Shag carpet was a 70s staple—a symbol of home décor that screamed style, comfort, and just a little bit of rebellion. With its long, fuzzy fibers, it was the kind of carpet you could sink your toes into, but let’s be real—it got everywhere. Shag carpet wasn’t content to stay on the living room floor; it invaded homes in places it had no business being. Here are some of the most questionable places we found shag carpet during the 70s.
1. Bathroom Floors
Let’s start with one of the most perplexing choices: bathroom floors. Shag carpet is cozy, but not in a room where water, humidity, and other… liquids are constantly involved. Once it got wet, it stayed wet—leading to a soggy, musty mess. Yet, there it was, covering bathroom floors across America.
2. Staircases
Shag carpeting on a staircase might seem like a good idea—it’s soft, after all—but as soon as you missed a step or got your foot tangled in those deep fibers, it quickly became a hazard. Plus, keeping those stairs clean was an impossible task. It looked good at first but quickly turned into a lint- and dirt-filled mess.
2. Bathtub Surrounds
Some adventurous decorators didn’t stop at the bathroom floor—they went all in and added shag carpet to the bathtub surrounds. The thought of plush fibers hugging the edge of the tub sounds luxurious until you remember that water, soap scum, and shag don’t mix. Cleaning that was a nightmare waiting to happen.
3. Car Interiors
For those who truly wanted to embrace the shag lifestyle, cars were the next frontier. Drivers covered their dashboards, seats, and sometimes even the ceilings of their rides in shag carpet. It might’ve looked groovy, but it was also a dust trap that turned summer drives into a sweat-filled, furry experience.
4. Walls
Yes, people actually put shag carpet on their walls! It was seen as trendy—adding texture and color to a room in a unique way. But once it was there, it stayed, collecting dust, dirt, and anything else floating around. Vacuuming your walls? Only in the 70s.
6. Kitchen Floors
In an era before laminate flooring was popular, some homes took the bold step of carpeting their kitchens in shag. Between food spills, grease, and constant foot traffic, shag carpet didn’t stand a chance. It absorbed every crumb and stain, leaving kitchens far from the clean, bright spaces we expect today.
7. Ceilings
It wasn’t enough to have shag on the floors and walls—some truly adventurous decorators decided the ceiling needed to match. Why? Maybe it was to complete the sensory overload, but it’s safe to say shag carpeting on a ceiling never made much sense. And cleaning? Forget about it.
8. Basements
Basements are usually cold and a little damp, which didn’t stop people from thinking shag carpet would make them cozier. But with the constant moisture, the shag quickly turned into a damp, mildewy nightmare. That thick carpet just soaked up all the moisture, turning into a breeding ground for mold.
9. Fireplaces
Fireplace hearths with shag carpet around them? Why not, some thought. After all, it’s the 70s, and style rules don’t apply. But a cozy fire and flammable shag? Probably not the best mix. Looking back, this was just a bad idea waiting for an accident.
10. Dog Beds
Apparently, pets needed to live the shag life too. Some folks thought it’d be cute to line their pet’s bed with shag carpet—until it became the ultimate fur magnet. The combination of shedding pets and long carpet fibers meant their beds were more fur than carpet within days.
11. Rec Rooms
The rec room, where kids ran wild and soda spills were inevitable, became a hotbed for shag carpet. It made sense at the time—soft enough for playing—but it absorbed every spill, snack crumb, and smudge like a sponge. Not exactly a practical choice for rough-and-tumble activities.
12. Patios
For some, indoor/outdoor living meant bringing shag carpet to the patio. It wasn’t unheard of to find people lining their patios with the same thick, fluffy carpet that graced their living rooms. The sun, rain, and dirt quickly took their toll, turning that once-soft carpet into a flattened, worn-out eyesore.
Shag carpet may have been a symbol of comfort and cool style back in the 70s, but in hindsight, it overstayed its welcome in far too many places. From bathrooms to cars and even ceilings, it found its way into nearly every corner of life—whether or not it belonged there. And while we can laugh about it now, we also quietly thank the decorating gods that this trend stayed in the past.
