In conversation with Harbour and House

Choosing a new carpet is an exciting part of creating a home you love, but with so many colours, textures, fibres and finishes available, knowing where to begin can sometimes feel overwhelming.

While colour is often the first thing that catches our eye, finding the right carpet involves much more than choosing your favourite shade. From how you use the room to natural light, texture and practicality, there are several things worth considering before making your final decision.

We spoke to interior designer Harriet from Harbour & House to get her advice on what to look for when choosing carpet samples for your home.

Start with how you use your home

Before looking at colour, Harriet recommends thinking about how the room will actually be used.

A carpet for a busy hallway, landing or family room needs to perform differently from one in a guest bedroom or quieter area of the home. While it can be tempting to simply choose the sample that feels nicest underfoot or catches your eye first, practicality should be part of the decision from the beginning.

“Think about how you use your home first. Once you know that, you can start narrowing down fibre, pile and colour rather than simply choosing the nicest-looking sample.”

Consider how much footfall the room receives, who uses the space and whether you have children or pets. This can help you identify the type of carpet best suited to your everyday life. 

Always view samples in your own space

A carpet can look very different in your home compared with how it appears online or under showroom lighting.

Natural light, wall colours, furniture, wood tones and flooring in adjoining rooms can all influence how a carpet looks once it is in place.

Harriet recommends getting the largest samples available where possible and leaving them in the room for a couple of days.

“Look at them in the morning, afternoon and evening before making a decision.”

Moving the sample around the room can also be helpful. Place it beside furniture, against skirting boards and next to adjoining flooring to see how the different elements work together.

Pay attention to your lighting

Lighting can have a significant impact on carpet colour, particularly when choosing between similar neutral shades.

The orientation of your room is an important consideration. For example, north-facing rooms typically receive cooler natural light, which can make certain shades appear cooler than expected. A taupe or grey-toned carpet that looks warm in a showroom may take on a different appearance once brought home.

Artificial lighting can also affect colour, which is another reason why viewing your samples at different times of the day is so important. 

Look at the undertones

Choosing between several similar shades of beige, cream, taupe or grey can be one of the trickiest parts of selecting a carpet.

Rather than looking only at the overall colour, Harriet recommends paying attention to the undertones.

“Put several samples next to each other and you’ll suddenly start noticing that one leans pink, another yellow, another grey and another green.”

Look at these undertones alongside the fixed finishes already in your room, including paint colours, wood, stone, cabinetry and adjoining flooring. These existing elements can help guide you towards a carpet that feels cohesive within the wider space.

And when you're faced with too many options, start eliminating them.

Narrow your selection down to two or three favourites and live with them for a few days. It is much easier to make a decision between a small number of carefully selected options than ten almost-identical neutrals.

Think beyond colour

Colour might be one of the biggest considerations when choosing a carpet, but don't forget about what the carpet actually feels and looks like within the room.

Carpet is more complex than it might first appear. The fibre, construction, density and pile can all influence its appearance, performance and feel underfoot.

Loop, twist and deeper pile carpets can each create a very different look, even when comparing similar colours.

Think about the practicalities of your household too. Consider whether a particular carpet is suitable for stairs or high-traffic areas, how it will perform with pets and whether the texture is likely to show footprints or vacuum marks.

Taking all of these factors into account will help you find a carpet that doesn't just look beautiful on the day it is fitted, but continues to work for your home and lifestyle.

Choose carpet for your home

Harriet's final piece of advice is simple:

“Choose carpet for your real home, not for the showroom. The right one is the one that looks beautiful and still works for your everyday life.”

Ultimately, choosing carpet should be about finding the right balance between style, comfort and practicality. Take your time, order samples and see how they work within your own surroundings before making your final choice.

With the right sample in hand, it becomes much easier to imagine how your finished room will look and feel.

Find your perfect Ulster carpet

Ready to start exploring?

Discover the Ulster Carpets Home collection and order samples of your favourite designs to experience the colours and textures in your own space. Take them from room to room, see how they respond to your lighting and find the carpet that feels right for your home.

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