Buyer's Guide To Carpets

With all my decorating almost finished, I’m shopping for one important finishing touch – amazing carpet.  I need three: one for my stairs, my guest bedroom and my bedroom.  The big question for me is – what do I replace my old trashed carpets with?

The Hallway

My hallway carpet is totally trashed. It was brand new when I moved in but it’s now wreaked. My previous flatmate split a glass of wine up the stairs, leaving behind a very ‘creative’ stain on the third step. A few weeks later I managed to spill paint all down it. During the building works at the house in the summer (despite putting down a plastic cover) the carpet became ingrained with plaster dust.

The current carpet is this textured beige colour. It feels like a foot scrub under your feet, which is nice but it is a nightmare with any spills or stains. They get engrained in the weave and are a bugger to get out. Even water will leave a stain.
This carpet is has cracked under the stain of having a constant stream of dog (and human) traffic going up-and-down about 30 times a day. The landing has no natural light so it is really dingy – and this carpet does nothing to help brighten this dark corner of my home.
I need a carpet that is going to easy to clean as I’m not going to get any less messy any time soon. I’m thinking a patterned carpet would hide the most marks.  But one in a light colour, as it can’t be too dark or it will make this space feel gloomy.

I started gathering inspiration by shopping on-line at Carpetright as they have a large range of carpets which you can search depending on the room or style you are looking for. Perfect for a bit of research for my mood boards.
For the stairs and landing, I’m looking for a pattern that won’t date too – nothing floral or busy. I’m really torn between the Condo Geometric which ticks a lot of boxes for me. The Coniston Stripe as a stripe always looks so smart to me, or this chunky textured Berber carpet which has the white flecks I have been looking for. Tough choice but my heart leans towards the Condo Geometric. What do you think?

The Guest Bedroom

Off the landing is my guest room. I inherited the cream knotted pile carpet. When you spill anything on this carpet, it stains – then (despite what I clean it with) it turns purple as a bruise. As you can imagine this tiny room has been slowly covered in marks and as it is so small I can’t even put down a rug to cover up the mess.

For the smallest room in the house, my guest room has many roles to play. It is rented out on air bnb during the summer. It’s also a home office. Finally, it will be where I store a lot of my style kit which I take on shoots (ironing board, hoover, ribbons, props). Yet again, I need a durable carpet which will add glamour to this box of a room.
Rather than go for colour on the walls, I thought I’d pick a rich teal carpet that will be vibrant and zingy. A coloured carpet is a big commitment – you’ve gotta love it!!  That is why I went for this blue Carousel Twist. I love the shade and the soft-to-touch pile will add the glam factor I’m craving for.  I’m thinking of keeping the walls plain and then add colour with accessories like this accent chair from Oliver Bonas which is small enough to fit in the room. As the room is really too small for a rug, the blue carpet will act like giant one on the floor, don’t you think?

The Bedroom

My current bedroom carpet – as you can see from my ‘before’ shot below – is this dull, beige colour that drains the life out of my bedroom. Not exactly inviting, is it? I spend hours in my bedroom chilling out (I’m currently in bed writing this post) so I want this room to be a warm and inviting space. Carpet is going to be key here.

I’m in the throws of decorating my bedroom. The walls and furniture have been painted grey. Put in a reclaimed fireplace and installed a ceiling rose. As this is my treasured space and on the top of my list is a grown up look that I can chill in. I’ve always had floorboards in my previous bedrooms so picking a carpet for this room has been the toughest choice.  As this is the biggest room in my house, so it can be cold in the winter. I’m looking for a cosy carpet that will feel really luxurious and lush on winter mornings.

Above, I’ve drawn together all the colours I want in the room – the brass, mustards and greys – and then added a dark grey carpet from the Linear collection by Carpetright in ‘Victorian Cobble’ into the mix. It’s a dark wool carpet with a thick pile which has a rippled effect in the weave.  I thought the soft pattern would work well with my grey walls and the copper accents. I love this mustard yellow which will sit well with the brass knobs on my cupboard doors.
That’s my three rooms covered (so to speak!)
Rather than make all the carpets match, I’ve decided to go for different ones that will add personality, colour or texture to each area in my home. I’m not sure if this is a crazy idea TBH? Should I replace them with carpet all from the same collection? Or should I be brave and follow my heart with these three very distinct carpet designs? Questions! Questions! I’ve got my samples winging there way in the post, to test them out in my home. I’d love to know what you think.
**This was a sponsored post paid for by Carpetright.