How to Choose a Carpet for Your Bedroom

Your bedroom should feel cosy, tranquil, and inviting each time you step inside, helping to melt all stresses away. Carpet is an ideal way to create a soft, comfortable, and stylish environment, as it can tie your interior design together while providing luxury and warmth underfoot.

Yet, you might wonder about the best pile and colour for developing a serene, welcoming space. Read the following advice on how to choose a carpet for your bedroom.

Select a Hile Pile Carpet for Unrivalled Softness

Everyone wants to sink their bare toes into a soft, snug carpet when climbing out of bed each morning. Consider adding a high-pile carpet to your bedroom if this is a must-have.

Wool is a superb option, as it is crafted from natural fabric and oozes softness and luxury day after day. However, contemporary synthetic carpets can feel just as sumptuous but are more durable throughout the years, as they may withstand moderate to high foot traffic. Consider a chunky carpet with mixed cut and loop piles and a variable pile height.

Choose a Versatile or Contrasting Colour

The carpet colour you choose should complement your taste, interior colour palette, and bedroom’s textural elements. Select a hue that works in harmony with your wallpaper and/or paint, bedding, furniture style, and window treatments.

The beauty of carpet is that it has the power to unite interior design choices or add a splash of contrast for a bolder aesthetic. For instance, a black carpet could stylishly clash with all-white walls, pulling the eye toward your plush flooring.

However, if you want to create a versatile space to complement various interior design changes over the years, you cannot go wrong with neutral hues, such as cream, grey, or beige. It will allow you to change your décor without hassle.

Consider Your Bedroom’s Lighting

Your bedroom’s lighting should determine the carpet colour you pick. Similar to paint and wallpaper, a room’s lighting can determine your flooring’s appearance. For instance, if you are lucky enough to enjoy lots of natural light in your room during the day, you will not regret installing a cream or grey carpet.

However, if your room is on the darker side, opt for a darker shade for a warm and welcoming environment. If in doubt, talk to our helpful team for advice or request to take a sample home with you to see how different options will appear in your bedroom.

Visit Our Carpet Shop for Advice

At A Flooring Boutique, we understand you might need to browse various carpet samples to find the right colour and pile for your bedroom’s interior design. For this reason, you shouldn’t hesitate to visit our carpet shop in Balham to pick the perfect flooring for your home. Our friendly staff are more than happy to answer questions and provide information to help you make an informed choice. Once you have made your decision, we will organise for a skilled carpet fitter to professionally lay down your chosen flooring to match your bedroom’s size and shape.

A Fresh Space: How to Keep Your Carpet Clean in Spring

As spring days become a little longer and sunnier, you might find you and your family spending more time outdoors. As good as a little fresh air is for the soul, ample time outdoors could cause damage to your carpet you’ll want to avoid.

A high-quality carpet deserves routine TLC, and we have just the tips to help you care for it throughout the sunnier seasons. Keep your home fresh by reading the following tips on how to keep your carpet clean in spring.

Remove Shoes at the Front Door

As you and your loved ones might spend more time outdoors when the sun starts to shine, now might be the perfect time to introduce a new house rule of removing shoes at the front door.

Also, place a shoe rack in your hallway to encourage your partner, kids, or visitors to slip off their footwear when stepping indoors.

Keep your socks on whenever possible, as bare feet could spread dust, dirt, and debris across your flooring.

Lay Down a Welcome Mat

Even if you establish a no-shoes rule in the home this spring or summer, your other half, children, or guests might enter the house before slipping their footwear off their feet.

For this reason, lay down a welcome mat to catch dirt, debris, and moisture while giving people a safe place to stand when removing their shoes.

Choose a design that harmonises with a plush carpet to add an extra layer of texture, colour, and personality to your interior design.

Vacuum Regularly to Combat Pet Shedding

Dogs and cats famously shed their winter coats in spring to prepare for warmer temperatures from March to August.

Keep your home looking and smelling fresh and fragrant by vacuuming your carpet regularly, as it will help you say goodbye to excess fur, odours, and pet stains.

Even if you don’t own a pet, you must vacuum often to banish allergens, dust mites, and dirt from your carpet fibres, helping to retain its aesthetic appeal day after day.

Blot Any Stains

If you or a loved one walks dirt into your home or causes an unwanted stain or spillage, you must clean it right away.

However, if you rub at it too vigorously, you might remove the mark but destroy the pile and, in turn, your interior design.

