Soft Touch: How to Choose Carpet for Your Bedroom
Sumptuous wall-to-wall carpet is an appealing choice for bedrooms – here's how to buy with ease and confidence
Nothing beats waking up in the morning and sinking your toes into plush, velvety carpet. It’s also a practical choice, adding warmth and acoustic protection to a room that’s all about relaxation. We’ve asked three experts to reveal what you need to know if you’re in the market for new soft flooring for your master bedroom
Colour trends
When it comes to the latest carpet colours for bedrooms, darker hues are dominating, according to Isaac-Cole. “This year it’s all about creating a cosy, luxurious atmosphere in the master bedroom – a retreat away from the rest of the house. As a result, we’re seeing darker colours in plush finishes coming through,” she says.
Maria Roussos, interior decorator at design firm Schemes and Spaces, concurs. “For some time now, sandy and taupe textures have dominated. But now there are so many more options in the grey palette in both loop and plush piles, which are gorgeous for the bedroom,” she says.
How to Get Your Bedroom Design Just Right
When it comes to the latest carpet colours for bedrooms, darker hues are dominating, according to Isaac-Cole. “This year it’s all about creating a cosy, luxurious atmosphere in the master bedroom – a retreat away from the rest of the house. As a result, we’re seeing darker colours in plush finishes coming through,” she says.
Maria Roussos, interior decorator at design firm Schemes and Spaces, concurs. “For some time now, sandy and taupe textures have dominated. But now there are so many more options in the grey palette in both loop and plush piles, which are gorgeous for the bedroom,” she says.
How to Get Your Bedroom Design Just Right
Consider the overall scheme when selecting colour
“When choosing a carpet, colour is the most important element to get right,” says Isaac-Cole. “It needs to link to the rest of the palette as well as complement the other textural elements in the room. Think about your wall colour and finish, window treatments, furniture style, even bedlinen. Consider what the hero element in the room is and look for a carpet that complements rather than overpowers it.”
You should also consider the feel you want to create. “Ask yourself ‘How soft or layered do I want the texture and pile of the carpet to be? How do I want it to feel underfoot when I step out of bed?’” she says.
“When choosing a carpet, colour is the most important element to get right,” says Isaac-Cole. “It needs to link to the rest of the palette as well as complement the other textural elements in the room. Think about your wall colour and finish, window treatments, furniture style, even bedlinen. Consider what the hero element in the room is and look for a carpet that complements rather than overpowers it.”
You should also consider the feel you want to create. “Ask yourself ‘How soft or layered do I want the texture and pile of the carpet to be? How do I want it to feel underfoot when I step out of bed?’” she says.
“For versatility, the best carpet shades for most schemes are charcoal, taupe and sand,” says Roussos. And if you have children and pets dashing in and out of your bedroom on a regular basis? “Mid tones are the safest choice, as they will disguise dust and stains.”
Browse contemporary bedroom photos
Browse contemporary bedroom photos
Pile types
You should also think about which pile type suits your decor and lifestyle, says Verstak.
“Ask yourself what decorating style you want to achieve. Plush and twist styles will give you a more luxe look, for example. If you have a very textured room scheme, you may want to consider a loop or textured carpet.” A loop-pile carpet can also be used to add a casual vibe to your bedroom, says Roussos. “There are some gorgeous loop piles on the market, in a variety of textures and shades that will give you a relaxed Hamptons or coastal look.”
See more carpeted bedrooms
You should also think about which pile type suits your decor and lifestyle, says Verstak.
“Ask yourself what decorating style you want to achieve. Plush and twist styles will give you a more luxe look, for example. If you have a very textured room scheme, you may want to consider a loop or textured carpet.” A loop-pile carpet can also be used to add a casual vibe to your bedroom, says Roussos. “There are some gorgeous loop piles on the market, in a variety of textures and shades that will give you a relaxed Hamptons or coastal look.”
See more carpeted bedrooms
Tip: “If you’ll be allowing pets into your bedroom, then a twist style is best as their claws won’t get caught in the fibres,” says Verstak.
How to Choose the Best Pillow for Your Sleep Style
How to Choose the Best Pillow for Your Sleep Style
Pile height and density
When choosing a carpet, pay attention to pile height and density too, says Roussos. “If hotel luxe is the mood you’re aiming for, a long, plush pile carpet is the ultimate choice. Shorter, tighter piles are harder- wearing and will show less wear and indentation.”
When choosing a carpet, pay attention to pile height and density too, says Roussos. “If hotel luxe is the mood you’re aiming for, a long, plush pile carpet is the ultimate choice. Shorter, tighter piles are harder- wearing and will show less wear and indentation.”
