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How to Choose the Right Carpet Colour for your Bedroom: Before & After

By 02/01/2013March 24th, 202233 Comments

There’s something cozy about adding carpet to your bedroom. Here’s how to choose the right carpet colour. 

When you don’t have carpet in the master bedroom, the floor is freezing in the middle of the night! After we moved it, we couldn’t wait to add carpeting to our bedroom.

So finally, I narrowed down my carpet choices to these three neutral colours.

How to choose the right carpet colour for your bedroom.

First and foremost… never, ever choose carpet from the tiny little sample you get on the boards. Always ask for a bigger sample from your carpet supplier. It usually takes about a week to get them in.

I thought the carpet on the left was too light. The middle carpet was too yellow, I chose the wool loop carpet on the right. It coordinated the best with my linen bed since it also a pink undertone.

My general advice for carpeting throughout your bedroom floor is to choose something in the realm of green beige or green grey (if you don’t want white or cream which is most everyone) because unless you are choosing an area rug, like I’m doing here, you’re never going to have a perfect match in every bedroom.

Read more: 4 Steps to Choosing the Perfect Wall-to-Wall Carpet Colour

If my flooring had been any darker, I would have laid them on top of white paper to decide which colour was right. It’s very important that you move the carpet all around and underneath the upholstery in the space it’s going.

Master Bedroom Before

Here is a look at the bedroom before we moved in. The laminate in here was different than the engineered hardwood in the hallway. Yet, a third colour of laminate had been installed in the family room.

If you have wood flooring, it should all be the same on the same floor or level. Sometimes if a homeowner has real hardwood on the main floor of their house, they might install laminate in the basement. That’s fine. But DO NOT choose different colours of wood flooring on the same floor.

Here’s what the room looked like before the carpet was installed. I had the french chandelier installed a while ago.

By the way, after I installed the round mirror above the bed I decided two mirrors this close to each other was not good. Once I get artwork installed on each side I’ll decide if it has to go.

Another view. Remember this dresser from my master in the townhouse? I painted it turquoise back then. Now with the walls painted turquoise I don’t like the painted dresser in the same colour at all. I’ve been looking for a new one in a walnut finish.

Master Bedroom Design | Decorating with Blue | Duvet Cover Ideas | Upholstered Headboard | Wall Art Design

Wall Colour is Cloverdale CA184 or Behr 700E-3

Here it is with the new carpet installed.

But that’s the world of neutrals. They change in front of your eyes when compared to other neutrals. If this bed was white or cream, the carpet in comparison would appear more pink than it does now because it matches perfect, therefore it simply looks ‘neutral’.  If you go back and look at the samples we originally chose from, you can see the pink more clearly.

This is the reason many people think that the LIGHTING changed the colour when the truth is, you simply choose the wrong neutral in the first place.

Related posts:

How to Choose the Right Colour Wood Flooring

Maria’s Master Bedroom: Before & After

Decorating the Master Bedroom

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Download my eBook, How to Choose Paint Colours – It’s All in the Undertones to get my complete step-by-step system on how to get colour to do what you want.

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If you would like to learn how to choose colour with confidence, become a True Colour Expert.

How to choose the right carpet colour in your Bedroom

33 Comments

  • Nice carpet and nice trick with the round mirror over the bed. How did you get it to change like that 😉 Your bedroom is looking lovely. Have you thought about painting your dresser orange or cream or ???

  • teresa says:

    I know you generally don’t like wood, but I think an antique wooden dresser would contrast nicely with the other furnishings and add a bit of warmth that was lost by covering up the wood floors…something elegant as opposed to shabby chic. I don’t mean to imply it doesn’t look great and FEEL warm and luxurious, it just changes the appearance of the room dramatically. I love that you chose wool. I was confused by the wording on the choices, however. Is the one you chose on the right or left?

