To think rooms and carpets will come back into fashion

[Arbesque]

The current fashion for wooden floors and open plan layouts has been popular for years. I'm start to find myself drawn to separate rooms and very large rugs or carpets.
Do you think the fashion will change soon? Especially with heating bills soaring?

Open plan can be great if you have a large space and can differentiate functions within that space. In a smallish new build, say, it’s not so good at all. Basically you have your kitchen in your living room. I tend to wonder how it works if a relationship is unhappy or abusive. Short of holing up in a bed room, where can people go to get away? And when I see these spaces in things like wanted Down Under, to me it looks as if a garage has been converted into a living space. Just bleak.

I love carpets and separate rooms. Don’t like wood floors at all. And couldn’t stand not being able to close a kitchen off. But everyone likes different stuff. I dislike most of the Grand Design houses which seem to be mostly glass boxes with sterile rooms and a wood burner feature.

When we were looking to buy a few years ago we said no open plan, yet always had estate agents trying to convince us to reconsider. I just used to ask them what would we do when one child was doing homework, one was doing music practice and the other was watching TV or playing a computer game? How would that all work in an open plan area? And that ignored whatever DH and I were up to. I was usually met with some waffle about us being unusual. I really don't think so!

If the dirt doesn't come out when vacuuming, then does it really matter that it's there? What harm is it doing?

Surely you know that one's carpets must be thoroughly disinfected at least once a day? This is MN after all...

Agree. I’ve got traditional taste considering I’m mid-30s, and I love carpets, pencil pleat curtains and dining rooms.

I don’t like open plan or shiny wooden or tiled floors. Unfortunately in order to be able to buy a house we’ve bought a house that was entirely tiled downstairs(!), all internal downstairs doors had been removed (bar the WC), and the kitchen knocked through with the “middle” room - creating a nice big kitchen, which we all appreciate, but making the downstairs freezing!

First thing we did on moving in was get the sitting room carpeted, and now we’re getting quotes for a kitchen and sitting room door. We’re aiming to get rugs for the “middle” room before winter and will put curtains up over the front door and back French doors in a desperate bid to warm the house up this winter. Mercifully all the upstairs (bar the bathrooms) and staircases are already carpeted.

@picklemewalnuts we got a wool blend twist in a neutral beigey sort of colour that has flecks in it- from a distance it still looks plain, but up close you see the flecks of darker brown and they go quite a way to hiding everyday marks/cat hair etc in between hoovering.

I hate open plan. I do like a carpet in a bedroom but think hard floors and rugs are practical so here to stay.

Are you licking your carpets?

If not, why does it matter if there's some dirt on there? 🤔

I love open plan. Most houses in uk, especially like 40s terraces have small rooms. I like spacious space.
But when people say open plan, do they mean even no hallway? I saw that in fee houses and that's a step too far even for me.
No carpets. Natural looking laminate. I ahve crapliad of plants so even if I put white tiles it wouldn't look bare and cold😁

I do think that many people will change to smaller rooms with wfh though.

I’d rather have clean flooring that doesn’t trap allergens.

If you think carpets are unhygienic I have bad news for you about any pillow, mattress, or duvet more than a week old, your phone, the remote control, and your computer keyboard.

Not everything dirty can hurt us. Some dirt is essential!

How much dead skin is in your mattress?

After 14 years your mattress now has more dust mites (10 million+) than NYC's population, four bathtubs full of sweat (364 gallons) and 42 pounds of dead skin (that's heavier than two car tires)

You don’t have allergies then. Washable bedding, hard blinds not curtains and no carpets keep dust mite numbers down. Curtains, feather bedding and carpets mean I need inhalers.

I was reading an article about this just yesterday. Yes I think they will. I have never been a fan of fully open plan. I prefer a separate kitchen. That said I understand in smaller flats or houses open plan gives more space.

Not the carpets. Energy prices may soar but climate change means more very hot temperatures - and carpets are hot and dusty. I think people will start building more like the continent - tiled floors. Our house is tiled and it is very cool in summer.

Interesting that I can lift up the mattress then with all that water in it

Yes these stats are good for a laugh but are the typical scare mongering. You can hoover your mattress you know and in my case I have a mattress topper, over a mattress protector, both get washed frequently. Then sheets on top of course

After 14 years your mattress now has more dust mites (10 million+) than NYC's population, four bathtubs full of sweat (364 gallons) and 42 pounds of dead skin (that's heavier than two car tires)

What about if you use a decent mattress protector which you wash quite frequently?

I've never liked open plan. I want to be able to shut doors on noise/mess/smells/other people!

Hate carpet though. Why would you want something difficult to clean stuck permanently to the floor?! If you like the warmth just lay a rug that can be washed, or changed easily. Having children has definitely cemented that opinion - our carpets have had milk/vomit/poo/wee on. It's so grim and I can't wait to get rid of them.

We have a childfree house. Our current carpets have been down more than four years and have had no contact with body fluids. They’re still immaculate too because we look after them.

Especially the stuff up the side of the bath. AND that awful trend of putting a carpet-style cover on the loo seat. Ugh.

My mother would be delighted if patterned stuff came back in - her house makes my eyes bleed! I however, will be sticking with my nice, calming plain carpets and Karndean floors. They may date, and the Karndean can be a bit cold (I’m having carpet put in the sitting room soon) but they dont give me migraines!

I need to knwo which brand lasts 14+ years😳
You are supposed to change them after about 7 years.

Says who? That’s a marketing gimmick. A few years back, they said every 10 years…

They don't make them like they used to 😁
"Few" years ago trainers could last decades😁

I thought it was ten years too. Our last one was 16 years old when we replaced it 😱