The Memory Foam Hack Emily Henderson Uses To Make Your Rugs Extra Comfortable

When it comes to creating a comfy home, interior designer Emily Henderson has plenty of tips (and hacks) for making your home a little more inviting. "I think these little things are subconscious signals that say, 'come in, sit, relax, stay awhile,'" shared Henderson on her blog Style by Emily Henderson. In fact, one simple hack the interior designer opted for her rug could make all the difference in your home.

Traditional rug pads are meant to anchor area rugs and prevent them from slipping around the floor. When it comes to rugs, a little plush can go a long way to adding a lot of comfort. There's nothing quite like sinking your feet into a thick, plushy rug, but unfortunately, the thicker the rug, the more expensive it tends to be. To combat this price problem, Emily Henderson suggests swapping out the traditional rug pad for one made of memory foam.

Most rug pads are thin, offering no cushioning underneath. While these still offer protection for hardware floors and prevent the rug from slipping around the room, they don't do much as far as adding comfort to a space. But Emily Henderson solves this issue by creating rug pads out of memory foam. This design hack, which calls for memory foam that's at least one-and-a-half inches thick, can quickly and easily add an extra layer of comfort to your rugs — particularly thin rugs.

While Henderson used this rug hack to make her thin Persian rug softer underfoot, it also seems to come in handy for "concussion-free wrestling periods," as the interior designer describes them. That extra bit of cushioning is great for designated kids' play areas or for just around the house where there's lots of activity. Plus, if you're someone who often sits on the floor, a memory foam rug pad will make it that much more comfortable.

While using a memory foam rug pad isn't too different than using a traditional one, there are a few things to note. One, most rug pads come in a few standard sizes and that might not match your current rug size. This issue is easily alleviated, however, by cutting the rug pad down to size. Even if you do find a rug and a rug pad that perfectly match, Emily Henderson still recommends cutting the pad down a bit.

This is because when the pad and the rug are the same size, you'll see the pad peaking out from underneath. This said, be careful not to cut too much off either; cutting the memory foam rug pad down an inch or two to size will ensure a perfect fit.

Also, it's also important to ensure your rug pad has anti-slip properties. Using a memory foam topper for a mattress, for example, though made from the same material, won't result in the same protection for your rug. You want the surfaces of the rug pad to have some grip that keeps the rug in place and prevents it from sliding around on the floor.