    • Maria Killam says:

      Hi Teresa, I definitely don’t think every room should just be full of painted furniture, I originally painted that piece because it was old and bad in the original wood colour. I’m looking for something with a walnut, antique look to repeat the two tables I have in the sitting room that is not pictured here.
      Yes I chose the carpet on the far right.
      Maria

      • susan says:

        Love your room and the new carpet, Maria. Must feel good on your bare feet 🙂 How much wood floor is exposed around the edges of the carpet? Is there a rule of thumb for how large the carpet should be and how much exposure of wood floor?
        Happy Weekend!
        Susan
        p.s. Go Niners!

  • Robin says:

    The carpet looks nice. Much warmer for your region. FYI, feng shui would insist that the mirror over the bed be removed. Nothing heavy should hang over the headboard. ..

  • Betsy Wahl says:

    What is your wall color?

  • Patti says:

    Looks like you made a great choice….I own and operate a flooring store and we often suggest to people that they leave a larger area of hardwood …to show off the hardwood floors…often just 6 -12 inches beyond the width of the nightside tables is enough. Good idea with the double-sided tape however with a serged edge it usually is not necessary as the added weight of the serging allows the carpet to lie flat.

  • Bonnie says:

    I love your bedroom Maria. I didn’t realize what was wrong with my apartment until I started reading your posts. I had yellow/beige walls and grey/beige carpeting. Learning from you about undertones from your blog, it really started to bother me. I painted the walls a Benjamin Moore’s Fog Mist and now they match. Thanks so much!

  • Margo Parmenter says:

    Hi Maria,
    Your bedroom looked great with the wooden floors, and it looks terrific with the carpet. The room looks inviting and cozy. (The first e-mail I look for in the morning is one from you. I have missed your daily posts this week!) Your advice has helped me tremendously in my home decorating and saved me from choosing the wrong paint color for the walls of numerous rooms.)

  • Janet says:

    The room is beautiful! I’m wondering if you have considered painting the ceiling either the same color as the walls or carpet or a color from the bedding? I’m thinking that might warm up the room enough for you so you could keep the gorgeous dresser as is!

  • Fran says:

    Your bedroom is looking great, Maria! Love the calm colors. Coincidentally, I’m selecting carpet for the entire upstairs. There are so many choices, it’s mind boggling. Fortunately, my education in undertones from your course is helping tremendously!

  • Amanda says:

    With a choice between hardwood and carpet in bedrooms what would you pick? Building a new house and can’t decide. Interested in opinions from any of followers of this blog, as I can only assume you are very stylish.

    • Maria Killam says:

      Hardwood always. Just try to find a truly beautiful photo of a bedroom with broadloom. VERY DIFFICULT. Maria

    • Nicole says:

      Hi Amanda.
      Depends on which bedrooms you are talking about and what your budget can handle. Of course hardwood is beautiful–no doubt about that! But bare feet are happier when they touch something soft and warm–especially first thing in the morning! For the master, if you can afford hardwood and a large, good quality rug (like Maria’s bedroom!)… go for it! It’s a winning combination.
      If you are also deciding on kids rooms, I would go for a good durable, but soft carpet–reduces noise, is cozy, and is affordable. Kids love playing on the floor so something squishy and soft is great for them.
      There are some great carpet choices out there! We decided on wall to wall in a basement bedroom that is a blend of closed and open loop which creates a striping texture. It looks modern, is soft and the closed loop portion makes it wear like iron! Whatever you do, stay away from plush carpet (100% open loop)–it shows every footprint and will drive you crazy! Try to find something either in 100% closed loop or a mixture of closed and open for a little more softness.
      Good luck building your new home!

  • SandyCGC says:

    I’d vote to remove the mirror from over the bed. It’s a small darkness that stands out and distracts me from the lovely chandelier and the heavenly lightness of the room. A “dark” walnut dresser should be a different thing, large enough to ground the room but, because of its placement, not distract from the overall airiness; however, I do like the dresser as is.

  • Jennifer Smith says:

    Maria, the transformation is lovely. I like the mirror over the bed. I live in an older home that has strip flooring in the first floor except for the den which was an addition by the previous owners. They put down vinyl tile. I really wanted hardwood floor, but there is no way it will be the same color as my existing floor. In this case, what would ypo recommend?

