The Easiest Way To Try Out The Maximalist Flooring Trend For 2025

Maximalist styling is all about bold, intense colors, contrasting patterns, and even mixing materials. On your floors, that can mean tile, hardwood, concrete, stone, or carpet, but changing out the flooring in big areas of your home may not be your best option, especially when talking about maximalist design. So, if you are salivating for a chance to take this design trend to the mats, don't go all in with an orange carpet or a lime-tiled kitchen. Instead, start with rugs.

Personality is becoming the guiding force in interior design; if you love it, go for it. It is a philosophy that dovetails beautifully with the ethos of maximalism: anything goes (pretty much). When it comes to flooring, however, most of us rarely go much further than throwing a rug down on top of hardwoods or tile. Which, actually, is a wonderful way to play with maximalism without a big financial or design commitment. Because, let's face it, it just doesn't make much sense to cut out big sections of hardwood floors to add tile or carpet. Of course, a single rug in the middle of a huge expanse of oak flooring isn't exactly maximalism. To really embrace the design, you'll want to use a variety of rugs throughout a space, and you'll get the most out of your area rugs by layering them. Though maximalism is all about bucking the rules, there are some guidelines that will help you successfully pull off the vibe.

Start with closed-off spaces. Craft rooms, children's playrooms, bedrooms, and home offices can be great places to get creative with this no-holds-barred style. The inherent separateness of the space from the rest of the house gives you a little decorative insulation; if you don't love the look, just close the door. It also allows you to be as playful as you want without making a serious financial or style commitment. Three large rugs in the bedroom will make the space feel opulent and luxurious. Three layered rugs in the main living space might make it feel like an island.

If you are determined to bring this design trend into the main area of your home, start by using the rugs to differentiate your spaces. Perhaps use a heavily patterned one under the chaise lounge by the living room window and a bigger area rug in a complementary color underneath the couch. The quintessence of maximalism encourages adjusting — or even just fully breaking — traditional design rules, so if you want to put a hallway runner rug under your dining room table, do it. Done with intention, the eclectic vibe of this design style can work in almost any space, though your bathroom could be the one room in your home where maximalism might not work, chiefly because most of us want to cultivate calm in our bathrooms. No matter where you execute it, dipping your toes into the rug version of 2025's big, bold flooring trend will be an easy transition, especially if you can master the art of rug layering.

Start with a base rug and think of any other rugs as accents. Generally, your base rug will be bigger than the others, but it doesn't have to be. And, if the price of a massive area rug is what's keeping you from going for the grandest version of your vision, use the budget-friendly design trick that creates one big area rug for less by taping two rugs together. You could even mix and match colors, textures, and patterns for a real maximalist effect. Keeping the pile height about the same, though, will ensure that you don't create unnecessary tripping hazards or an uneven surface on which to place your furniture.

Once you've got your base, add your accent rugs directly in the center or overlapping in a corner. Keep the scheme feeling intentional by coordinating colors but going to the extremes with the patterns. Or go the other way and stick with a similar pattern but in two boldly different colors. A slightly more toned-down version would be placing a patterned rug on top of a solid color — or even thoughtfully placing various patterned rugs on top of carpet throughout a room. If you're a little hesitant about investing in a small mountain of rugs to play with your design, consider non-adhesive carpet tiles like PUREFULL's Removable Carpet Squares. Ultimately, maximalism is all about playing with what makes your creative heart smile, so let that be your guide, and you can't go wrong.