STEP INSIDE LIVING SPACES The Soft Side of Style
Natalie Littlehales, Consumer Marketing Manager at Brintons, explains how to advise customers on the ideal carpet for their living space.
Get Cosy
When we think of cosy living spaces, we think of soft textures and warm, homely colours. For autumn, as the days get shorter and the air cooler, opting for restful and mellow tones in natural fabrics will create a relaxed, intimate and calming space.
The carpet is the perfect place to start when creating a cosy living space. The texture of wool underfoot, coupled with a warm colour or welcoming pattern, makes it the perfect base upon which to shape a comfortable and inviting interior scheme- consider tartan or large patterns in autumnal shades like reds, oranges and browns. Where alternative flooring like wood or tiles might make a room feel stark and bare, a soft woven wool carpet, layered with accessories in cashmere, mohair and linen will all work to soften the overall look.
Rest and Relax
In any interior scheme, neutral colours and the comforting texture of carpet brings a feeling of softness and calm. These are best suited to rooms where we spend a lot of time, such as a bedroom or living room, where relaxing is key to creating a happy space.
Decorating with neutral carpets also ensures longevity for interiors. Encourage your customers to use neutrals as a base, upon which they can introduce on-trend, colourful accessories, whilst retaining an overall scheme that will remain timeless for many years to come. For many, a neutral carpet is an investment in the design of the property, which will add to, and retain its value.
Warm up with Wool
Not only is wool on trend right now, but it comes with the added bonus of being a fantastic sustainable choice for flooring. It insulates a home, is easily recyclable and biodegradable, plus shearing sheep is essential for their welfare.
Wool has hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial properties so, by using it on the floor, it makes the air that we breathe cleaner.
The famous Brintons blend combines 80% wool with 20% nylon, meaning that a Brintons carpet is both luxurious to touch and hard-wearing for longevity. This blend is still used today because it has all the beauty of wool, in a much longer lasting form.
30 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors Clean and Classic
Living spaces are used for just that – living. From muddy shoes to drinks spillages, keeping a living space looking beautiful must start with a clean floor. Pale shades will show more visible signs of general soiling and discolouration, while darker colours will be more practical in hiding soiling and stains.
Most people know that pale shades will show more visible signs of discolouration in living rooms, playrooms and bedrooms, but many do not know that the background lustre of the yarn will also have an impact. More lustrous yarns and colours will show more visible contrast between the heavily soiled areas and the less used areas.
Effective barrier matting and limiting exposure to dirt and spillages is key to combating stains. Homeowners should be more cautious with pale shades by vacuuming regularly and effectively treating spillages as they occur. Use a vacuum with good suction, and for cut pile carpets, a vacuum with a brush and beater bar to help lift the pile and remove particulate dirt. A wet suction vacuum cleaner will help pull out spillages/ stains. However, people should be wary of applying stain blockers and repellent treatments, and do some research about which to use. These can offer some additional protection, but are not always permanent. They can also create problems if they have not been applied effectively.
www.brintons.co.uk www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com
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