Choosing the Right Carpet Style

Carpet is all about style and no other flooring can match it in terms of colours, textures and patterns and you are guaranteed to find something that would be the perfect addition to your home.

Plain Carpets

You are likely to find a plain carpet of some sort in every home throughout the country and you can take your choice from a whole myriad of textures in virtually any colour you could think of.

Some manufacturers have even gone as far as offering a bespoke colour service so that you can match your interior perfectly, much like you can do with paint at your local DIY store.

Patterned Carpets

Mention the term 'patterned carpets' to people and many may think of garish florals or highly detailed twists and knots. However, patterned carpet has come along way since the early days, and carpet manufacturers are now seeing a return to patterned carpets within the home, but with an altogether more subtle attitude, thanks to designers such as Laura Ashley and Cath Kidston.

Patterned carpets are split into traditional, borders, pin dots and others.

Tonal Carpets

Many tufted and woven carpets incorporate different shades of the same colour yarn to create small designs. This generates what is known as a tonal effect. Although this means that these carpets are great at covering dirt, make sure you don't use that as an excuse for avoiding the hoovering!

Berbers

Berber styles contain chunks of different shades in neutral tones for a natural, hand spun appearance. Berber is becoming an increasingly common style as it gives an ideal mix of natural tones with great dirt hiding qualities.

Heather and Tweed

There are many carpet ranges that incorporate yarns spun with different colour fibres. This results in a mottled appearance known as a 'Heather' or 'Tweed' that helps to soften the carpet's presence within the room. Heather and Tweed are available in twist pile, velour and velvet, and many loop pile styles are now also making use of this technique.

Choosing the Right Carpet Texture

The two most popular choices of carpet today are the loop pile and cut pile (also known as plush). Loop pile has individual strands of yarn pulled through the backing of the carpet twice, which creates a small loop, whilst plush carpets are constructed of loops that have been sheared, which results in the strands standing upright.

Loop Pile

Loop pile construction carpets don't crush or matt, due to their high level loops. They are however harder underfoot, uncomfortable to sit on or lay down on, and they can easily become damaged by pets with long nails. They are well suited for high traffic areas, which include living rooms, walk ways and entrance areas. They aren't as popular with bedrooms, as their hard texture makes them a less than attractive option. Loop pile choices include Berber, cable or sisal.

Cut Pile

The cut pile type carpets are much softer to walk or lay on and they offer better sound and thermal insulation. They tend to crush and matt though when they are subjected to high levels of foot traffic.

The use of nylon fibre paired with a tight low pile construction will help to limit the amount of pile and matt crushing, due to the high resilient nature of the nylon fibre and the added support that is gained from tight construction.

Cut piles come in many styles, such as shag, twist, textured, Saxony and velvet. Twist pile is one of the most popular styles, and comes in wool and man made fibres. The yarn is given an extra turn or two, resulting in a rougher surface texture that is less prone to showing footmarks.

Saxony carpets have a shorter pile length than shag pile, and the tufts tend to be closer together. Saxony styles are available in several different fibres. Velvet cut pile carpet has a close construction with a short pile and smooth top. It is available mainly in tufted and Wilton constructions and in wool or synthetic fibres.

Choosing the Right Colour Carpet

Choosing the right carpet colour is probably the most important decision you will have to make about your room scheme. There are hundreds, even thousands of colours and designs available to you in the carpet shops - and you can even have your carpet specially dyed to match a particular colour scheme.

Delicate pastels, tonals, tweeds and other textured effects, traditional multicoloured designs, vivacious and rich shades in plains, dainty motifs and optional stylish borders. Your choice will determine the overall effect and atmosphere of your room.

Choosing the Right Carpet for Each Room

Living Rooms

With all those family occasions, relaxing afternoons with the Sunday papers and dinners in front of the TV, living rooms are prone to accidental spillages and stains and high levels of footfall. No other area of the home will be subject to continual risk from animals, dropped food, excited kids, and that evening glass of wine than the living room, and as such it demands a carpet that performs. Not only this, it is also the favourite room for making an impression, so it will need to look great too.

It is therefore essential to ensure a hardwearing carpet for this area. Look for those that offer a high pile density (use 40 oz as a minimum guide). You may also want to consider a carpet with a stain-resistant treatment, particularly if you have pets or kids. However, wool and man made carpets have a natural resistance to staining, so as long clean up spillages as soon as possible, vacuum regularly and get them professionally cleaned on a regular basis, they should keep their good looks for a long time.

Dining Rooms

Although they may not be subjected to as many feet as living rooms, dining room carpets are even more likely to experience spillages that can do maximum damage. Red wine, sauces and soups can all wreck a carpet if it isn't carefully chosen. Again, choose a carpet with a high pile density, but take care to clear spills quickly. Alternatively, you may want to consider placing your table on top of a rug. Should this be ruined by spillages, it will be significantly cheaper and easier to replace than the entire carpet.

Kitchens

Carpets are not a particularly fashionable choice for this area of the home as they will be exposed to all sorts of potential staining. If you still want a carpet for your kitchen then consider carpet tiles. These have a low pile height and are easy to clean and should one prove just too stubborn then you can just easily lift and replace with a new one.

Hallways

With people going in and out, bags and shoes dumped by doors and debris from outside blowing in, the hallway is the place for dirt to gather and so hard wearing carpet qualities are paramount. Also remember that the narrow width of hallways make them prone to continual and heavy foot traffic so it's vital to use a dense carpet. You may also want to consider the use of a runner in the busiest area. Hallways should be fitted with a mat that will remove mud, moisture and those annoying bits of gravel that gets stuck in the sole of your shoe. It's also probably a good idea to chose a darker, or patterned carpet to hide any dirt that does make its way in.

Stairs

The same rules apply to stairs as they do to hallways. Carpeted stairs are great for keeping noise level downs, but are also subject to a considerable amount of footfall, especially on the edges. Choose a hardwearing, dense carpet and if you are considering a loop pile texture than remember that they do have a habit of fraying on the stair edge over time.

Bathrooms

Not as fashionable as they used to be, but all the same many people still desire carpet in bathrooms, ensuring warmth and comfort underfoot. However, the fibre content and the carpet backing should be carefully considered. Only choose a carpet that is rubber backed and go for a 100% nylon or polypropylene fibre blend. Be warned traditional fibres and jute backings will retain moisture and that can make your spa-like haven of tranquillity smell damp and musty. There are specialist bathroom carpets available.

Bedrooms

The bedroom is about unadulterated luxury and a nice deep pile will bring the ultimate softness to your toes. Bedrooms are not as prone to thousands of foot steps as the main areas of the home, so you can afford to use a slightly less dense carpet and so save a bit of money over dining and living rooms. Wear and tear will be minimal, and apart from the odd cup of coffee or tea, stains from food and drink won't be such a problem. Don't forget that spare bedrooms get even less use and so can make do with a more cost effective, lower density pile than main bedrooms.