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By Holly Hanchey
Like almost everything in life, design trends are cyclical. What’s in fashion throughout one decade is out the next. In the mid-2000′s, designers were using more hardwoods and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), pulling up carpet and either exposing dormant floors or laying down new ones.
In 2022, the biggest trend in flooring is a really great carpet. However, it’s not your grandmother’s shag carpet. Once limited in color and style, carpet design has expanded into hundreds of varieties of colors, textures and materials.
“Carpet is definitely making a comeback,” said Carol Clements Hibbs, who works in sales and design at Square Yard Carpet in Hendersonville, KY. “There are hundreds of shades across the spectrum available now, in addition to carpet materials like jute, berbers, and traditional frieze shags. We used to sell ten kinds of carpet, and now we sell a thousand kinds of carpet.”
Hibbs would know — the daughter of the owner of Square Yard Carpet, she’s grown up in the industry and seen trends come and go. “Between the kinds of carpet, like Berbers, sisals, wools, patterns, and many textured patterns available, carpet can really be fine-tuned to your specific style these days.”
Some of the latest design trends in carpets are patterns and textures, according to Hibbs. Woven patterns in wall-to-wall carpet can give some depth and character to an otherwise neutral color palette, as is popular in decorating today. In addition, patterned carpet is more resistant to denting from heavy furniture placement, and since it is slow to show wear patterns, it is perfect for high traffic areas.
Natural fiber carpets are also very on-trend in 2022. Sisal and jute used to be favorite rug materials, but now they have expanded into carpets, and for good reason. Both are renewable sources of materials, coming from rapid growing plants. The fibers are strong and durable, but flexible enough to be woven into many exciting patterns. Sisal can be a bit rough in texture, so many wall-to-wall natural carpets are either a sisal/wool blend or jute. Both are prone to stains, however, so synthetic sisals are popular in higher traffic areas or homes with pets and children.
Speaking of pets and children, there is a long-held belief that carpet is bad for houses with allergic reactions. That’s no longer the case, according to D.J. Hays, a sales & flooring expert at Square Yard Carpet. Most carpets are more environmentally friendly and hypo-allergenic than in years past, and brands like Shaw’s Pet Perfect line are made to be resistant to pet stains and wear.
That’s not the only carpet myth out there that Hays wants to dispel.
“There’s a huge misconception with carpet, everyone thinks the thicker the better,” said Hays. “The truth is, the taller the pile, the faster it will show footprints. It’s a high maintenance carpet. The shorter the pile, the easier to maintain and the longer it will wear.”
Over an extended period of time, high pile carpet will show wear patterns and collapse under high traffic areas. If you want more cushion, Hays recommends upgrading your pad first. “The pad makes the carpet. A good pad can extend the life of a cheaper carpet. Save money on the carpet, not the pad.”
And frankly, carpet can be significantly less expensive than real hardwoods. A high-end carpet with an upgraded pad is a fraction of the price of a house full of custom hardwood flooring. Both the materials and the installation are less expensive and faster to get completed.
More and more designers are choosing to use carpet in conjunction with hardwoods or LVP during renovations and new construction, which gives a real distinction between rooms. For example, hardwoods are popular in high-traffic areas like living rooms and dens, while carpet is taking over bedrooms again, especially the primary bedrooms.
It’s not just design that’s influencing carpet’s renaissance in homes. With world-wide supply chain issues, it has become more difficult to source hardwood floors and LVP, and that causes delays in renovations and new builds. Carpet is almost entirely made in the United States; the first woven carpet was made in 1791 in Philadelphia, and tufted carpet as we know it was invented in Dalton, Georgia in the early 1900s, though it didn’t gain popularity in homes until after World War II.
Because it’s made in the U.S., carpet isn’t seeing the lengthy shipping and manufacturing delays that other flooring material is experiencing, which is another factor that makes it an enticing choice.
It’s not a permanent one, however, as most carpet lasts between seven and twelve years, depending on placement and traffic. But since it’s more affordable than some hardwood or LVP flooring, it’s the easiest thing to change when it’s time to redecorate or renovate.
And more and more carpets are made from recycled material, or are easily recycled. You can check online for recycling centers in your area to find one that handles carpet recycling.
It’s important to make sure you’re installing the correct carpet for your style, needs, and lifestyle, and carpet experts like those at Square Yard Carpet in Hendersonville, KY, have decades of experience to help you choose the best flooring for your home.
