Having a starting point such as an existing piece of furniture is often easier than having carte blanche. Supposing you already have a sofa and chairs in striped blue, brown and cream, you might match the carpet to the brown or cream and echo the blue in the curtain or accessories. As plain carpets come in a wide range of colors, it is often easier to match them up than, say, a chair which comes in only three or four colour ways. If the kitchen already has buitl in units, say of orange or white laminate, you could choose a floor tile that combines these colours.
Another kind of limitations is if you have one favourite object which you want to make a focal point. Here you have to think of a weight of colours you choose, otherwise they will take your eye away from the object to the floor.
Plain or Patterned:
In small areas, plain colours appear less busy than patterns. Plain floors also allow a greater freedom in choosing the rest of the furnishings. First of all you should examine your reasons for choosing a pattern. Many people choose patterned carpets not so much because they like them better, but because they think the dirt is camouflaged. But for that reason you are less likely to bother to keep them at their best and a dirty patterned carpet looks just as dirty as any other.
If you decide on a patterned floor, look for one that doesn’t hit you on your eye, the moment you walk into the room, but relates to everything else.
Textured patternless carpets, for instance, are patterns of a sort. So are wood mosaic blocks or sanded or scaled timber boards. A hard twist Wilton will not show foot-marks or dirt inn the same way as a smooth one of the same color. A shaggy pile goes well with smooth leather upholstery.
Surrounds:
There are several alternatives to what you can do with the borders round loose carpet, squares or rugs, or in a hall and stairs with strip carpeting. If it is a timber floor, it can be stained or painted to either match or contrast with the carpet-for instance, white to match the wall and skirting. Or it can be left natural, such as a sanded and sealed or polished floor. A pale border can help to expand a small room. Remember that a shiny dark surround will show up every speck of day-to-day dust as well as creating a ‘void’ feeling around the rug-with the rug or carpet like an island in a dark bottom less sea.
