Which carpet colour will still look good in five years?
You want a colour you will not regret once it is down and lived on.
Mid tone flecked colours hide the most and date the least. Very pale carpet shows soil, very dark carpet shows dust, lint and pet hair, and flat plain colours of any shade show more than a heather or fleck of the same depth.
Written for: People who have chosen a specification and are now stuck between four shades.
The rule that matters more than the shade
A flat plain colour shows everything, because there is nothing in the surface for a mark to hide behind. The same colour with a fleck of darker and lighter fibres through it disguises crumbs, marks and shading remarkably well.
If you are torn between two colours, the flecked one is nearly always the one you will still be happy with in five years.
What each end of the scale actually does
Pale carpets show soil, particularly along the traffic route and around doorways. They also make a room feel larger and lighter, which is why people keep choosing them, and modern stain resistant fibres make them far more survivable than they used to be.
Very dark carpets do not show soil, but they show every piece of lint, thread, dust and pet hair, and they show them from across the room. Anyone who has vacuumed a charcoal carpet before visitors arrive knows the feeling.
Grey, beige and where taste is heading
Grey has dominated for years and is still the most requested colour at both warehouses. It suits cool modern interiors and it sits well with white woodwork. Warmer beiges, mushrooms and greiges have come back strongly for people who find grey cold under a north facing window.
Neither dates as fast as a strong colour, but a mid grey with a warm fleck is the most forgiving thing on the floor.
Light changes everything, so test properly
Warehouse lighting, daylight and a living room lamp are three different colours of light and a carpet looks different under each. North facing rooms pull colours cooler and grey can go blue. South facing rooms warm everything up.
Take an offcut home and put it on the floor, not against a wall, then look at it in the morning, the afternoon and after dark. This one habit prevents most colour regret.
Flowing colour through a house
If the stairs, hallway and landing are visible from each other, keeping one colour through all three makes a small house feel considerably bigger. Bedrooms behind closed doors can be anything you like.
Where two colours meet in a doorway a door bar separates them cleanly, and matching the bar to the darker of the two usually looks the most intentional.
Still wondering?
- What carpet colour hides dirt best?
- A mid tone with a fleck through it. Mid greys, mushroom and heather browns disguise both soil and lint, which is more than either a pale or a very dark carpet manages.
- Do dark carpets show less than light ones?
- They show less soil but far more dust, lint and pet hair. If you have a white dog, a charcoal carpet will be a daily reminder of the fact.
- Is grey carpet going out of fashion?
- It is still the most asked for colour across both warehouses, though warmer greiges and mushroom tones have gained ground with people who find grey too cool under northern light.
- Should the whole house be one colour?
- Only where rooms are visible from one another. Keeping the hall, stairs and landing consistent makes the space feel bigger, while bedrooms behind doors can do whatever suits them.
- Why does the carpet look different at home than it did in the warehouse?
- Lighting. Warehouse light, daylight and lamplight are all different colour temperatures, and pile direction changes how light reflects too. Always view a piece flat on the floor in the room itself.
Where to go next on the site
Take an offcut home before you decide
Ask at the counter and we will cut you a piece to try in your own light. It is the cheapest insurance there is against choosing the wrong shade.