Guide to Choosing a Carpet Color (original) (raw)

Choosing a color for carpeting can be one of the most challenging components of decorating because it can be tough to visualize the color in a large space, judging from a tiny swatch. A carpeting color change can dramatically affect a space, altering the look, mood, and use of the room.

If you’re unsure where to start when deciding on the color of the carpet, read on for some tips and suggestions to help you out.

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

What Carpet Color Is Best for Your Home?

When deciding what carpet color is best for your home, consider the room, mainly the area's central spot or focal point, like a sofa. A sofa, likely a costly purchase in the living or family room, only comes in limited color options, so select a carpet color that will go well with the sofa. After choosing the carpet, next comes the wall paint color, which has almost limitless options.

The rule of thumb is to start with the most restrictive element in choice and save the component with the most extensive selection for last. For example, in the bedroom, bedding choices are vast and less expensive to change, so choose carpeting and the wall paint color before the bedspread.

Some popular colors follow trends and are a flash in the pan, but others are timeless and will last long after fads have passed. Choose wisely between dark, light, bright, and neutrals for a carpet that can span trends and classic style.

Dark Colors

Black and dark colors like charcoal, dark gray, and deep brown are popular with people with pets and families to camouflage stains that don't come out well or animals that shed their coats. These colors do not go out of style, serving as popular color choices for decades.

Light Colors

Beige is one of the most popular carpet colors. Beige is a light color and can appear as a warm, neutral color, depending on its tone. Beige can mask a slight stain and, as a neutral color, match almost everything.

Ivory, off-white, or light gray are other popular picks. Some may hesitate to go stark white, fearing the potential for stains. However, area rug layering with a darker-toned rug over the carpet is a neat trick to use on top of light-colored carpets.

Warm Neutrals

Neutral carpet colors are the most popular carpet colors. Current trends favor neutrals in earthy hues, like warm gray or a cappuccino-colored beige. Other warm neutrals include tan, cream, and brown.

Choosing a neutral carpet color is an easier, less expensive option for any room, and it outlasts fads that might skew to the latest bright color trend. Add bright colors with accessories, accent pillows, or wall hangings. Wall paint is another way to quickly add color or brighten the whole room for a fraction of the cost.

Cool Neutrals

One of the coolest neutral colors for carpets is gray. A slight tint of blue mixes in with black and white to make a modern, sophisticated gray.

However, one of the most recent exalted colors to enter the world of interior design is greige—the cool neutral love child between gray and beige. Depending on what it's paired with, this neutral carpet can lean cool, bringing out the bluish tones from the gray, and can skew warm, bringing out the tan and brown hues from the beige.

Vibrant Colors

Vibrant carpet colors might be better represented in other ways like wall color or an accent, but if you can see a color that would have staying power for at least a decade, like a blue, green, pink, or purple for a child's room, consider it an investment to last childhood.

You can take a different tack by going bold on the carpet color and toning down the rest of the room with understated sofa colors, furniture, and muted accessories. Using this approach, you can still make a statement on the floor while keeping the rest of the room easy on the eyes.

Patterns and Textures

Add personality to your carpet by opting for unique texture choices. Friezes or cut and loop styles provide depth and character to your carpet while keeping it subtle enough to avoid turning it into the room's focal point. The fiber material and quality also affect the softness or feel on your feet and the carpet's overall look.

Another great way to incorporate personality into your carpet is to choose a flecked color instead of a solid color. Technically speaking, these flecks of color 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 colors, 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 color if you dread seeing anything out of place on your carpet.

Consider Your Lifestyle

Your lifestyle and the way the carpeted room will be used are huge considerations in carpet color and style of carpet. 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 colors.

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

How to Choose a Carpet Color

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

The Spruce / Nanor Zinzalian

Once you've narrowed the color choice, here's how to pick out the next step—swatches and samples.

Consider the Cost by Color and Type

While certain colors of carpet are not necessarily more expensive than others, there are aspects of the design that can drive up the cost. Carpeting with any intricate patterns will often be pricier than a solid. Additionally, carpets offered in a wide range of more specialty colors may be more costly.

Always consider the material as well. Natural fibers like wool and sisal will be more expensive than synthetic carpets made of olefin or polyester. Another given is that the higher the quality of the carpeting, the more expensive it will be.

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