Helpful Hints for Installing Carpet in Compact Areas
If you've decided to install carpet in your home, you need to work out whether you want a loop, a cut pile or a combination, which affects the look and feel of the flooring. The material is important as well, whether it be luxurious wool, attractive and tough nylon or cheaper, durable propylene. Another factor, the fibre density, affects how lush the carpet feels, and it can be tested by bending a piece of carpet and seeing how much backing you can see. Ideally, you should see less rather than more, suggesting the fibres are woven more closely.
As well as addressing these aspects, you need to think about the colour and design of the carpet. If you have a small room or rooms to carpet that you want to appear larger, keep that aim in mind when researching carpeting options. For a start, should you lay a patterned or uniformly coloured carpet? Here are some helpful hints.
Choosing Patterned Carpet
If you want to lay a patterned carpet in a small room, choose a contained, modest pattern from the carpet shop. A large, free-flowing design can appear cut off in a small space. However, also bear in mind the amount of furniture and the free floor area. A striking patterned carpet can work in a relatively bare room with minimal furniture, even if its proportions are compact. On the other hand, in a room filled with furniture, you might want to avoid patterns altogether or opt for a discreet design.
A practical advantage of patterned carpet is that it hides dust better than a uniform hue. However, patterned carpets will strongly define the room's style and limit your choices for other furnishings, which will have to harmonise. A plain carpet can be coordinated with more options and thus provide more choices in the overall room design.
Uniform Carpet
If you opt for a uniform carpet, you'll have to decide on a colour. Should you lay a light or dark carpet in a small room? Typically, you should choose light colours to create a sense of expansiveness. They help generate an open feeling, which makes a room seem bigger. Thus, you could then opt for a pale-coloured carpet. However, the benefit of dark flooring is that it gives a room a sense of depth. Regardless of the colour, a uniformly toned carpet that reaches from wall to wall is perfect for creating a clean and minimal look.
Conversely, if you lay a rug on hard flooring such as timber planks, the floor surface is chopped up into sections, making the area look smaller. Another tip to make a room appear bigger is to leave as much of the carpet visible as possible rather than cover it with furniture. A more open floor area will make the room appear bigger.