How to Choose the Right Carpet: A Room by Room Guide

Updating your home with a brand new, high-quality carpet can be a real treat. But before you start sinking your toes into its soft surface, you’ll need to go through a few important stages — including thinking carefully about what colour and style of carpet is your best option.

You might like the look of a certain style but is it the most practical solution for that particular room? Keeping your room’s function in mind is absolutely essential when choosing carpet, especially if it’s frequently used by all your family.

Here we go through some of the main rooms in the home and provide some expert advice and carpet inspiration.

As the most relaxing room in the home, your bedroom carpet should be chosen carefully so it turns the space into a sanctuary for sleep and relaxation.

There’s no better feeling than climbing out of bed and onto a plush carpet. While softer, deeper pile carpets aren’t always practical in living rooms or high traffic areas, they can be great in a bedroom as they add an extra element of luxury and comfort.

However, if you’re re-carpeting a child’s room, you’ll find opting for an easy clean twist style the best course of action as they’re simple to maintain while still feeling soft on your little one’s feet.

And don’t forget to use a fresh, quality new underlay – it will not only cushion the surface for your cherished loved ones, it will help prolong the life of your carpet. It’s well worth the little extra investment to ensure lasting softness underfoot.

We want to feel cosy when we’re going to bed which is why the best carpets for bedrooms tend to be those in warmer shades.

Living rooms tend to be the areas of our homes that we’re proudest of. We spend a lot of time in them, whether that’s watching TV or entertaining guests, meaning we usually want them to look as nice as possible. When it comes to carpets for living rooms, they should strike a balance between practical and stylish.

Choosing clashing colours can be a real eye sore which is why you should carefully consider how to colour match your carpets to your living room’s overall décor. This includes not just what colour your walls are painted but also the materials and shades of your furniture.

As the most used room in the home, your living space needs to be practically designed while also being comfortable. An extra deep pile carpet may feel cosy, but it can be difficult to vacuum, so always opt for a machine with variable height or with a beater bar and brush. Remember, over time all carpets flatten, especially man made, super-soft carpets, so consideration should be given to this in areas of high traffic and regular maintenance to preserve the appearance, is essential.

Homes with kids should consider avoiding light carpets as they’re difficult to clean. If you’ve got pets, you’ll also want to avoid dark colours that allow stray hairs to easily stand out. A shorter pile carpet is additionally more hygienic and less likely to retain odours.

If you’re a frequent home entertainer, or have family round for dinner, help alleviate your fears of spills and stains by opting for a carpet with a lengthy stain and wear guarantee. Leading carpet brand Cormar provide 10 Year Stain & Wear Warranty on virtually all of it’s easy-clean and deep pile soft carpets.

Hallways, landings and stairs are some of the most used areas of our homes, with the highest volume of daily traffic and therefore require something a little more hardwearing when it comes to flooring. A more robust carpet on stairs is a good idea – wool carpets have natural, in-built resilience in the fibres and can be a great choice for stairways and landings.

Most hallways — especially if they’re downstairs — can be subjected on a daily basis to things like water and mud from dirty shoes. Consequently, you’ll want to avoid light carpets that are much more likely to become stained.

You might think the obvious choice for carpeting is a deeper hue, but they can also appear dirty from things like dust unless regularly cleaned. A mid-tone flecked, or patterned carpet is the perfect compromise. The same advice applies if you’re after stair carpet runner ideas for your staircase.

We walk up and down our landings and hallways multiple times within one day, so you’ll want a hardwearing carpet that’s not going to be left with permanent footprint marks. A wool loop style is ideal as it provides resilience and has a subtle texture while also being soft and welcoming.

If you’re lucky enough to have a sunny conservatory attached to your home, it can be a good idea to keep it carpeted so it’s still warm and comfortable enough to use in the chillier winter months.

With all that glass and direct sunlight, though, darker carpets are a big no-no as they fade and can look tired and worn very quickly. Lighter shades are also impractical if you use the conservatory as an exit out into your garden. A carpet with short fibres in a flecked pattern or earthy tone is therefore a great pick.

Once you’ve considered the varying functions of the different rooms in the home and you understand your carpet options, it’s time to take a look at our full range of high quality carpets. They are all available in a variety of hues to complement the décor throughout your home.