10 Carpet Decorating Tips From The Floor Up

home-decorating originally uploaded

by About A Storybook Life.

I thought you might enjoy these 10 Carpet Decorating Tips from Karastan who shared them in a decorating workbook during the Thom Filicia Decorating From The Floor Up national tour.

1. Should your floor set or steal the stage? If you have created emphasis above ground, you may want to keep your flooring neutral. If the room decor is neutral, spice things up with a vibrant colored carpet or a vivacious patterned rug.

2. There are four styles of carpet: plushes, textures, patterns and berbers. Deciding first if you want your carpeting to be soft, sensible or hard will help you figure out which type of carpet is best for you. Note: Carpet depth is not necessarily an indicator of quality. A shallow pile with uncut loops is actually best if strength and durability are of utmost importance to you.

3. If you plan to use carpet in an area where you regularly entertain, you might want to consider a stain-resistant patterned carpet or one that has cut and loops for this space.

4. The family room of an active household will get heavy use by kids, friends and pets, so a woven carpet with uncut pile would be the most practical choice for this space.

5. In choosing a rug size for the dining area, a good formula is to add 30 inches to each side of the table dimensions for chairs with arms, and at least 24 inches for chair without arms. This way, everyone will have plenty of room to push their chairs back without moving off the rug.

6. When it comes to room and hallway transitions, if you are switching colors, continue the predominant color strain in a lighter or darker shade. If you are switching materials, a more radical color switch works better than something that nearly matches but varies slightly. For instance, do not try to match carpet to the adjacent tiles.

7. Create balance: all of the features in a room have visual weight [windows, fireplace, columns, etc.] that engage the eye. Be sure to take these into account when arranging rugs and furniture so that there is a sense of equilibrium throughout the room.

8. If your room isn't perfectly square, you might consider subdividing it into one or more "inner rooms." You can use the edges of your furniture and rugs to form the appearance of these inner rooms.

9. Even sight lines are very important when arranging furniture. If your sofa and chair backs are not matching, try raising the height of the lower one with higher back pillows. If you end table seems too low visually, try stacking books or magazines.

10. To make a room feel warm and welcoming, try colors such as orange, red and yellow. Cool colors, such as violets and blues, make objects, walls and ceilings feel farther away, and can help make a room feel larger. To make a cavernous room feel smaller, use a warm dark, matte color.






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Carpet & The Obama Presidency - Part I

20081104_Chicago_IL_ElectionNight1520

originally uploaded by Barack Obama.

Today, January 20th, 2009, our country begins the era of the Obama Presidency. I expect this new age to inspire creativity and style as we haven't seen it before - especially in carpet - and to unleash greatness all around our country.

I got to thinking about about it all after reading HFN Magazine's 1/5/09 article titled "The First Family of Style" by Barbara Thau. Here's how the article describes the Obama family's sense of style: "classic with an edge, cool, multicultural."

According to designers, the Obamas' "innate sense of style - with a populist, accessible twist -" is sure to affect us all particularly when combined with Obama's promise of change.

I have no doubts on that end! My seven-year old daughter is paying close attention. She identifies completely with Sasha, President Obama's youngest. She talks about the White House as it were a friend's house - i.e., the house of the people - rather than the equivalent of a Royal Palace.

Which to me means that national taste and style will definitely be influenced. That in turn affects carpet style trends!

The designers interviewed characterized the Obama style as "Good taste that rejects ostentation; an American flavor with a bit of an edge; and an eco-friendly consciousness."

Thom Filicia says "the Obamas embody a down-to-earth quality that has wide appeal... They are more in touch with where we are ... with an aesthetic approach that's attainable by most Americans."

Plus, they have young kids!

In recent interviews, Obama has referred to the White House as 'the people's house' and a place for nurturing creativity, discussion and culture. Per Politico, Obama is “thinking about the diversity of our culture and inviting jazz musicians and classical musicians and poetry readings in the White House so that once again we appreciate this incredible tapestry that's America.”

Are you excited about a White House that reflects our cultural diversity? I am.

The result on style - and carpet - will be a celebration of all that is America, with a "reprieve from an era of excess and gaudiness," replaced instead with plenty of cross-cultural pollination, practicality and eco-friendliness. I think we're ready.

