What to do with Wall to Wall Carpeting
Wall-to-wall carpeting. I don't love those words. Everyone wants hardwood floors, but when you buy a house in a new cul de sac development, you get wall-to-wall beige carpet starting with that first step to the second floor. My parents just bought one of these houses in Florida for their retirement. They picked out the paint colors, kitchen cabinets, and tiles, but the upstairs carpet was a given. So how do you make it work for you? Unless you're ready to throw down some cash to install new floors, the first step is acceptance. The second step is to let it inspire your decorating decisions. Keep it simple and neutral so it looks like it was part of the plan. Here are a few ways to get inspired for your bedroom:
TRADITIONAL
Photo credit: St. Regis
Luxury hotels make wall-to-wall carpet look elegant, like this room at the St. Regis. And okay, this carpet is a little nicer than your builder-grade beige carpet, but if you squint, you can kind of see what it would look like. Use luxurious neutral fabrics, high-shine materials, variety of textures, and few showstoppers to bring the look together. Think Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams or Restoration Hardware to replicate this look:
Photo credit: Restoration Hardware
From left to right:
- Restoration Hardware Italian Hotel Satin Stitch White Duvet Cover
- Lamps Plus Crystal Column Table Lamp
- Pier1 Mirrored Nightstand
- Pier1 Mirror
- Wayfair Tufted Sleigh Bed
MODERN
Photo credit: Ambassador Chicago
The Ambassador Chicago is a great example of wall-to-wall carpeting with a modern look. The beige carpet fades into the background with the white walls, curtains, and sheets and the minimal light wood furniture. Top it off with some unique lighting, furniture, and abstract art for interest. To get this look, here are some ideas:
Top row, left to right:
- Ikea Malm bed
- CB2 mantis wall sconce
- West Elm globe floor lamp
- Ikea uppbo work lamp
Bottom row, left to right:
- DWR era armchair
- Franz Kline print from Gilt
- Ikea ritva curtains
- West Elm mongolian lamb pillow in rose
RUSTIC
Photo credit: Victoria Hagan featured in Traditional Home
This is my dream getaway cabin in the mountains. It has plush creamy carpet, sheepskin stools, a cashmere throw, an upholstered bed, and super soft sheets. It feels like a fluffy cloud. If you don't have this view or all the natural light streaming in, you can still make this feel cozy with a landscape photo and the right mix of cozy light (overhead/table/task lamps). Below are some of my favorites:
Top row, left to right:
- Room & Board percale duvet and shams
- Room & Board wyatt bed
- Ikea landscape print
- Williams Sonoma cashmere throw
Bottom row, left to right:
- West Elm mongolian lamb stool
- West Elm tree stump side table
- West Elm table lamp
- West Elm vase
GLOBAL / RETRO
Photo credit: Elle Decor
Photo credit: The Parker Palm Springs
This global/retro style is where I think my parents will land when they finish their bedroom. My mom loves bright colors and rattan furniture. My dad loves dark, heavy woods that I think remind him of old Filipino houses. But they both love to travel and were inspired by their trip to Granada. Ever since, they have really been feeling Moroccan style, including terra cotta, plaster walls, brick, carved stone, weathered wood, blue and white tiles, and rainbow colored glass mosaics. Beige carpet is not on that list. But there's still a way to pull it off by channeling the 1960s, for which my mom also feels a lot of nostalgia.
Back then, wall-to-wall carpet was very popular, and so were Scandinavian furniture, floral wallpaper, and bright colors. It was a time when flying on an airplane was an occasion and you brought back souvenirs from your travels. So homes were eclectic and had oriental furniture and Turkish rugs, but also pop art and richly colored fabrics created by advancements in manufacturing and chemicals.
Today, we are seeing a lot of the same trends come back. And if you get it right, your beige carpet feels more like a tribute to the 1960s than a vestige of the 1990s suburbs. In the photos above, they actually used sisal or jute, which are more elegant. But I think you can still get the same feeling if you stick to a clean, modern foundation - like in the other styles above - and then add pops of color as an homage to the era.
For my parents, I'm picturing bright white walls and one wallpaper-covered accent wall behind the bed, using the wallpaper below or maybe something like this. The bed would be a rattan or linen-upholstered platform bed, with white sheets and a Moroccan print quilt, flanked by two blue ceramic lamps on top of white high-gloss nightstands and a mosaic mirror behind each one. The windows would have bright red printed curtains and either white sheers or bamboo roll-up blinds. And the opposite wall from their bed would have low white bookshelves with their treasures from their adventures and a rattan reading chair.
Top row, left to right:
- Anthropologie wallpaper
- Urban Outfitters rattan bed
- Safavieh double gourd table lamp
- Serena and Lily rattan chair
Bottom row, left to right:
- Anthropologie quilt
- Urban Outfitters curtains
- Serena and Lily nightstand
- Pier1 mosaic mirror
For other ideas, here are articles on how to decorate with wall-to-wall carpet:
- http://www.designsponge.com/2016/05/15-rooms-that-make-wall-to-wall-carpet-shine.html
- https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/learning-to-love-wall-to-wall-carpet-7-ways-to-make-it-work-220712
- https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/believe-it-or-not-9-bedrooms-absolutely-killing-it-with-wall-to-wall-carpet-225113
- https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/how-to-decorate-with-layered-rugs-and-carpets/all
