I do love a home full of hardwood and beautiful tile, but there are some spaces that just need carpet. For the #staggreno, we chose carpeting for all of the bedrooms, downstairs family room, and the stairs leading downstairs (for safety reasons. I quiver at the thought of one of my babies falling down hardwood stairs).
There is plenty of bad carpeting out there and I often get asked by clients which carpeting styles I recommend and why. Today I’m sharing my carpet criteria and why I always seem to gravitate toward similar styles and colors. Selecting modern carpet is pretty simple if you keep a few things in mind.
First, I like a short pile. No shag carpeting here. Shorter pile tends to wear better, stay cleaner, and look better longer. Plus, I think they look more modern and less like how you would imagine carpeting, if that makes sense. Short pile carpeting options may seem less comfortable to you, but a quality pad can make all the difference. Upgrade your pad if you’re concerned about plushness. We’ve done this frequently and it proves to be a good investment.
Secondly, I like a subtle pattern for larger spaces. I tend to lean toward geometric patterns. Nothing too busy, but just some thing to give it some interest. If you’re searching online, look for “precision cut” or “uncut” options. Here are a couple of my favorite styles:
Third I usually like a darker color, like a charcoal gray. Don’t get me wrong, I love a light, bright, white carpet but I’m a realist. A realist with two small kids. I’ve done the lighter carpet thing before and I always end up regretting it. We are very clean people and we still can’t keep it looking perfect. Trust me peeps, go dark.
If you’re able to, I encourage you to go to a carpet store, feel the textures, look at a large swatch of the patterns, and take a small sample home to try in your own home with the lighting and paint colors. It really does make a big difference to see it in the space.
If you have a smaller space, like a stair runner, a closet, or an office, you can really do some neat things with carpeting like an animal print, a stripe, or another cool pattern. These tips are more for larger spaces.
I hope this was helpful if you’re looking to purchase carpet. It’s amazing how much more our house felt like a home once all of the carpet was down. We were giddy on carpet laying day!
Ruby and Jon certainly agreed on the day ours went down.
Your carpet selection is really pretty. However I’m still not a fan of carpet in general I always have this iihk feeling when it comes to carpet plus it’s not going to help with my dermatitis. So it’ s all wooden floors for this girl 🙂
We are in the market for new carpet for the bedrooms. Thank you for the information, very helpful.
I fell down my hardwood stairs a few years aso and nearly vomited after from the pain. Then found out I broke my tailbone. It was so painful and took forever for me to recover. After that I felt the same way about my little falling down the stairs. I will never ever do that again.
Thank you for your very helpful post! We are currently looking for carpet for our children’s rooms and with 5 boys and 2 girls! your tips were very helpful. Could you please tell me the carpet that you suggest with the dot pattern and also what you used in your home?
Thanks so much!
Hi Cary, Thank you so much! We used the pattern on the left. There are a lot of manufacturers who make something like it. I don’t remember the exact maker of the carpet of ours, but the color was called Power Gray. Thanks for reading!
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as modern carpet. I think textured carpet usually looks cheap but I really like the options you have. I may have to reevaluate my thoughts.
The dark carpert you selected looks great and soft, wow! I wouldn’t personally use carpet anywhere in my home because I just truly don’t like the idea of particles + dust getting trapped in the fibers even afer vaccuming and I prefer/ love the look of hardwood (yours are stunning, so it would have been incredible to see them run throughout the entire home). However, I do understand your reasoning for carpet. During the start of the #Staggreno I was almost certain you would use wood all over the home in this new house and opt for something like a natural sisal or jute rug stair runner with fabric borders plus beautiful area rugs in the bedrooms for something soft underfoot. Again, love your selection, nonetheless <3 Your taste is superb!
Hi Paola, I would have loved hardwood throughout but for us carpet just made more sense. Thanks for reading!
I love your carpet and found it at Lowes. I’m curious to hear your review of it since you’ve had it over two years. Also what kind of pad did you use or recommend? This is the first time we’ll be going with carpet in a home instead of a hard floor but it will only be in the playroom, secondary bedrooms and master closet. Thanks for your time!
Hi Natasha, we have loved it! I think going with the darker color has been key to keeping it in great shape. Hope that helps!