Design advice

Start with the floor

What’s underfoot is a huge part of what your eye sees when you enter a room, but it’s a more subtle presence than the walls right in front of you. This means that you can add interest, through pattern or a brighter colour, in a far more understated way.

A luxurious, wool-rich Brintons carpet is the perfect starting point. Once you’ve experienced the softness and warmth that it brings, you’ll never look back – and we like to think that stylish good looks are all part of the package. Your Home can be everything you want it to be.

Planning your scheme

Think about your home as a whole, rather than as a series of individual rooms. By settling on a group of colours to use throughout, you’ll achieve a much more harmonious look. Many of the colours used in our plains collection also appear in our patterns, allowing for easy co-ordination; choose a design you like and it’ll automatically show you other carpets that go with it. Or use texture and subtle design in our naturals to add interest to your floor. Request any sample of carpet, and we can include a colour card showing palettes of complementary colours to get you started.

Another way of leading the eye through the whole home is to use coordinating runners. We offer more runners than ever, as they’re a great way to link rooms together, and also they’re also a really practical choice for hallways and stairs.

You can play visual tricks with colour and pattern: light colours ‘recede’ walls, darker tones bring them nearer. Smaller rooms appear larger in a pale scheme, making them feel fresh and airy. If your room doesn’t have much natural light then by choosing warm colours you’ll make it feel cosier. Incidentally, contrary to popular belief, pattern can actually make a room look bigger, as the eye perceives more ‘content’.

Your check list

Click on a word below to reveal more information on each

Colour

Colour is a personal thing and it's important to choose shades you can live with – rather than something that's 'in fashion'. Take time to think about colours that you like.

Location

Is the area high traffic, or is it a room used for relaxing? Choose accordingly: patterns are great for areas next to the wet and dirty outdoors, while pale plains are perfect for luxury rooms.

Budget

Very few of us have unlimited funds, so spend available money on what will get the hardest wear – top quality carpets and furniture will always repay the investment.

Proportion

Apply a 60:30:10 rule: 60 per cent in a dominant colour; 30 per cent in a secondary tone; and 10 per cent in an accent shade, for accessories or splashes of colour.

Light

You can't change the direction your room faces, so it's vital to work out the prevailing light. Then use colour to balance it: eg, warm shades for north-facing, cool tones to balance glare.

Dimension

You can play visual tricks with colour: light colours 'recede' walls, darker tones bring them nearer. Small rooms appear larger in a pale scheme: or cosy up areas with warm colour.

Our Services

Carpet samples
There’s no substitute for having samples of the real thing when you’re trying to select colours, so we’ll be delighted to send you free swatches. Whether you’ve seen them in a store or on our website. Use the sample basket and we'll be happy to send them.

Colour cards
When we send out your carpet samples, we can also send you the corresponding colour cards. These have been designed by us to give you a palette of colours that co-ordinate well with your chosen sample. They’ll also help you choose plain carpets to go with patterns. Put them in your bag while you’re out and about and you’ll be able to match up or co-ordinate with other furniture, fabrics or furnishings. Select colour cards from the sample basket when ordering your samples.