Stay tuned for Part II which looks more closely at carpet style trends and colors...

Oh, and Happy Inauguration Day!

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Thom Filicia's Design Inspiration Tips

I'm a fan of Thom Filicia!

I enjoyed him in Queer Eye's [f.k.a. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy], but he was one of a fabulous five-some. I recognized him, but couldn't remember his name for the life of me. Having met him, having attended three of his Designing From The Floor Up events, I've become a fan.

Such a fan, that I've set up Google alerts in case interesting articles showcasing his design talent pop up. All for a good cause, though, as I plan to share those with you.

I posted about Thom's recent Designing From The Floor Up events [events that Wear-Dated sponsored with Karastan] in Flooring The Consumer. Here are the links:

- Come Decorate From The Floor Up with Thom Filicia
- Time for Decorating From The Floor Up!
- Thom Filicia Is Coming To Phoenix, October 6, 2007
- Thom Filicia: Last Stop Seattle - Oct. 12 and Phoenix Observations

And some of Thom's Design Tips:

Your home should tell YOUR story. It should look just like you. It should be an interesting and smart backdrop for your life. Never be satisfied with an impersonal room! There is nothing worse.

A great room starts with something that inspires you. Use that inspiration throughout the rest of the room. For example, a beautiful rug is a great source of inspiration and an opportunity to bring color, pattern and textures into a room. Simply start with the floor when designing a space [i.e., consider the floor the 5th wall].

Design is about combining "what's in" with how we live today: modern, clean lines combined with comfort. [Check out HomePortfolio's Designer Dish - Thom Filicia for more "Thom Tips".]

Tips for Specific Situations:
+ If you have a layout where you want wall-to-wall carpet throughout the house, but not the same color/style in every room, create within the different rooms a 'border' from the common hallway carpet and inserting another carpet selection in the middle [i.e., similar to placing an area rug on a hard surface].

+ Go for balance rather than symmetry in mantelpiece design.

+ Hang pictures low. If near a lamp, hang them below or above the top of the lampshade.

+ Balance material choices. For example, houses with a mostly Southwestern design motif use lots of hard materials like tile. Balancing the choices means eliminating that monotonous feel throughout the space. When you're in a hotel where all of the furniture pieces match, the effect is uninteresting, boring, too matchey. Mix and match materials. Pieces should form a relationship, rather than compete with one another. So, don't have the same of everything.

+ If you have too many cold elements -- e.g., stone, tile or granite throughout the house, plain sheet rock with paint on the walls -- then add warm elements like wood, rugs, carpet, woven wall coverings. Definitely select a primary floor surface product to unify the overall look and feel of the house, but create points of difference in each of the individual spaces.

In Thom Filicia talks designing from the ground up by Nicole Tsong from 10/20/2007, Thom offers practical tips for selecting rugs. I love how he takes the pressure out of design decisions, relating picking a rug to selecting a favorite sweater.

Which is the basis for his latest series, Dress My Nest, focused this time on finding design inspiration in women's closets. Per The Washington Post's Q&A: Thom Filicia of 'Dress My Nest', Thom suggests mixing and matching expensive and inexpensive items based on your unique, individual sense of style.

Don't forget to edit! ["Lots of times, people just have way too many things..."]

Finally, I hit paydirt with Lucire Insider and some really fun Thom Filicia video clips dispelling design myths.

+ When beige is bad. Enough said - ditch beige.
+ Thom Filicia dispels myth No. 2 that all furniture must match.
+ Thom Filicia dispels myth No. 6 that furniture has to be up against the wall.
+ Thom Filicia dispels myth no. 12: no need for a single pattern in a room.
+ Dress My Nest: feng-shui and clutter - they don't go together!

Do check out the column that Thom writes for Karastan called Elements of Design with Thom Filicia.

Happy design inspiration!

PS: You'll note in the Fashion, Color and Trend Links section in the left sidebar a link to ::Surroundings by Linda Merrill. She and I connected as a result of the Boston Desigining From The Floor Up event and her blog is full of terrific design inspiration. Check it out.

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