How to Choose Your Carpet Colour

Full article with thanks to https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-choose-your-carpet-color-2908838

Carpeting can be one of the most difficult components of decorating because there are so many decisions to make: the style of carpet, fiber type, pattern, quality, and finally, colour.

Colour is often the hardest decision for customers. It can be tough to visualize the colour in a large space, judging from a tiny swatch. A colour change can have a dramatic effect, and sometimes even though a change is desired, it can be a bit scary.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to deciding on a colour of the carpet, then read on for some tips and suggestions to help you out.

What Colour to Choose First?

Which part of their room’s decor should you select first, when you are starting from scratch? For the main living spaces in the home, such as the family room, choose the sofa colour first. The reason is that the selection of fabric colours is often more limited to sofas than with carpet or paint. Many sofa styles are offered in a choice of only four or five (or fewer) colours unless the sofa is being custom made. Therefore, if not chosen first, it can be difficult to find a sofa in the style you like, that matches the carpet you have already chosen.

Once the sofa is selected, then choose the carpet, and finally the paint. Again, this is because the paint has a virtually unlimited colour selection. Start with the element that is most restricted in choice, and save the component with the biggest selection for last.

Use the same logic in other rooms, such as bedrooms. In this case, options for bedding are pretty vast, so choose the carpet colour first. Since bedding is a smaller investment and relatively easy to change, you may want to select the paint colour before choosing the bed covering.

Neutral Colours for Carpet

There is a reason why neutral colours are the biggest sellers in carpeting. Carpet has a big impact in a room, and bright colours in a large expanse can be overpowering. Also, replacing the carpet is expensive. Unless you have the resources (and patience) to replace your carpet every few years as trends change, you are best to keep the colour on the floor neutral. Use the brighter or bolder colours in other, less expensive elements of the room: paint on the walls (much easier and less costly to change than the carpeting), cushions on the sofa, bedding, and smaller accent pieces such as lamps and framed art.

Current trends favor neutrals in earthy hues, including warm grays and the ever-popular beige. Neutrals don’t have to be boring. To make sure your carpet still has personality despite the neutral colour, opt for texture in the carpet. Friezes or cut and loop styles provide depth and character to your carpet while keeping it subtle enough to avoid turning it into the focal point of the room.

Berber Flecks

Another great way to incorporate personality into your carpet is to choose a flecked colour instead of a solid colour. Technically speaking, these flecks of colour in a carpet are known as Berber, even though most people use the term Berber to refer to a looped style of carpet. Typically, carpets with Berber flecks are found in neutral colours with darker neutrals used for the flecks.

In addition to being visually appealing, Berber flecks are quite practical, as they can help to hide any bits of dirt or lint that may be found on your carpet in between vacuumings. You may want to consider a flecked colour if you dread the thought of seeing anything out of place on your carpet.

Lifestyle Matters and Carpet Colour

Your lifestyle and the way how the carpeted room will be used are huge considerations in carpet colour. A busy household with kids, pets and working parents doesn’t usually lend itself well to white carpets, which can show soiling more easily than other colours.

Keep in mind that very light and very dark colour show far more undesirable debris than mid-tones. While a dark colour may be great at hiding stains, it will show lint and dust more than other colours. A carpet that is neither too light nor too dark will be the best colour for masking these issues.

Choose Your Carpet Colour Wisely

The carpet colour can alter the entire feel of a room, so be sure to select your colour carefully and wisely. Think about how trends may change over the years, and be sure that the colour you love today will still appeal to you down the road.

Once you’ve narrowed down the colour choice, it’s time to start looking at samples.

Full article with thanks to https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-choose-your-carpet-color-2908838