Beautiful looking carpets and rugs that keep your home insulated during winter and make every room look great, often come at a premium. However, we are here to share a cost-effective option, to help you find discounted designer carpets, so that you don’t compromise on quality or style.
So whether you are a homeowner looking for a bespoke rug, an interior designer specifying carpets or stair runners in a residential or commercial project or a professional property developer looking to keep the property dressing costs down, read on to find how you can do this when staying within budget is important.
This is a collaborative post with designer-carpet.co.uk.
Below: Crucial Trading City 'Mink' sisal carpet is hardwearing and perfect for hiding stains.
Good quality carpets have insulating properties that help keep your energy bills down and give you that feeling of cosiness that a cold floor (wood or tile) cannot achieve. They can be handy if you have kids of young age that spend a lot of time on the floor as well as reduce noise. A well-made carpet will last longer and give your home an edge. Think bold, colourful stripes, spots or houndstooth patterns, that are so desirable right now.
Buy designer at reduced prices
You can always shop around for prices or go direct to a supplier of high-quality carpets, carpet remnants and made-to-measure rugs at discount prices. Based in Derby, Designer Carpet work closely with leading carpet manufacturers, making sure they select carpet remnants and offcuts that complement your home furnishings timelessly and fashionably.
They stock popular names like Alternative Flooring, Brintons, Crucial Trading and Westex, each brand with its own unique selling points and recognisable designs. You can find all types of carpets such as velvet, twist, loop, sisal, buy remnants or rolls or even build your own rug (adding borders in the colour of the rug or in a colour complementary to your room's scheme).
We certainly love the idea that as brands produce newer collections, their older popular designs become available at a lower price, making quality products more affordable.
Before you start ordering carpet samples, you need to decide on the type of carpet (and colour) that is most appropriate for your home. Think about how each room is used and who uses it to decide the type of carpet that you need to install.
Dos
If you have very young children, buy a carpet with a deep, dense pile that is softer on knees and feet. Choose darker colours that can hide possible accidents better.
If you are buying carpet for a room with a door into the garden, consider a darker shade or a patterned carpet to avoid water or mud stains around the patio door.
Don'ts
If you have pets, avoid natural fibre rugs like sisal that can trap pet hair. Instead, opt for short-pile carpets that are easier to hoover.
Don’t use stripes that run parallel to the long side of an already long room, or it will feel disproportionately longer than it already is.
Above: Brintons Perpetual Textures Layered Herringbone
Below: Margo Selby for Alternative Flooring. This is the stripe frolic in 'Westbrook', available from Designer Carpet.
Search for lifestyle photos of the carpet you like
Lifestyle photos are simply photos of the carpet 'in situ' (in place, in a home setting). Some people just cannot visualise what a carpet will look like in a room just by looking at a thumbnail or a sample. That's nothing to worry about.
Try googling the entire brand name and carpet design including the colourway, then hit 'images' and chances are you will find a brand photo showing the carpet in situ. This is especially useful for carpets that are no longer appearing on brand websites. Here is an example:
Decide on the colour that makes you happy
I always use a secret board on Pinterest as a mood board to bring a scheme together. It's easy, free and fun! Alternatively, you can cut photos from magazines showing the products you already have in a room and placing them on a big, say A3, sheet.
Choose a carpet that will complement the colours already in your scheme or one that will clash with them. Not sure which colours are complementary or can create contrast? I like to use a small colour wheel to remind myself of colours that sit close to each other or are at opposite ends. This takes all the guessing out of the process and I can find the right colours for any project in a matter of minutes!
Here is what a mood board could look like if you are exploring a black and white scheme, like in a Parisian abode. This scheme could likely incorporate an ivory wool carpet.
For the ultimate in luxury and durability, try the Westex Silken Velvet range: Made with 100% high-grade polyamide (nylon) yarn, it keeps the best features of wool carpets - durability, stain-resistance and vibrant colour - and marries it with exceptional sheen and softness. This makes the range ideal for professional landlords who wish to install new carpets in high-end rental properties while keeping the overall costs down.
Above: Westex Carpets, available on Designer Carpet, have a Stain Resist treatment applied. Stain Resist protects this hard-wearing carpet against the majority of water-based and oil stains - giving you more time to tend to the more easily removed stains.
You are now ready to order your new carpet
A great way to re-boot your home for winter, your new carpet, stair runner or made-to-order rug will certainly make staying indoors a more pleasurable experience.