Keep your carpet clean and fresh by blotting at a stain, as it is gentler to the fabric and will prevent unnecessary spreading.

Change Your Carpet

A brand-new carpet could help you freshen up your beautiful home this spring.

Our Balham carpet fitters can replace your current flooring with a plush carpet that will create a soft, inviting, and stylish environment.

Every type of carpet you could want is available from us, from calming neutrals for a flexible aesthetic to vivid patterns for an extra splash of colour and personality.

Also, you can choose from various blends to complement your taste, such as shag pile, plush velvet, or deep-textured frieze. Call our friendly, helpful Balham team today at 0208 673 9900 to organise a carpet installation, or feel free to visit us in-store.

5 Ways To Keep Your Newly Fitted Carpet Looking Brand New

Have you recently had a carpet fitted and want to keep it looking its best for as long as possible?

At A Flooring Boutique, our team are trained in fitting carpets, but we know that once the carpet is down, you will want to keep it looking as good as new to help keep your home looking clean and cared for.

Here, we will walk you through our top tips for keeping that new carpet feeling for as long as possible. Enjoy!

Lose The Shoes!

Our London carpet suppliers at A Flooring Boutique always advise our customers that if they want to keep their carpets looking brand new and smelling great, then they need to lose the shoes!

Even if your shoes are clean, they can track in trace amounts of dirt that can build up and cause discolouration. So, if you want to keep your carpet spick and span, make sure everyone takes their shoes off at the door!

Baking Soda

Sprinkling baking soda onto your carpet can help you to keep it looking and smelling fresh and new for longer.

Many carpets accumulate water, particularly in humid climates, which can heighten the susceptibility of the fibres to trapping dirt and grime. By sprinkling a light coating of baking soda onto your carpets, you can trap that moisture and give a fresh smell to your home while also keeping your carpet’s colours vibrant.

Get a High-Quality Hoover

Even if you don’t wear shoes over your carpets, they will still trap dirt in the fibres. So, to keep your newly fitted carpet looking amazing, you must invest in a Hoover with immense suction power. This will help remove loose dirt and prevent the accumulation of dust and fluff in the carpet, which can heighten allergies. Also, if you have pets, we recommend getting a hoover that is designed to suck up pet hair, as many of the cheaper brands cannot handle kitty or dog hair without overheating!

Steam Clean

Steam cleaners are a must-have if you have a heavily carpeted home. Also, if you have pets in your home, you may find that a steam clean once a month will help to keep fleas and stains at bay!

Steam cleaners do require a bit of care to prevent scalding, so make sure you carefully clean each room in sections to ensure the carpet gets a deep clean. We recommend steam cleaning your carpet, followed by a brisk vacuum to help remove the dirt the steam has pulled onto the carpet surface. This will keep the carpet looking clean and brand new!

Deep Clean Twice a Year!

Nope, a deep, professional clean is not only for carpets that are of a lighter colour!

Many people are surprised to learn that even if they have a deeper coloured carpet, it can show signs of dirt accumulation, which can make it look old and worn. So, to keep all the carpets in your home looking fresh and new, we recommend hiring a professional carpet cleaner. Many of these devices can be rented and also come with a water vacuum to prevent the carpet from becoming sodden. This will brighten the carpet and keep your home smelling great!

Should You Fit a Carpet Yourself? Pros of Professional Carpet Fitting

It is an arduous task. Trying to find the perfect carpet to match your décor or style.

 

Carpets have many pros, such as retaining heat, being more comfortable to walk on, and even preventing accidents. That is, of course, provided they are fitted correctly, which is often only guaranteed if a professional fits them. 

 

So, if you have found the perfect maroon carpet to match your living or bedroom, is it worth spending extra money on a professional fit? Yes, it is, and here are five reasons why from our team at A Flooring Boutique!

 

Precision Fit

There are few, if any, rooms in the modern home that are a perfect square. Even if they are, that doesn’t mean that fitting them with a carpet will be easy!

 

The best reason to hire a professional carpet fitter is because they can customise the carpet to fit any room. London carpet fitters will usually come to the home to assess the room shape and the tools they need to get the carpet to fit perfectly. Yes, different room shapes and carpet types need different tools; you won’t be able to do that kind of precise work with a Stanley knife and a how-to guide online!

 

No Mistakes

You’ve spent weeks planning the décor of the room, and at last, the carpet has been delivered. The last thing you want is for it to become shredded due to a craft knife or incorrect cutting technique!

