BUYING CARPET
Waterlake
runner, £99.50sq
m, Alternative
FlooringPATTERN PLAY
When walls and furnishings are plain and
neutral, feature flooring becomes the focal
point. In celebration of British wool, award-
winning designer Ella Doran has collaborated
with Alternative Flooring to produce a stylish
runner, featuring a distinctive pattern inspired
by the movement of water.TARA KING, CONTENT STYLE EDITOR
OUR EXPERT SAYSÉ
❝
FOR ADVICE ON CHOOSING
CARPET AND UNDERLAY, FIBRES
AND STYLES, AND FINDING
LOCAL RETAILERS, VISIT
CARPETFOUNDATION.COM
❞Need to know...
■ INVESTING IN A GOOD UNDERLAY is essential
to the longevity of your carpet. It can be made from a
variety of materials and quality varies, so it’s important
to choose one that is suitable for the grade of your
carpet and expected level of wear.
■ THE STYLE OF CARPET you need depends
on how the room is used. High-traffic areas benefit
from hard-wearing loop and twist piles, while deeper
Saxony and shag piles are more suited to bedrooms.
Natural fibres are a great choice for country homes.
■ CARPETS COME IN different widths. All good
companies will send an expert to your home to measure,
but taking measurements yourself before you shop
is a good way to get a rough estimate of price.
■ NEUTRALS CAN BE TRICKIER to pick than
coloured carpets as they can all end up looking
very similar in a brightly lit showroom. Before you
buy, bring a sample of the carpet home with you and
lay it on the floor in the room you want to use it in.
Look at it as the light changes throughout the day.
■ TRIMS HELP ENSURE a seamless transition
between rooms. They contribute to the overall look
in a big way so it’s important to choose one that suits
the style of your home. Visit stairrods.co.uk.
■ USING PATTERNED AND PLAIN carpet inventively
to highlight an area of the room will create visual
impact. Insetting a patterned rug into plain carpet
is a clever way of defining a dining area, for example.COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS 107
ROOM ELEMENTS