From Habitat magazine - issue 10
When times are tough, we yearn for the comforts of home and the cosiness of soft furnishings like carpet.
Velluto plush pile (Cashmere)
During times of economic recession, staying at home and ‘cocooning’ becomes a dominant trend. We might dine out less frequently but will entertain at home with family and friends. Evenings can be spent lounging around watching a movie with the family, having Playstation duels and Singstar competitions, or even playing classic board games. It’s a time to create some memorable moments.
But in seeking out the comforts of home and literally spending more time there, the shortcomings of your home décor are brought into sharper focus. The cold starkness of the minimalist look isn’t so inviting or nurturing. And what about the heating bills during the colder months?
If you want to create a warm and welcoming home environment this winter, one of the first places to address is your floor. Is it a place you’re happy to lounge about on, sprawling out to read a magazine and have the children play on? Or is it a hard and noisy surface that doesn’t create the sort of ambience you’d like? Let’s hear it for a return to comfort and cosiness!
Cavalier Bremworth 100% wool carpet is one of the most affordable flooring options you can have – costing a lot less than most people think (just make sure you’re comparing prices in square metres instead of linear metres which carpet can often be quoted in – simply divide the linear metre cost by 3.66, which is the width of a roll of carpet). It can be easily installed in a day, with carpet layers generally happy to move your furniture about for you.
100% wool carpet is also an excellent insulator, helping to reduce your heating bills and it retains the warmth of your home.
One of the most critical comparisons you’ll need to make when choosing a carpet is the cost vs the return (both emotional and tangible) over your lifetime in your house. Quick do-ups for sale in recent years have seen a lot of low-quality, cheap carpet installed. It looks great on the day of the open home but won’t last the distance, quickly becoming shabby and worn.
With the real estate boom over, staying in your home for a much longer time is going to become the norm. It means you’ll need a quality carpet that will look good at least five years from now if you do decide to sell and move on. A Cavalier Bremworth extra heavy duty carpet gives you more wool per square centimetre than a lower grade carpet which means it looks better and lasts much longer.
There’s no doubt there’s been a return to sensuousness and softness in carpets in the past year. Cut piles are enjoying a resurgence and now they’re becoming plusher and more textural. Shagpile has even made a return, although it’s a more sophisticated, lower and denser carpet than its groovy counterpart from the 1960s.
Plush piles are very soft and velvety – and just like velvet, the fibres do exhibit light and dark shading effects on the floor. It’s important to appreciate this before you buy.
Loop pile carpets always look smart and with a variety of textures and colours can enhance any style of décor. They’re very family friendly, especially in the mid-tone and darker colours.
Combination cut and loop pile carpets are another way to create drama and interest on the floor and are a relatively new innovation. This style can be used throughout a whole house or mixed with a plush pile to create special zones of interest.
Cavalier Bremworth has the biggest range in the market so you can easily find a quality 100% wool carpet to suit your décor and lifestyle at a surprisingly affordable price.
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