Carpet Color
Carpet Color Selection is Critical
Did you know? Carpet color selection and carpet color scheme
can greatly impact carpet wear and carpet performance.
After establishing your budget and estimating the footage required, it is time
to consider carpet color selection. Carpet color was probably the very first
thing that came to mind when you began to think about buying carpet. That’s
because color can be manipulated to create nearly any mood or effects you wish.
You may have heard that dark colors make a room look smaller. It’s true.
So you should stay away from dark colors --- Not necessarily. If your objective
is to create a warm, cozy look, a smaller "feel" is exactly what you
want and dark, rich colors like hunter green or burgundy will work for you.
If a dark color is what you love, and it helps you create the ambience you want,
maybe you should consider it.
Lighter shades such as pastels and color tints on the other hand, tend to enlarge
a space. These colors create a restful and subdued mood. They’re ideal
when you want a formal, orderly and intimate tone.
Strong contrasts of colors are lively, exciting, active and can be a bold
statement for your family’s living style.
Carpet color also can change the feel of a room. In north facing rooms and
in cool climates, you can "warm up" the room by featuring reds, yellows,
oranges, peaches and apricots. In south facing rooms and in warm climates, a
room can be made to feel more comfortable by using cooler shades such as blues,
purples, greens and teals. The carpet industry has a distinct advantage in requiring
very short lead times from product conception, to production, to sampling and
resell. As a result, the carpet industry is able to monitor color choices offered
by the furniture industry, as well as other interior furnishings industries
and provide complementary colors within a few weeks notice. Also custom colors
are available from many mills if you can't seem to find the right shade.
Unfortunately, for the consumer, far too much emphasis is placed on coordinating
colors and far too little emphasis on color prudence. Few consumers realize
that carpet is a fabric exposed to foot traffic. Few materials subjected to
this type of daily abuse and maintenance neglect perform with equal results.
Foot traffic and soil type should be carefully considered when selecting carpet
color.
In the days before Stainmaster, it went without question that carpet was subject
to stains and soil and color prudence was a matter of standard carpet selection.
Carpets were principally drab browns, gold’s, or avocado’s and colors
were selected to hide these immortal sins. After the release of stain-resist
technology, carpet became a fashion statement with beautiful blue’s, teal’s,
and even white’s. While these products clean more readily than the older
products, they do not hide soil as well as their forerunners because of color
choice.
In selecting color these facts should be considered. Now that you realize
the impact color can have on the mood of a room, you can make your choice of
color with greater confidence. Now where do you start? If you’re redecorating,
often an existing fabric, or a cherished piece of furniture can be a starting
point and can stimulate your creativity. Working around an existing piece is
an excellent way to start when making your color choice. Important: it is rarely
desirable to match a color exactly. More visual interest is created by blending
colors.
If the room is empty, start with the color that gets your creative juices flowing!
If it’s not a color that other household members love, the problem may
be resolved by the skillful use of a color scheme that coordinates your choice
with several colors. Carpet color is an emotional issue. But with these color
selection tips, you can enter a carpet retailer with more self assurance.
Lighting has a direct effect on the atmosphere of a room and can create some
of the most dramatic results. But it is one of the most neglected and underutilized
design principals. Low voltage recessed lighting, halogen fixtures and floor
and table lamps with opaque shades can all add further drama and intimacy to
a space. The light distribution is directed at specific objects, not the entire
room.
Ceiling surface-mounted fixtures, recessed down lights, lamps with translucent
shades and hanging lamps all create a bright, open and cheerful mood. When you
see a room with lighting you like, pay attention to how it is done. Then you'll
be able to incorporate those ideas in your own home. Remember, many colors have
a way of changing shades with different types of lighting. Some shades may even
change color completely.
Rather than gathering throw pillows and choosing a specific color to match,
consider selecting a number of colors and a variety of lighter and darker shades.
Consider the type of soil tracked into your home, how often it will be cleaned,
the frequency of vacuuming, and the amount and type of stains that will be subjected.
Once these issues have been considered, the color choice may assure your future
happiness with your purchase. Remember, newer carpets may clean more easily
than older carpets, but they must be cleaned with regularity. They will not
prevent the appearance of soil. It is possible to be pleased with white carpet
as long as you understand and are willing to provide the carpet care required.
With these issues addressed, collect a variety of color preferences from wallpaper
samples, throw pillows, furniture fabrics, and draperies and begin your search
for a carpet retailer in which you have faith.
Now the process becomes confusing. You may encounter numerous fiber types,
Berber and trackless, olefin and polyester, various brand names, conflicting
information from retailers, foam cushion and rebond cushion, 5-year warranties
and 10-year warranties, matting warranties and crushing warranties, stain warranties
and stain assurances, and so on. The next few chapters have been designed to
address these issues and more. They may be more detailed than necessary, but
once you have obtained samples from retailers and spread them across the floor
for comparison, most of your questions should be addressed.
Article by Michael Hilton of carpetbuyershandbook.com - the Largest Online
Source for Unbiased Carpet Information (http://carpetbuyershandbook.com)
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