 

When you hire a professional to fit your carpet, the mistake rate drops to zero (in most cases!), and you will be left with a great-looking, seam-free carpet that has been fitted to the shape of the room. 

 

Warranty

If you buy a carpet to fit it by yourself, if you do not fit it as you need to, you may void the warranty of the carpet and spend a fortune having to purchase more carpeting materials. If you hire professional carpet fitters, any errors on their part will not void the warranty of the carpet and will save you money should you need to get more carpet delivered to your home.

 

Increased House Value

Yes, if you are looking to sell your home in the future or you are planning to rent it out, you will want to have any carpets fitted by a professional. 

 

Even though it may not seem like something that can be spotted, estate agents and letting agents can spot when a carpet has not been fitted by a professional and may decrease the value of your home or its rental value, so while it may be an additional cost in the short-term, long-term, opting for a professional fitting can earn you more money!

 

Time-Saving

Most people think that with the use of YouTube and a bit of hard work, they can master any skill set and end up with professional-looking results. 

 

Sadly, that’s not the case! Hiring a professional fitter will save you a lot of time, and, of course, the job will be completed quickly, giving you a professional addition to your home.

 

So, if you want a gorgeous fit to your home’s carpet, call our team at A Flooring Boutique today!

Want Less Cleaning to Do? Choose these Top Flooring Options for Your Redesign

A home that doesn’t need any maintenance and is always perfectly clean would be a dream. It’s also not possible. No matter what, someone somehow has to take care of your property to make it shine like it deserves.

 

That being said, some materials are simply so much easier to keep clean, and these are the materials that will make your life a breeze. To help you pick out what floors to pick up from our Balham flooring specialists, start by understanding just what makes a floor low-maintenance.

 

Top Low-Maintenance Carpet Designs

What Type of Carpet Weave?

 

There are many, many different types of carpet construction. In general, anything low-pile and woven is going to be longer-lasting and require less maintenance. Woven carpets, loop carpets, and low-pile carpets all tend to take on wear and tear like a pro and are usually far easier to keep clean since there’s less room for dirt and dust to hide.

 

What Type of Material?

The material you choose is also going to affect how easy it is to keep your flooring looking great. While wool is natural, breathable, and comfortable, it can also stain more easily. If you want a durable option that’s easy to clean, choose either nylon or polypropylene. Nylon is very easy to clean and can be refreshed with a steam clean to return its natural bounce. Even polyester is easy to clean since it’s difficult to stain.

 

Top Low-Maintenance Hard Flooring Designs

If you prefer hard flooring options, then you have a lot of different designs and considerations to make.

What are the Best Designs?

 

In general, anything that doesn’t have deep grain or sunken edges is going to be very easy to clean. Your floors could, therefore, be engineered hardwood, tile, LVP, or laminate. Where you’ll run into problems is with natural or original wood floors that feature a lot of texture, as that texture is where dirt and moisture can hide. However, you can treat original floors and fill in those holes and gaps to give yourself a smooth, easy-to-clean finish.

 

What are the Best Materials?

 

In general, anything that is stain-resistant and easy to mop up and hoover is going to be your best friend. Luxury vinyl plank, ceramic, and porcelain are the best options for tile designs, while laminate and engineered hardwood are the top choices for hardwood alternatives.

 

Protect Heavy-Trafficked Areas

To further protect your hard floors, especially original or engineered hardwood, you’ll want to add additional protection. A large doormat and rubber mat near your front door will help catch dust, mud, and water before it can damage your floors. Swapping over to a waterproofed tile option near your entrances is another great way to minimise wear and tear. You can use rug runners as well.

 

All of these will help minimise wear on your hard floors. When they do need a clean, they’ll be easy to wipe down and bring back to life.

 

These are our best tips for choosing floors that require less maintenance.

How to Choose the Right Shade of Hardwood to Match Your Interior Design

One of the biggest trends in the world of DIY is stripping back furniture and redoing the finish. While in the past the go-to was to simply paint the wood, increasingly people are looking to remove the stain and redo it in the trending styles of the day. Currently, you’ll see many people strip back the orange finish that was popular in the 90s and early 00s and whitewash the finish so it’s a pale neutral shade.

 

The key takeaway of this is that wood shade matters. The finish of the wood also follows trends, which means your hardwood floors can end up looking dated. The hardwood themselves is going to endure, yes, but will the finish? Finishes come and go. That’s why you need to really think hard about what your design tastes are so that you can choose a hardwood floor finish that appeals to your interior design tastes best.

