There’s a little debate going on in home decor right now; that is, to have the same carpet type in your Orange County home. The idea is that the same installation throughout will give the home a sense of cohesiveness.
That’s not a good idea, however.
First of all, things don’t need to match to look unified. You do need to balance cool and warm colors, as well as various textures. And, yes, you need to think about transitions, especially when you have an open plan layout; for instance, when the living room opens right into the dining room with only a tiny hallway separating them, you’ll want coordinating flooring.
You do, however, need to know your carpet styles and fibers because one type of installation may work for one room but not for another. Different rooms have different priorities. Since Orange County is so style-conscious, we want to address this right away.
●The bedroom. Here you probably want a carpet that makes for a soft and plush installation. When your feet touch down in the morning they’ll get that luxurious, cozy feeling that’s so well-known in Orange County homes. A good type would be something like a Saxony, shag, or a long, twisty fiber, such as a frieze.
By the way, shags have new, modern, expanded color palettes so those greens, golds and browns of the 70s are long gone.
●Stairways. Here, you have two main flooring concerns: safety and durability. If you put a shag, Saxony or frieze, anything with a high plush fiber, on a stairway, you’ll slide and go flying! It can’t be too thick either. Here’s why: When carpet is placed on a stair, it needs to wrap securely around banisters, railings and treads. If it’s too thick, the installation won’t be secure, there will be no foundation, and down you’ll go, Orange County.
You also want ultra-durability on the stairs; people are going up and down several times a day, so buy the best you can afford. It’s also a safety issue, because if it gets worn, a foot can catch, and cause tripping and falling.
Any kind of a low loop style, with a strong fiber, is good. Incidentally, don’t think the safest thing is to avoid carpet on the stairs and go with hard flooring, because that can make one prone to sliding.
●Living/dining room. This is really going to come down to your lifestyle. How much traffic does the room see? Are there kids or pets? Do you have residents who use wheelchairs or walkers? The answer will help you determine what’s best for you.
●Home office. Mobility and noise reduction are the concerns here. You’ll have office chairs with wheels and you’ll be moving heavy furniture. While all carpets are great noise insulators, the more plush ones like cut piles are really the kings of noise elimination, but those high-plush, fluffy, “shaggy tops” aren’t great when it comes to mobility. For that, you may want a low pile like a cut and loop, like a Berber.
For more information, feel free to come into the Bixby Plaza Carpets and Flooring showroom in Huntington Beach or Los Alamitos, CA.
