Carpet in the living room - debate

[Jamjarcandlestick]

We live in a fixer upper and currently renovating downstairs. Our house is a funny layout but adjoining rooms (utility, downstairs bathroom & kitchen) will be tiled but now we’re looking at decor for our living room that opens onto the back garden.

DH is very laidback and doesn’t really have much of an opinion on the decor as a whole but seems firmly set on that living rooms have to be carpeted. Honestly he’s horrified at the idea of a hard floor (was looking at wood but due to budget probably laminated) as apparently carpet is homely, and all living rooms are carpet.

As there’s only been a couple of things DH has an opinion on I’ve gone with just as I’m making 99% of all decisions but I don’t know why I can’t seem to agree on it.

I wouldn't put carpet on highly trafficked areas, but the wooden floors in all but one bedroom in my house now have carpets down. The only reason the other room isn't carpeted is there's too much furniture to move!
Rooms feel warmer and less damp. There's less loose dust in the air than with hard flooring too. My lounge is on the first floor and I will carpet that the next time we decorate. The difference in sound echoing around the house is huge.

Most of our downstairs is old and cold stone slabs with some rugs. Only our lounge is carpeted and it is so lovely to have the cosiness in winter, it makes a big difference in that respect for us.

Vaxed our sitting room in June, bedrooms this week. Do them twice a year as recommended by the carpet manufacturers. As you say as easy as hoovering.

BUT doors that open straight out into the garden I'd want hard floors I think or a very big mat and a basket for shoes. My friend has a huge overhang outside with her bi folds which means you can pop your shoes off before coming in.

Me too. Carpet is so much better.

We are renovating and a lovely thick carpet in the lounge is a must for us, everywhere else is lvt but carpet under foot gives comfort and coziness to the room.

That's basically my house 😂

My FIL has laminate in his living room, he has a dog, its a shoes-on house and you have to walk through it to get to the kitchen, so it is sensible but your feet get so cold in winter when you are sitting there during the evening.

They are clean because the dirt stays in the carpet

It doesn’t. It’s hoovered out with a Dyson that nearly sucks the pile out of it. And, even if that were true, what would the problem be?

When I moved in we sanded and varnished the floors

I soon laid down carpet because of my crawling baby and toddler.

15 years later I ripped it up and now have my lovely floorboards back

Just whatever suits your lifestyle at the time

I would probably lay down karndean type floor boards given the choice

This house and our previous house both had hardwood floors in the lounge. We had nice rugs down and I thought it was nice. We've just had an extension, including a new living room and we went with carpets this time. It's sooooooooooo much nicer and cosier and now I can't imagine ever going back to hard floors.

As for other people I'd say there's a split but marginally more people I know with carpets in the lounge than not, with hard floors elsewhere downstairs.

I hate carpets downstairs, or anywhere other than bedrooms. We have lovely big rugs which are nice to look at and sit on but floorboard everywhere else. Easy to clean, especially next to a garden door.

You could not be more incorrect,carpets are making a comeback. Especially patterned or textured ones with focus on sustainability.

you could not be more incorrect,carpets are making a comeback. Especially patterned or textured ones with focus on sustainability
I've been waiting a long time for patterned carpet to be fashionable again! Great news.

Sustainability? What could be more sustainable than floorboards?

Anyway for those of us who don't just follow latest trends who cares is carpet is coming back in fashion!

If you’ve got hard floors you’ve already followed the trends.

Carpet never feels clean to me.

Hard floors with nice large rugs are more attractive.

How is a rug, ie small carpet, any cleaner than a fitted carpet?

Or you've gone for what you like and feels more practical.

I love carpets. Wish I could have one in my living room but I'm in a flat and it's an open plan kitchen/dining/living area so it's all laminate.

Because it can easily be lifted and sent out for thorough cleaning.

My carpets are all perfectly clean but I have no pets/young kids and I do not allow shoes on the carpet 😂

I don’t understand. What difference does it make where it’s cleaned? Presumably it’s the same process wherever it is?

There seems to be a split on here too - either pro carpet or pro hard floors.

I was thinking of a hard floor with a nice big rug.

We do have another door to the back garden but naturally we gravitate towards the living room back door. I’m not sure what we’d do with shoes. Surely we’d end up with a collection by the back door as well as the front?