Is carpet really old fashioned?

[Fretfulmum]

We are renovating our formal lounge and have quite modern interiors in our house. All of downstairs bar the formal lounge is tiled with UFH. The formal lounge currently has a radiator, no UFH and a wood burner stove with carpet. It’s only used by DH and I- it doesn’t have a TV, so we use it as a reading room or for when we have guests over to chat. We have a no shoes house and we don’t allow food in the formal lounge. We also have 2 other lounges for the kids and for entertaining. No pets and not likely to get any. Would it be considered not modern/old fashioned to keep carpet in the formal lounge? It’s working out very costly to get UFH in there if we want to tile it and therefore thinking to keep carpet in. We want a modern look in keeping with the rest of the house so would go for other modern furnishings. What do you think?

Plain carpet of a neutral colour won't look old fashioned and would be the best option for a cosy lounge - much more appropriate than tiles which would be too hard and cold.

We have an ultra modern house we built ourselves and only have tiles on the ground floor, which is a large kitchen diner, and bathrooms. The rest is carpeted in soft grey and beige. We love it.

No, carpet is lovely once you invest in a good high quality one that will be able to withstand a lot of foot traffic.

A good quality carpet in a reasonably neutral colour looks fine in a lounge. I don’t mind wooden flooring and rugs in a lounge but I think tiles might make it look a bit cold.

No, it is not.

I’d never have hard flooring anywhere other than the bathroom and kitchen. I love carpet. Comfortable and homely.

Surely it's a case of what you like rather than whether it looks old fashioned or does style feature over comfort?

Personally we have wooden floors throughout on the ground floor apart from the lounge (which is rarely used other than when entertaining) which has the thickest, most plush carpet imaginable.

Thanks everyone! i think we’ll go for a thick cream carpet

I love a carpet. Much softer, warmer and cosier. My best friend, who is Italian, says that a stereotype of Brits in Italy is that they have dirty carpeted houses. She ripped all hers out when she bought her house here but I wouldn't be without mine (except in loo and kitchen, obvs)

If you are going for a wool carpet then get it mothproofed! Little b'stards decimated my lovely wool carpet.

I don’t like carpet, but it’s not old fashioned. No more than hardwood floors. If you like it, then get it, I wouldn’t place any importance on what guests may think as they don’t have to live there every day!