Carpets are a very important decorative element in your home. Today you can choose from a multitude of models: classic, contemporary and even experimental. Carpets that, once placed in a room, offer very different aesthetic effects. Carpets differ in material, colour or shape. The breadth of the offer can cause a lot of uncertainty and difficulty in choosing. So how do you choose the right carpet? Here is some valuable advice from Deanna Comellini, designer and creative director of G.T.DESIGN.
Article summary
- Foreword: Don’t follow trends
- How to choose your carpet: materials
- How to choose your carpet: colours
- Living area rugs
- Dining area rugs
- How to choose your bedroom carpet
Foreword: Don’t Follow Trends
Carpets have to last, also for sustainability reasons. They are not disposable items and therefore should not be chosen according to fashion. Secondly, the carpet needs to dialogue with its environment. Therefore, a lot of attention has to be paid to the material, colours and decorative motifs.
How to choose your carpet: Materials
The material is the first element to be considered.
For several reasons. First of all, there are practical aspects to examine:
- The room it will be used in.
- Whether there are children or animals.
- Whether the location will be in a high traffic area or not.
The first tip from the expert is not to choose carpets with long fringes, as these can become dangerous.
Secondly, it is important to understand well the characteristics of each material.
Some may prefer soft and shiny textures, others matte, or choose only materials of plant and not animal origin.
G.T.DESIGN offers the Textures Collection, in close-knit wool and short pile. These are more resistant to trampling and therefore more suitable for areas with a lot of traffic. The In-Canto Collection, on the other hand, has a more distinctive style with precious materials, but requires more maintenance.
How to choose your carpet: Pay attention to colours.
The basic rule when choosing the colour of a carpet is to base it on the colour of the floor. In fact, there should be a fairly sharp contrast between the colours of the carpet and the floor.
Eclectic homes can have brightly coloured carpets, while neutral tones are better suited to more minimalist environments. Relaxing shades of green and blue work well in night-time areas, while reds and oranges should be avoided.
Carpets for living areas
The rules for choosing the right carpet for the living area is make sure they are not rigid. The tendency is to make suggestions that help the space look more inviting. Mainly the choice depends on the type of house. For small living rooms, placing a carpet under furniture such as a sofa, coffee table and armchair will give the idea of a larger space. When placing the carpet in the seating area it is recommended to leave a space of 5 to 10 centimetres from the edge of the sofa. Carpets can ‘define’ different areas of the house, especially in lofts. However, they can also have a different purpose. That of giving fluidity to the space, a quality that can be achieved for example by using carpets with organic shapes, as in the UltraNative and Cobblestone Collections.
Carpets for the dining
The dining area by definition needs constant cleaning. Carpets are often placed under the table and chairs. The right size of the carpet should take into account a space of at least 70 cm all around the table, for a correct positioning of the chairs. Tips for the choices are mainly about the material and mesh. You should opt for very low pile and tightly knit rugs, such as those from the Boom, Paglietta, Coconutrug Terra Fresca, Next and Textures collections.
How to choose your bedroom carpet
For the sleeping area, the rules for choosing rugs are mainly concerned with shape. A large carpet placed under the lower part of the bed looks more elegant than two individual side carpets. For low beds, which are very close to the floor, a custom-made rug can hug the perimeter of the bed forming a large U. While a circular rug, could be placed on top of the bed to form a circle. As for a circular carpet, it could be placed on one side of the bed if the other side is enclosed by a wall.
