Carpet Colour and Your Decorating Plan

In any decorating scheme, colour is usually the first and most important element.  The mood, tone and function of a room are influenced by the dominant colours that it contains, and likewise, the colours used in a room set its general ambiance.  Nothing shows a professional touch in a room like the creative use of colour, and today’s decorator is fortunate in having a virtual rainbow of colour options in carpeting.

Many decorators consider the floor the “fifth wall” in a room, and its colour is as important as those of the walls, window treatments, or furniture.  A good choice in carpet colour can make the rest of the decorating job easy and satisfying.

colours fall into three general areas – hot, cool and neutral.  Hot colours, like red, orange, or the popular “neon” tones, create a livelier, exciting feeling, and elicit a more active emotional response.  Hot colours are popular for flooring in family rooms, kitchens and casual entertaining areas.  Cool colours, like pale greens and blues, suggest a more restful, serene environment, and are frequently used in more formal rooms and bedrooms.  Neutral colours – off-white, beiges, grays – work both ways because they compliment other colours in a room’s decorating scheme, and are appropriate carpet choices for any room of the house.

The colour you choose for a room’s carpet may be dictated by the room itself.  Small, narrow, or rooms with low ceilings will appear more spacious with a neutral carpet that subtly blends with the wall colour.  A large or disproportioned room will become cozier when carpeted in a strong colour that contrasts with the wall.  Darker carpets will make the walls seem taller; lighter carpets will capture more light.  By making the right carpet colour choice, you can enhance the positive features of your room, and compensate for architectural shortcomings.

The endless options of colours in carpeting are a blessing, but a blessing that should be carefully managed.  First, always examine the carpet in a variety of lights.  What looks like a pearly gray under fluorescent light at your carpet retailer may become a darker pewter colour when installed in a long hall with a small amount of natural light.  Examine the carpet sample in the room where it will be used in the daylight and at night.  Also, place it in the center of the room, against a window wall, and in a dark corner.  By doing this, you should be able to get an accurate sense of how the carpet will look in the room under all lighting conditions.

Also, avoid “matching” colours.  More often, rooms are successfully decorated when they blend colours and tones rather than match them.  Wheat coloured carpeting, putty coloured walls, and eggshell ceilings will create a more pleasing flow of surface colours than everything done in beige.
And be mindful of manufacturer’s names for carpet colours.  One manufacturer’s “hunter green” may be another’s “autumn clover,” and there are more “navy blues” than there are navies in the world!  Use your eye, not the description, and you won’t be disappointed in your selections.  Keep in mind that you may be living with your colour choice for years.  The colour that puts a spark in your eye today may cause you to grimace in a few months – be sure to think “long term” when choosing your carpet colour.