Colored Carpet: How Far Should You Go?

Zoe Eisele

​We have a large collection of carpets with several styles and shades. Mixed in with our more neutral options are some very bright and bold colors. While eye-catching, are these carpets really something that should be used as the main floor in a room?

While I have seen my fair share of dark green living rooms, more often than not, colored carpets are used in children’s rooms. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great for parents to let their kids express themselves in any way they want. I’ve seen rooms painted to show favorite characters and scenes from movies, I love it. When I was a kid my dad let me draw on my wall, and that experience led me to paint a mural in my university’s media center. 
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Letting your child pick out a carpet or paint for their room is a very exciting experience. They get to feel all grown up as they choose their neon green walls and bright pink carpet. You may question these decisions, but maybe you go for it anyways. All is well and now the room is painted and floors are down. Your child is happier than they’ve ever been, but as the months go by you run into a problem.

What's the Problem?

They’re growing up. It could be months or years, it could even be a few weeks. Your kids are constantly changing, and so are their senses of style and favorite colors. Your child who once loved the neon green, bright pink, and zebra pattern combo is now into deep purples and greys. Your kids are changing, it can’t be helped, and it’s great to see them grow, but what will you do about the current state of their bedroom?

Let me tell you, it’s way easier to paint a room than it is to install a floor. You can easily pick up some paint and cover up that neon green eyesore, but to change that bright pink carpet? That’ll take some time and money. 
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A good carpet will last you a long time, do you really want to replace your perfectly good pink carpet? Probably not, but your kid is now begging you for a neutral gray floor. What do you do? What could you have done in the past? 

My Advice?

Neutral base. Accent colors. 

You are likely going to get the most bang for your buck by going neutral for your carpeting and personalizing your space with colored walls and a nice area rug, amongst other decorations. 
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Say you decided to get a bright pink area rug as opposed to an entire floor, you’ve got more options here. For high traffic areas, we suggest having a shorter, denser carpet, because it won’t show traffic patterns and will look nicer, longer. Now for that beautiful area rug however, you could add a little length and make it softer; sure it will be matted down eventually, but it could last as long as your child’s pink phase, and be easily replaced when the time comes.