Natural Light and Carpet Color Choice

You have found the carpet you love, in theory at least. A soft lavender perhaps, that will go perfectly in your living room with its white furnishings and clean look.

Or it looked like soft lavender when you were looking at it under the bright artificial lights in the Dayton, Ohio carpet showroom. The problem is once it is installed in the aforementioned living room, it actually looks more like Barney the Dinosaur has been skinned to make a carpet. Which is not an attractive look.

The problem is that the natural light a room receives can change the way a carpet color appears a great deal. For that reason it is important to view carpet samples in your own home as well as at the store before you buy, to avoid making a huge mistake like the one detailed here. A good Ohio residential carpeting company – like C & L Flooring – will be happy to provide them for you.

Here are some very basic tips on how natural light can affect your carpeting choices and your overall home décor to keep in mind as you shop.

Rooms Facing North – Northern light is usually very cold and in the winter can be rather harsh. You can soften this effect by choosing warm colors such as subtle red, yellow or orange. Avoid blues and greens as they will only intensify the cold effect.

Rooms Facing South – Southern light is warm and sunny. Blues and greens do work in rooms with a southern exposure and can be used to give the room a year round summer feel.

Rooms Facing East – An eastern light provides sunny mornings but rather muted middays and often dim afternoons. In this kind of room a mixture of a warm colored carpet and cooler toned furniture can balance things out.

Rooms Facing West – Western light brings the sunshine into a room in the afternoon and the evening. Neutral shades are best for the flooring in these kinds of rooms. Using colors that are too warm will cast a weird orangey glare in the intense afternoon light.

The best rule of thumb? When in doubt, ask. Carpeting for any room is a not insubstantial expense and it can – and will – change the whole decor vibe of the space it is installed in. Take the time to view samples, to ask questions and to solicit opinions, both from flooring professionals and everyone who lives in the home. Because few things could be worse than trying to live with a carpet that looks like a dead dinosaur!