-matchy.
Never Forget Neutrals
Sometimes, a neutral carpet is the best one in your living room, especially if your decor style is more maximalist. Keeping things simple will help keep things from becoming chaotic.
Don't Forget the Classic Black And White
For a living room with a timeless feeling, pair your lightly-colored carpet with off-white walls and black accents. Eye-catching black is further highlighted by the cream tones of the space, showing why contrast can be your home decor's best friend.
Go For Gold (And Gray)
For a stellar color combo, go for gold and gray. Gray carpet gets a reputation for being boring, but it's the perfect blank slate when it comes to pops of bold and classy gold.
Break Up The Floor Space
Break of the monotony of a sea of carpet by placing floor accents, like baskets and bins, on top of it. Not only will they provide some helpful storage, but they'll provide visual interest too.
Keep It White
For a room that feels breezy, bright and everything in-between, use a cream or off-white carpet paired with white furniture and walls. Keep things from feeling too clinical by tying in one or two small and subtle pops of color.
Make It Cozy
For a living room you'll want to be in 24/7, break out the highest-of-the-high-pile-carpet. Extra-tall tufts create a soft and welcoming feel, and your floor might just be as comfy as your couch.
Get Inspired By Rugs
Who says that rugs have to have all the cool patterns? Take a page from rugs' book and use carpet that's full of designs and color, like this Persian-rug-style carpet.
Get Some Geometric Texture
Create a unique space that will set your living room apart with some geometrically textured carpet. Textured triangles, circles, and squares can give your floor a personality all of its own.
Pair Your Walls
As you're starting to see, the coloring of your carpet is a great jumping off point for the coloring of the rest of your living room. One way to incorporate your carpet color is by using it as the background or base tone in wallpaper or wall art.
Bring In Woody Tones
Living room carpet in earthy and woody tones can give your space an old-world vibe, and it will pair perfectly with wooden accents, like cabinetry or ceiling beams.
Make It Dotted
For a fun, down-to-earth pattern, use dots in your carpet. They'll provide a touch of personality to an item that so many simply ignore.
Put A Plush Rug On Top
Give your living room a little extra style (and a little extra coziness) by placing a plush rug on top of your carpet.
For the best effect when layering rug on top of carpet, use a rug that's a different shade of the color of your carpet.
Fall Head First For Pattern
A simpler, toned-down carpet means there's room for dramatically patterned ottomans or chairs. Instead of bemoaning your carpet's boring sensibilities, embrace what it allows you to do.
Make It Elegant
A neutral colored, low-pile carpet with a subtle pattern paired with elegant furniture and gilded accents creates a regal look that's sure to stand out.
Love Your Lines
A carpet covered in long lines is the perfect addition to a lusciously linear space. When paired with tall windows, long sofas and geometric coffee table, a linear-patterned carpet ties the whole look together.
Keep It Simple
You don't have to cover up your carpet—either with furniture or rugs. A simple look can look just as good as more maximalist one. For the best effect, make sure all your furniture and decor coordinates well with the carpet, since there won't be much of it.
Try Out Beige and Navy
Another winning color combo is beige and navy. Beige carpet is easy to find (and affordable!) and pairs wonderfully with a touch of navy, for a subtle nautical look.
A Walk On The Wild Side
Another way to add a unique pop of style is by laying an animal skin rug on top of your carpet. This looks even better when a coffee table or another central piece of furniture sits upon it.
Don't Be Afraid To Match
Don't have the time (or headspace) to pick perfectly complementary colors for your carpet and living room furniture? There's an easier way—make them all the same color. Using different shades of the same color will provide a coordinated look with minimal effort.
Incorporate Subtle Color
You can bring in more than one color into your carpet without a bold pattern or colorblocking. Instead, look for carpet with multicolored tufts, which provide a subtle touch of color.
Pair Plush With Velvet
For a subtlety luxe look, pair plush carpet with a few touches of velvet, like in a throw pillow or ottoman. The richness of the carpet will easily complement the lushness of the velvet accents.
Get A Vintage Look
Hardwood flooring isn't the only way to make your living room look older than it really is. For an equally vintage feeling, use carpet with a washed-out pattern for a subtle centuries-old look.
Bring In The Beautiful Blue
Who says living room carpet has to be neutral? It can also be rich and bold too, like this beautiful shade of blue. For a cohesive look, repeat the color elsewhere, like on the sofa or in wall art.
Use Furniture To Coordinate
An easy way to tie in your beige carpet to your living room (without making the whole space beige) is to have a piece of furniture that nearly matches it. Doing this makes the space feel cohesive, but not overwhelmingly carpeted.
Create Contrast
For a rich and visually pleasing look, pair a lighter colored carpet or rug with deeply colored walls. The two will contrast one another and create a grown-up space that will never go out of style.
Blend in Your Coffee Table
For a pared-down living room that doesn't feel too cluttered, pick a coffee table that has a similar color as your carpet. This works especially well with lighter colored carpets, and it can really open up a room.
Bring in Bold Rugs
Just as you can have bold living room carpet, you can also have a bold area rug on top of it. This is a great choice if you want to go for a colorful look without the commitment.
Adding A Rug Of A Similar Color
If you want to add a rug to your living room carpet, but don't want it to blend in too much, pick a darker rug with a subtle pattern on it. This will create contrast and bring in some extra style.
Tie Together Blue, Gold, and Cream
Create the classiest living room by pairing cream carpet with dark blue and gold accents. Together, the color trio creates a rich, visually pleasing look that's ready for the fanciest of dinner parties.
Match Your Rugs and Wall Art
Not looking to show off your carpet? We get it. Instead, place a colorful or unique rug on top and match its color or pattern with your living room wall art. This will draw the eye away from your beat-up beige.
Add Baseboards
Trim can really tie together a room, and it's no different when it comes to carpeted ones. Make sure your living room has baseboards—not only do they protect your walls, but they provide a nice buffer between the carpet and the wall too.
Double Up On Texture
One of the best things you can do in you decor is to combine texture, especially when it comes to carpets and rugs. A textured rug atop a textured carpets can give your living room a unique, high-end feel.
Pair Flooring
Another great way to boost your living room's personality is by pairing simple-as-can-be carpet with a fun floor texture, like vintage tile. Together the two highlight one another, while preventing either one from feeling too dominant.
Break Out The Giant Rugs
A room-sized rug is a great answer to the question of what do with unwanted carpet.
For the best look when using a room-sized rug, leave a small carpet border surrounding the rug to create contrast and complexity.
Get That Woven Carpet Feeling
For a taste of something different, a carpet with a subtle weave and low pile mimics the look of wicker. It's an easy way to bring in texture, and low pile carpet is easier than most to keep clean.
Pair The Carpet With The Curtains
Another great way to incorporate the look of your carpet throughout your living room is by using similar curtains. That way, your carpet colors are seen vertically and horizontally.
Place A Contrasting Rug
A bright or richly colored rug against a sea of neutrals brings in a lovely touch of color that makes your living room uniquely you.