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  • mm brown says:

    You might want to think about removing the mirror over the bed since you live in an earthquake prone area. Love the wool carpet!

  • marlis says:

    I swear by Reveal lightbulbs because they seem to keep the color more true. I bet in natural light, the carpet is just what you wanted. I love the carpet. It’s really a classicly pretty piece.. xo marlis

  • Wendy says:

    I’m right with ya on the walnut dresser idea. Your bedroom is feeling more adult, and with all painted pieces, it goes “young”. At least, to ME.

    The orange pops help to blend out the variety of neutrals in there…nicely done. The pink tones look purposeful with the orange. Good trick!

  • mairi says:

    Well done Maria…ethereal and the chandelier is tres magnifique! I notice that you no longer have a bench at the foot of the bed. Is this a space consideration? I’ve often wondered about benches located there and what space is needed to get around. I’ve heard that with kitchen islands a minimum of 36 inches is required….

  • Sharon says:

    Maria, Your bedroom is wonderful – warm and inviting, comfy and romantic! I happen to love that you put that nice sized rug over the wood floors (but not completely cover them) as it totally warms up the space – and, being from the same area, definitely the feet on these cold damp nights! I would agree with those about the black mirror – somehow the black and the size do not compliment the bed, bedding and area in my opinion. I would have loved to seen the mirror you had over the bed in the apartment up there – seems to connect with the night tables. Just a thought, I’m not a decorator, but know what I like. Your Mr. must love the rug on his feet as well! 🙂

  • Miriam says:

    Yes, love the way your room looks so cozy. So let me make sure I understood correctly. You stated all the wood floors on one level should be the same? I have a Brazilian (kinda) cherry wood in all 4 bedrooms and cream marble everywhere else in my Miami home. I was hoping to redo the living areas with wood floors but now I am in love with the dark wood floors. You mean I can’t do that??? By the way, I am grateful for this site and read it almost daily. Thank you.

    • Maria Killam says:

      Yes that would be a bad idea. With any renovation, you want to avoid the look of “New trendy floors over here’, old floors over there. They should all look like they were installed at the same time. Maria

  • Lisa says:

    I am planning a master bedroom/bathroom remodel… love the look of gray and white but I have stained woodwork and doors through-out the rest of the house … find very few pics online with stained wood trim … don’t think I would like the gray as well with the stained trim .. is it too weird to have white woodwork in just bedroom.bath part of house .. thanks

    • Maria Killam says:

      You can do gray but you need to make sure you choose the right one. Blue greys would probably not be as good as green beige/greys. Maria

  • Joni Webb says:

    I love your bedroom! it’s so pretty!!!

  • I think your bedroom looks very serene and comforting. But, I agree with the Feng Shui comments about not having anything heavy hanging over your bed. I don’t put anything above my bed anymore.

  • Abi says:

    Such a pretty bedroom! With or without carpeting 🙂

    Thanks and keep your feet warm – hopefully the carpet helps.

    Cheers!

  • KJ says:

    Love the new carpet. Probably essential in your climate. If you choose to keep the larger mirror in it’s current place, I would keep it cropped out of future pics because it conjures up certain types of images where it currently resides!!! Useful for certain activities but not to be published, wink!

  • Laura says:

    Maria, have you heard of acid staining concrete floors? (Like this: http://www.decorativeconcreteresurfacing.com/gallery/interior-floors ) I am thinking of doing this in my basement but what is more timeless brown or orange/red based? I am afraid brown will look like a dirt floor and that orange will look bohemian.

  • Sarah says:

    This is a really great blog post! We put new carpet in our home a few years ago, and I wish I would have done more research before purchasing it. It’s a dark brown high pile carpet that is so cozy, but it collects dog hair like a magnet! I have to get it cleaned twice a year by a professional carpet cleaner cleaner just to keep it free from pet hair and stains. The next time I get new carpets, I will definitely go with a lighter colored carpet so it won’t show my pet’s hair as much. I absolutely love the neutral carpet you put in your bedroom and would like a similar color to that!

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