Fashion Carpet Court

What's doing the hard yards for a family floor? It's carpet - making a welcome return to living areas as well as bedrooms.

Noise and heat insulation have increasingly become issues as we knock down walls and open up our houses to create brighter, light-filled spaces - and carpeting does loads to improve this situation.

THE MAGIC OF CARPET

Awkward elements in a room can be camouflaged by choosing a carpet in the same shade as the walls

Pale carpets will lighten up a dark room, while earthy-coloured carpets take the chill off a room lacking sunshine.

The chic newer neutrals will offset a bright painting or tone down furnishings.

Blues are ideal for rooms with plenty of sun

If accidental spills and rough and tough wear drive you nuts, go for a patterned carpet

Avoid large areas of pattern in carpet if you don't want a room to close in

Keep pattern overload in mind - this can occur when 'architectural' patterns, such as brickwork, lead-light windows or ornate moldings, intrude on your scheme

There is an abundance of 'natural' imitations on the market - some wool imitation carpets may trick the eye, but rarely will they also deceive the touch

If buying an apartment off the plan, make sure the carpet quality is specified, otherwise take the money value and buy your own carpet. Display apartment carpet may sometimes be substituted with a carpet of lesser quality but similar appearance which may need to be replaced prematurely

Today's carpets offer you a whole world of design and fibre possibilities.

But probably what accounts for carpet's popularity is its toe-curling comfort. In a time when tactile sensitivity is big news on the home front, carpet is the only soft, warm flooring option which encourages you to slip off your shoes and pad barefoot, or lie down and stretch out.

Your carpet choice usually depends on your decor and the type of wear it'll receive. With contemporary style, pattern tends to obscure the strong form of architecture and furniture, so a neutral, textured carpet or plain-coloured, smooth hard-twist style are appropriate.

Country style is complemented by a strongly-textured carpet, such as wool or sisal, and rooms with a romantic mood call for plush pile carpets or those with a European-style pattern.

Of course, in a traditional sense, modern tufted or woven and subtle patterns offer incredible sophistication.

Generally loop pile inevitably wears longer than cut pile, although any good quality carpet should last more than a decade.

Carpet grading determines wearability - medium duty suits areas not prone to constant traffic; heavy duty works in hallways and living rooms and extra heavy duty is for all intense traffic areas.

Whatever fibre your carpet is made from - be it wool, wool-blend, nylon or synthetic - it must be hard-working for today's flexible and highly spirited lifestyle.