How Do I... Choose the Right Neutral Carpet?
Carpet in a neutral colour anchors the scheme of a room and home – here's how to buy with confidence
Georgia Madden
2 January 2019
In this practical series, we ask experts to answer your burning home and design questions. Here, Darren Palmer, interior designer and brand ambassador for Carpet Court, reveals how to navigate your way through the various neutral carpet offerings on the market.
There’s much to love about a neutral palette; it’s timeless, elegant and will work with practically any decorating style. Where better to start with a neutral scheme than underfoot? Here’s what you need to know about choosing the right neutral-hued carpet for your home.
What are the main colour options in neutral carpets?
- Beige: A light, easy-to-live-with neutral. It will make a room feel bright and open.
- Camel: A darker version of beige. Adds a cosy feel to a space.
- Grey: This on-trend neutral comes in various shades, ranging from pure grey (a blend of white and black), cool grey (which has a note of blue), to warm grey (which can have a brown, red or yellow base).
- Charcoal: A darker version of grey that is almost black and makes for a chic and dramatic scheme.
- Brown: A true, mid-tone brown can skew blue, green, yellow or red so be careful to choose the right brown to suit your existing colour scheme. Take carpet samples home and look at them beside your existing furnishings under different light conditions.
What’s trending for 2019?
- Mixed-tone neutrals: These carpets incorporate several different shades of light and dark neutrals, making them a versatile option that’s easy to tie in with most colour schemes.
- Oversize felted loops: Chunky, textural-loop carpets create a luxurious and contemporary look. Choose from irregular weaves, which have a casual feel (great for coastal schemes), and tailored weaves, which suit a more contemporary style, such as an inner-city abode.
- Extra-long pile carpets: The shaggy, fringed look so beloved in the 1970s will be back in 2019.
When choosing a neutral carpet, what are the main things to consider?
- What feeling do you want to create? The colour you choose will affect the mood in a room. If you want to make your home feel bright and open, opt for a light colourway; if you want it to feel cosy, consider a rich brown, camel or charcoal.
- What’s your budget? When working out the cost of carpet, think about which rooms require coverage, and add the cost of GST, underlay and installation.
- What are the wear-and-tear requirements? If you live alone and you’re tidy, you can choose from the most delicate and refined carpets in any colour range you desire. If you have an active household with kids and pets, you’ll want a durable and stain-resistant carpet with a high amount of colour variation to hide stains and wear.
- Will the carpet be exposed to direct sunlight? If so, opt for a carpet with UV-resistance that won’t fade, such as a solution-dyed nylon style.
What’s good to know when choosing a neutral-tone carpet?
- A neutral carpet with a high amount of colour variation will be the most hardwearing and forgiving, because no single colour will show up more than another, should a spill or stain occur.
- Wool carpets are naturally stain-resistant, but only for a short time. If you spill something, you’ll need to mop it up fast before it penetrates the carpet fibre.
- For superior stain-resistance, choose a solution-dyed nylon or a new eco-fibre such as Triexta.
- Colour isn’t the only thing to factor in when choosing a carpet – you need to consider pile type too. A plush or cut-pile carpet will shadow under footfall. If you’d prefer not to have this, choose a loop or twist-pile carpet that won’t crush when it’s walked on.
What are the main material options?
- Wool: This natural fibre is renewable and sustainable. It’s also hardwearing, stain- and soil-resistant (for a short time) and feels luxurious underfoot. It’s great for noise insulation and will help keep your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Wool tends to be more expensive than carpet in other fibres.
- Wool blends: These are usually a mix of 80 percent wool and 20 percent synthetic fibre, but other mixes are available too. Wool-blend carpets combine the resilience and durability of synthetic fibres with the natural appearance and luxurious feel of wool, though are usually cheaper than pure wool.
Nylon: This synthetic fibre is durable, resilient and stain-resistant. For a super-soft feel and a superior appearance, choose a solution-dyed nylon (it should be noted that some solution-dyed nylon carpets can cost the same as wool carpets).
eco+ Triexta: This relatively new, eco-friendly fibre is made with 37 percent renewably sourced polymer from corn sugar. It is soft, colourfast, stain-, soil- and wear-resistant, and generally cheaper than wool.
eco+ Triexta: This relatively new, eco-friendly fibre is made with 37 percent renewably sourced polymer from corn sugar. It is soft, colourfast, stain-, soil- and wear-resistant, and generally cheaper than wool.
Tell us
Would you choose carpet over hard flooring? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Looking to re-carpet your home? Find a carpet supplier near you
Would you choose carpet over hard flooring? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Looking to re-carpet your home? Find a carpet supplier near you
Related Stories
Popular Houzz Series
How Do I... Choose a Coffee Machine?
Start the day right with a steaming hot brew – if you're in the market for a new coffee machine, here's what to look for
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
How Do I... Know if My Hot-Water System is About to Fail?
Be smart to the signs that your hot-water system is in trouble and say goodbye to unexpected (and unwanted) cold showers
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
How Do I... Automate My Home?
Passionate about technology? A home-automation system is likely to be on your wish list – here's what you need to know
Full Story
Storage
How Do I... Store My Shoes?
Storage nirvana is closer than you might think – an expert reveals some simple tips for keeping your shoes organised
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
How Do I... Store Scarves and Other Accessories?
Scarves, jewellery and hair accessories without a proper home are all too easy to lose – here's how to store them right
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
How Do I... Choose a Washing Machine?
Looking to buy a new washing machine? An expert reveals everything you need to know before you hit the shops
Full Story
Living Rooms
How Do I... Set-Up and Style a Bar Cart?
Bar carts are back in vogue – here's how to arrange one like a pro
Full Story
Gardening
How Do I... Stop My Fruit and Veg From Getting Sunburnt?
Sun damage isn't just an issue for people – it can damage our fruit and vegetables too. Here's how to prevent it
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
How Do I... Grow Fruit at Home?
An expert reveals the easiest low-maintenance fruits that even a novice gardener can grow at home
Full Story
Bathrooms
How Do I... Set Up an Outdoor Shower?
An outdoor shower is not only practical, but a pleasure to use – read on for tips about creating the perfect design
Full Story
Hi - I don’t know what the pattern is called but it looks like a waffle cone, it’s a loop pile and a coffee colour. It’s a Godfrey Hirst carpet. And it never shed like I was told wool would. It has worn beautifully - this close up picture has been taken from a high traffic area of the house, and as you can see the stairs still look pretty good after 11 years, with no obvious track marks.
The house I live in has sisal in the bedrooms- it looks and feels lovely, but where we clean up a spill (with carpet cleaner) it has taken all the “waxiness” out of it leaving a softer and slightly lighter patch.
In my own home I prefer hard flooring and add rugs (easily cleaned, easily changed) where needed. If you ever see Capet removed, you realise just how gross it is
Living in southern Victoria I would never have bare boards. As you get older you also can trip on rugs. So carpet for me. Also tried kitchen carpet when it was introduced. But that is a disaster when you drop and egg or a bottle of milk!! In this house we laid down ceramic tiles in wet areas and expensive cut pile in all other areas. The cut pile has shadowed as I was interested to read in Houzz. It does make an expensive carpet look shabby. Even though it feels lovely. Am leaning towards vinyl planking and a loop pile in the next house.