Material options
There are several carpet materials to choose from, including wool, nylon, wool-nylon mixes and more luxurious options such as alpaca and wool-silk mixes. “For softness, luxury and graceful ageing, pure wool carpet is hard to beat,” says Verstak. “In addition to its natural, sustainable and insulating properties, wool carpet is also easy to maintain.” Isaac-Cole is also a fan of wool, adding: “It’s definitely an enduring favourite, low in allergens and with perfect softness”.
But that’s not to say you should disregard nylons, particularly the latest quality solution-dyed nylons. “Thanks to technological innovations, synthetic carpets are becoming softer and more luxurious all the time,” says Verstak. “Generally speaking, they are more cost-efficient, hardwearing and stain-resistant than pure wool carpets.”
For the best of both worlds, consider a wool blend, which will give you the hardwearing properties of a synthetic and the natural appeal of wool, says Verstak. “They are perfect
for those wanting a wool carpet that also keeps up with the practicality of busy lifestyles,” he says.
There are several carpet materials to choose from, including wool, nylon, wool-nylon mixes and more luxurious options such as alpaca and wool-silk mixes. “For softness, luxury and graceful ageing, pure wool carpet is hard to beat,” says Verstak. “In addition to its natural, sustainable and insulating properties, wool carpet is also easy to maintain.” Isaac-Cole is also a fan of wool, adding: “It’s definitely an enduring favourite, low in allergens and with perfect softness”.
But that’s not to say you should disregard nylons, particularly the latest quality solution-dyed nylons. “Thanks to technological innovations, synthetic carpets are becoming softer and more luxurious all the time,” says Verstak. “Generally speaking, they are more cost-efficient, hardwearing and stain-resistant than pure wool carpets.”
For the best of both worlds, consider a wool blend, which will give you the hardwearing properties of a synthetic and the natural appeal of wool, says Verstak. “They are perfect
for those wanting a wool carpet that also keeps up with the practicality of busy lifestyles,” he says.
Be aware of shadowing
If you have your heart set on a plush carpet, be aware that shading is a feature of this style. “Plush carpets are created by cutting the loops and then shearing the tips of the fibres. Pile reversal shading is when there appears to be a colour difference in the carpet when you walk or vacuum over it,” explains Verstak. “For that reason, plush carpet is generally best used in the master bedroom or other quiet spaces in the home.”
If you have your heart set on a plush carpet, be aware that shading is a feature of this style. “Plush carpets are created by cutting the loops and then shearing the tips of the fibres. Pile reversal shading is when there appears to be a colour difference in the carpet when you walk or vacuum over it,” explains Verstak. “For that reason, plush carpet is generally best used in the master bedroom or other quiet spaces in the home.”
Colour also plays a part in how noticeable this effect is, adds Roussos. “Carpet shading is usually more obvious in darker shades than lighter ones.”
Do your homework
With so many options available, choosing the right carpet style can be a daunting task. But there are a few things you can do to make the process easier, says Verstak. “It’s a good idea to take along images to the showroom of the look you want to create, as well as materials and colours that you’ve selected for the room,” he says. “When you’ve narrowed down your options, take home samples so you can see what they look like at different times of the day and under different light conditions.”
And of course, don’t forget to put your favourite styles to the most important test of all – the softness test. For this, all you need to do is slip off your shoes and let your toes sink in.
With so many options available, choosing the right carpet style can be a daunting task. But there are a few things you can do to make the process easier, says Verstak. “It’s a good idea to take along images to the showroom of the look you want to create, as well as materials and colours that you’ve selected for the room,” he says. “When you’ve narrowed down your options, take home samples so you can see what they look like at different times of the day and under different light conditions.”
And of course, don’t forget to put your favourite styles to the most important test of all – the softness test. For this, all you need to do is slip off your shoes and let your toes sink in.
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Read more stories on decorating bedrooms
The bedroom is a sanctuary for many of us – somewhere we can escape and recharge for the days ahead. Nothing says relaxation better than the feel of soft, luxurious carpet underfoot, says Harriet Isaac-Cole, interior architect at design firm The Designory. “Carpet adds a layer of softness and warmth that hard floor sometimes can’t give you,” she says.
And unlike busy parts of the home, such as the hallway and family room, where practicality will invariably steer your design choices, low-traffic bedrooms give you license to indulge in sophisticated styles such as plush, velvety piles and oversized loop-pile carpets. “Most of our customers will select a more luxurious carpet option for their bedroom compared with the carpet they choose for other areas of the home,” says Jason Verstak, group manager for marketing at Choices Flooring.