My mom in law did a beautiful 10x 12 off white wool rug over her dinning room carpet. It didn't look at all lame. It separated that area.

These carpets are too small for the area but it will at least give you an idea of what an area rug looks like over a carpet. You'll have to decide what you think of the look.

I see it all the time. I think it looks odd, but it depends on the space and how that area rug brings in the other elements of the room. I think the carpet below would be fine, and extra clean!

In time, depending on how long you keep the rug over the carpet, you will be able to see the difference in color, this happens even with hardwood flooring.

Okay...I left a message for our flooring guy to see if we can go ahead and continue the laminate into the family room. I don't like the look of the rugs on top of the carpet at all. Hopefully it's not too late to make the change.

Lisa, the decorator I worked with does the area carpet over carpet a lot, I've seen it in several homes he'd helped with - uses it to add color and ground the seating arrangement. I told him No in my living room, partly because it seemed at the time to be an element in several homes I'm in - so maybe a little predictable. And I do my own housework, I didn't want the second carpet edge to deal with when vacuuming. My third reason was the furniture is floated in that room (all of it), and I would have lost the advantage of lamps plugging discreetly into floor outlets, the cords would have come out from under the second carpet and across it back to the lamp tables.

In my last home I did just that in my family room. Looked great

It's cumbersome to maintain the second carpet as Ingrid mentions, but sometimes that is easier than maintaining the light carpet in high traffic areas, which is why I have the look. But I inherited the bottom carpet both times I have done it. If I was starting afresh, I would NOT want to do that. I would chose the flooring for the high traffic areas accordingly.

i've been doing area rugs on carpeting for almost 20 years. I think it started because i wanted to add more color to the room, and the rugs were usually 5' x 7'. When I moved and had a bigger living room, I 'graduated' to an 8'x10' size. EventualIy I had hardwood floors installed, but continued to use area rugs on the carpeted floors in other rooms. I can't imagine NOT having area rugs

I personally don't like the look of area rugs over carpet.

Navy momma, and that's ok, too. What a boring world it would be if we all thought the same.

Thank you all for your opinions & personal experience with rugs over carpet. We decided to forgo carpet and do laminate instead and I know I'll be happier long term with the decision. :)