Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Flooring expert reveals the only downstairs room you should be using carpet in

Flooring expert reveals the only downstairs room you should be using carpet in

Do you agree?

It’s safe to say that carpet in a kitchen or a bathroom is a definite ‘no’, but these aren’t the only places where carpet should be banned, according to a flooring expert.

The only rooms that should ever be carpeted downstairs are reception rooms,’ says interior designer Carla Chases of Carla Designs, ‘and even then, I think a wooden floor with rugs would be a preferable choice 90% of the time.’



For me, the best choice for long life and enduring style is always a beautiful wooden floor. Wood is timeless, naturally warm underfoot and can work equally well in a living room with the use of rugs as much as in a utility room.’

‘The right choice of wooden floor can highlight the period, style and scale of a house beautifully. And a good wooden floor will soak up sounds too.’



What about carpet upstairs?


‘Upstairs, and in hallways and on stairs, carpet is a lovely flooring,’ adds Carla, ‘it gives a warm, soft feel underfoot and helps to keep the space as cosy as possible.’

Interior designer at Greta Mae, Amy Jones, admits that she hasn’t used carpet in many recent projects, with clients requesting wooden floors, ‘although people do choose the combination of a wooden floor downstairs and then opt for carpet upstairs, as it’s soft to get out of bed on.’

So has carpet had its day?




Definitely not!’ says interior stylist and set designer Diana Civil, ‘it’s an extremely versatile tool as part of a decorating scheme. I always treat the floor as the fifth wall, so styling from the floor is a great way to go. Advances in carpet technology has meant there’s a huge range of fibres, colours, textures and patterns to choose from. It also has that wonderfully tactile-soft look and feel.’

Are neutral carpets the way to go?




‘You can only imagine how much neutral carpet I have used on decorating shoots over the years,’ says Diana, ‘but as the stylist for Carpetright, working on its trend look books each season, I am always chomping at the bit to see the new colours and patterns I can play with – to me, the more bold, imaginative and innovative, the better.

‘It does take courage to step away from neutral flooring. Perhaps transform your hallway or stairs to start, giving personality to a functional through-route and turn it into a showstopper?’

Amy is more cautious; ‘There’s a big trend towards more jewel-like colours and maximalist patterns, but these are quite a statement and would dictate everything else. I personally prefer using a neutral carpet in say a jute/wool mix and then layer the interest on top with a rug.’

Are patterned carpets over?




‘Absolutely not,’ says Diana. ‘Patterned carpet is set for a massive revival. After the gloom and doom of 2020, maximalism is set to continue with bold colour and expressive style making its mark on our homes, with florals, geometrics and animal prints taking centre stage. It’s all about self-expression, so be brave!’

Amy recommends making sure you really love a patterned carpet. ‘It’s not really part of my aesthetic,’ she says, ‘so I’d always advise clients to be 100% sure that they will like it for a long time – carpet is a big financial investment.’ Still sold on the idea of pattern, then Amy suggests going for a patterned stair runner.

Should we put the same carpet everywhere, or is it ok to mix it up?




‘Having the same carpet everywhere can help make a space feel bigger as there are no definite edges,’ says Amy.

‘It also depends on the layout of your home,’ adds Diana. ‘In a traditional home with separate rooms, I love mixing it up as it adds personality to each room, but it’s good to have one colour that links everything together. For open-plan, you can “zone” areas with different carpets or mix and match a plain with a stripe, but it needs to be done smartly so each zone works with the scale of the furniture in it.’

Lastly, are rugs on carpet a naff idea?




‘No, it’s all down to how you do it,’ says Amy. ‘If you have a neutral carpet, a rug is going to add an extra layer of texture, interest and pattern to a room. But if you have a thick-pile carpet, then I wouldn’t add a thick-pile rug on top – it would be too much, but a patterned rug over a neutral carpet adds extra colour and interest.’

Diana agrees: ‘While some people treat this as a capital sin, personally, I think it has it’s place with certain types of carpets. It’s also great for rentals, where you inherit existing carpet – a rug can transform the space and make it your own… better still, you can take it with you.

My biggest bugbear is a tiny rug in the centre of a room, topped with a coffee table and a huge gap around it before you get to the furniture,’ says Diana. ‘Always choose the largest rug that will work in your space,’ she recommends, ‘and measure before you shop.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×