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Soft and warm underfoot, carpet is the flooring of choice and the foundation of a decorating plan for many homes.  Carpet provides wonderful comfort making it a great choice for bedrooms, living areas, and also has the advantage of being a very good heat and noise insulator.

 

Ultimately your carpet should suit the way you live your life, your home and your family.  And it comes in an exhaustive range of colours, textures and patterns, giving you plenty of choice to help you achieve the look you want.

 

With all of that choice, picking the right carpet for you can be a daunting task.  So that you are making an informed decision these are some of the factors most people take into consideration:  colours, styles, fibres.

 

COLOUR

Colour can set the tone for your décor, they can be bold and contrasting or subtle and neutral.  Light colours are expansive and airy, they make rooms seem larger and brighter. Dark colours are sophisticated and warm; and will give your room a more intimate appearance.

 

To get a true idea of the colour make sure you take home samples and view them under a variety of conditions, at the end of the hallway, under bright light, at night and of course next to your favourite piece of furniture.

 

TIP: when choosing your carpet, keep in mind that carpet can appear up to 20% lighter when laid on the floor than they appear in a sample.

 

STYLE

Carpets come in three main styles that each give their own look and feel to a room.  What sort of lifestyle you have an what you want to achieve with the room will impact which of these is best for you.

 

Loop pile:

Here the pile yarn is pushed in and out of the backing to form a loop, creating a soft even pile.   This can end up giving a causal or classic look depending on the style.

 

Loop pile carpets are durable, easy to care for and don't show footprints. This makes them well suited to busy homes or those with young families.

 

If the loops are at different heights, this will create a textured carpet.

 

This texture can create added interest in a room, but also doesn't show footprints making it a great option for busy households.

 

Cut pile:

In cut pile carpets, the loop ends are cut so the piles stand upright.  This gives a more tailored appearance and luxurious feel.

 

Cut pile carpets can vary from a hard twist where the fibres are twisted and sealed so it is more resistant to flattening, to a long loose pile such as a shag pile carpet.

 

Or it can be a soft plush pile carpet that has a smoother velvet type finish.  All of these carpets may "track" or "shade" as the pile moves creating lighter and darker areas.

 

This happens with every cut pile carpet, it is not a manufacturing fault and you should fully consider this when you buy a cut pile carpet.

 

Combination:

Here manufacturers use a combination of the above techniques to create sculpted and distinctive contrast between the loop and cut pile.  Patterns created can vary from the bold and dramatic to the more subtle and classic.