One of the nice things about moving house is putting your own personality on it, for most – this is a gradual process that starts with the bringing in of your belongings, and then over time, decorating, changing the soft furnishing etc.

Carpets can be a major investment, and with so many options out there, how do you get the best carpet for your home and family? With the improvements in how carpet it made over the recent years it is actually quite difficult to get “bad” carpet these days, so even the cheaper carpets will cope well with wear and tear so long as they are placed with some forethought.

Obviously, some carpets will fare better then others in certain situations, the length and density of the pile, weight and type of the fibre will all play a part in how suitable the carpet will be for the location you want it for.

Shorter, tougher pile carpets are better for heavy use areas such as hallways, stairs or living areas, and it can pay to spend slightly more for a higher quality carpet for these areas as well, but for rooms that only see occasional use, such as guest bedrooms, dining rooms that are only used when you have “company” you can get away with slightly lower quality carpet as there will be less feet walking on them.

Once you have decided on the type of carpet, then the “fun” can start – do you want plain, or patterned? Which colour suits your decoration best? This is not something that should be rushed and you should consider the other furnishings of the room.

For example – patterned carpets are best paired with plain walls/furniture – with perhaps similar patterned curtains/cushions as if you put it in a room with patterned wallpaper it can make the room look too “busy” and reduce the visual size of the room. If you have chosen a plain wallpaper or solid paint effect then you can add interest to the room with a patterned carpet.

There is another advantage to a patterned carpet, “solid” colour carpets tend to show dirt and stains more then patterned carpets do, no matter what colour you choose, light carpets are obviously worst as they will attract any dirt trodden in from the outside, but dark carpets will often surprise you with the amount of dirt that they can show – particuarlly if you family includes any light coloured pets.

If you are buying a new build home, then it may be worth you looking to see if your chosen home builder has any offers or incentives on as these can include many things from free kitchen appliances to free carpets if you “book” your new home in a set time period, they may require a deposit as well.