Carpeting your staircase
Of course, carpets aren’t about aesthetics, they soften noise from the stairs which are a high-traffic area of the home and add additional comfort and warmth underfoot. At Abbott Wade, we understand that choosing the right style of carpet for your home is like buying an item of clothing – it’s all about what suits your style and needs. It must also be in keeping with the character of your home. There are also other pragmatic considerations for when you’re choosing a carpet. For example, do you opt for a thick and luxuriously soft carpet or a more hard wearing material like sisal or coir which is more corse in texture? Lighter cream and whites are great for making a stairway feel brighter but have the downside of showing up dirt and stains on the stairs – which is bound to happen given the high levels of through-traffic in this part of the home.
What is right for one home is not right for another, but how do you know what the right choice is? One tip is simply to take a look at what other homeowners have chosen to do and try to reflect on whether the same ideas will transfer to your home. You will see ideas you like – equally you’ll see ideas which you don’t. This is also useful as it will help you to remove certain styles from the equation. Similarly, you may have an idea in your mind but be surprised by something you see which changes your perspective in a positive or negative way.
Take a look through our gallery of staircases in real homes we’ve visited up and down the country to see how colours, textures and patterns have been used on the stairway.
Stripes
Not only do stripes make a bold statement and add an extra flourish to your stairway but they are a great way of adding a greater sense of depth to a hall and stairway and are certainly on trend at the moment. They have the added benefit of allowing the homeowner to integrate tones which to add warmth of colour or provide a level of continuity through the home with other elements of decoration.
White & Cream
Pale carpets look clean and inviting. The light colours make the stairway look lighter and can trick the eyes to thinking the area is bigger than it really is. If you’re opting for this style, you’ll have to make sure you have a strict ‘leave your shoes at the front door’ policy as while they look fantastic, they can be quite unforgiving after dirty shoes. With this in mind a Scotchguard type protection may also be worth considering.
Grey & Brown
A surprisingly stylish option. While browns can incorporate warmer red tones, grey can be quite cold in colour. Paired with oak however, it emphasises the timbers warm tones and the pair are a great combination. White or coloured walls also help to warm up the room and create an attractive contrast.
Charcoal
Dark carpets when used effectively are striking. The darker tones emphasise a rich and deep carpet and can be warmed with oak tones from the adjacent stairs. Alternatively they can be used to great effect to contrast against the brilliant white as in the staircase pictured below. They can also hide a multitude of sins with marks and spills being less prominent than lighter carpets.
Patterns
Patterned carpets have made something of a comeback in recent years and there are wide array of carpet patterns and colours available including traditional patterns or more modern designs. When decorating the hall and stairs, it’s advisable to set the carpet against simple, painted walls to avoid the room looking too ‘busy’. If you get the look right you can create a charismatic and stylish hallway which make stains and marks harder to spot – great if you’ve got pets or children.
Wooden Treads
Given the wide choice of carpets available to homeowners, it’s easy to overlook the obvious which is getting rid of carpets altogether and showing off beautiful wooden treads. Hardwoods such as oak and walnut always look great and they’re hardwearing which is another bonus. They can also be stained for an added bespoke style option. If you’re installing a complete new flight this may be a more obvious option but our renovation service also means that hardwood treads can be added to an existing flight.