Warm, Cool, or Neutral?

 

A great way to start your journey is to just look at what shades of exposed wood you currently have in your home. If you have a statement coffee table that you love, for example, consider what it is about that shade of finish that appeals the most to you. Is it cool-toned, almost greyish? Is it a pale yellow? Dark orange? Warm honey? If in doubt, take a picture of your favourite wood pieces in your home in bright, natural light. Use this when you visit our Balham flooring specialists to help you pick out a complimentary wood floor that suits your taste in wood.

 

For most, that taste will either lean towards warm, meaning honey or orange tones; cool, meaning grey or even ash floors; and neutral, which sits somewhere in between. If you have a mix of high-contract items like blacks and honey woods in your home, you’ll want to opt for the neutral floor to tie it all together.

Bring Home a Shortlist

Don’t make a big decision like floor tone right away. Instead, put together a shortlist and bring home samples. Compare those samples directly to your furniture and décor, and make a list. You can even write those points on the back of the sample. An easy way to do this is to go through different sections of your home and put a tick on the back of the sample if it works. The piece that has the most ticks naturally works best in your home.

 

Compare Your Options in All Lighting Conditions

 

Give yourself a week or so to get used to the shades and tones of each sample in all lighting conditions. The wood is going to look different in sunshine, on cloudy days, and even under artificial light. How you like the flooring in each of these lighting conditions will change. What you may love in daylight, you won’t like under lamplight. Choose the floor that looks best in all conditions so you can love your flooring choice all day, every day, no matter the season.

How to Refresh Your Carpet for Spring

Is the carpet in your home looking a little worn and weary? If yes, then don’t despair, as there are a wide range of tips and tricks that promise to transform even the most tattered and battered carpet.

From how to get rid of any indentations made by furniture to vanishing stubborn stains, read on to discover how you can refresh your carpet for spring with minimal effort and maximum results.

How to get rid of furniture indentations in your carpet

If you don’t regularly move the furniture around in your home, you are highly likely to have unsightly furniture indentations in your carpet. Fortunately, these can be removed using some ice and a stiff brush.

Start by moving your furniture out of the way, and then grab an ice cube tray from the freezer. Next, take an ice cube and allow it to melt over the dent in the carpet. Once it has melted, gently scrub the pile with a stiff brush. Don’t brush too hard, as this can damage the carpet fibres.

Allow the carpet to dry naturally, and you should see a vast improvement in the indentations.

How to get rid of stains in your carpet

Stubborn stains can make your carpet look a lot older than it is, but most can be successfully removed using just a few store cupboard staples.

To remove food and drink stains from your carpet, all you need is some baking soda and vinegar. Start by rubbing baking soda onto the stain using a stiff brush and then allow it to sit overnight, as this can help to reduce any unpleasant odours. Next, vacuum up the baking soda and then spray a mixture of water and vinegar onto the stain. Brush again and then allow to dry naturally.

In just a few hours, your carpet should look good as new, and the vinegar smell should have disappeared.

How to remove snags from your carpet

If your carpet is filled with tiny snags that are often caused by pet claws or just general wear and tear, then this can make your carpet look worn out and in need of replacement.

Thankfully, these can be easily removed with just a simple trim. Take a pair of sharp scissors and then trim the top edges of the carpet snags. Take care not to pull the carpet threads – this can cause even more damage.

How to make your carpet fluffy again

Remember when you first purchased your new carpet, and it was all soft and fluffy? You can get this back using a carpet rake, which you can buy online or from a local hardware shop. To revive your carpet, simply lift up your pile and then fluff it up in different directions using the rake. Hey, presto! Your carpet is restored to its former glory!

If you have tried all of the above and your carpet is still looking like it’s seen better days, then you may have to admit defeat and head to your nearest carpet shop. Discover the best carpets in Dulwich and transform your home in time for spring.

 

Coir Entrance Matting

 

We supply and fit Coir Entrance Matting, available in a range of made to measure thicknesses and widths. Our coir matting (sometimes also referred to as Coconut Matting or Coco Mats) is made from natural coir fibres and is suitable for entrances (and any other area required) in shops, homes and buildings, ideal for high footfall areas, it acts as a great dirt and dust collector helping to protect existing carpets and flooring.

 

We want YOU to be our next satisfied customer! Call us on 0208 673 9900 or come and see our range of Coir Entrance Matting at our shop at 71 Bedford Hill, Balham, London SW12 9HA today.