The pink carpet has to go.

Hi Christine,

I hate the colors in this room (but husband loves it). The top is light taupe and the bottom is dark hunter green. His favorite is the pink carpet. This is the first room our guests see and it is embarrassing. It feels very dated. We're on the verge of compromise, which is I can change the wall colors but we get NEW pink carpet. Oh, he also loves the cherry wood chair rails and prefers the 2 different colors. What colors would you go with on the walls?  I would love to have 1 subtle color, but how would that look with cherry wood chair rails? What would you do here? Thanks for your help!
Tatia

Tatia,

I don't believe it.  I really don't believe that your husband LIKES that carpet.  I think perhaps, intead, he has issues with change.  Did his parents move too frequently when he was a child?  Was his dad in the military?

Here are some books with some ideas on how to better deal with change.  Now- I haven't read the books, but my gut says that they would tell you to update your carpet. ;-)

1. Your carpet color is horrible.  It needs to be neutral.  Go beige. (or better yet- go hardwood)
2. Your two tone look is not good.  You have a very contemporary vaulted ceiling.  I would lose the chair rail altogether.
3. The cherry makes it all look old and dated.  I'd go with a crisp white.  You have the lower window framed in, but not the upper window.  Curved windows can be framed- the upper windows should be framed also.  It looks awkward to not have it finished the same.  It's like having a two layer cake and only frosting the bottom layer.  It is unfinished.

You were right when you suggested one subtle color.  You were right when you said the pink carpet is dated.  (not only dated, but it was a bad choice even 30 years ago...)  What he is suggesting is a bad financial move- it is decreasing the value of your home.  Try that angle.  

For the record- I love decorating with pink.  It just doesn't belong in wall to wall carpet.  Want to stick with pink and green- great- just jump into this century:

(photo from Beach House Style)

BTW- Tatia, if you didn't read my post on negative space- you should... 

XOXO

Christine

Candace's Carpet

Hello!

First of all - LOVE your advice! You have fantastic taste and a wonderful frank way about you. I love it!

Secondly – my husband and I are buying an 80+ year old home in Webster Grove, MO, moving from Chicago (city). The home is beautiful, but needs to be updated in some places, specifically the flooring on the stairs and bedrooms. I’m attaching pictures of what it looks like now. The runner also covers the landing hallway, and the three bedrooms’ carpeting all touches the pattern, which looks hectic to me. Here’s what the flooring company we’re working with is recommending:

· Hardwood in the master (removing the carpet). Putting down Somerset 5” Hickory floors in nutmeg.
· Runner / Landing carpet: Shaw’s Bella Flora in Venezia or Roma.
· Other two bedrooms off same landing: Masland’s Sheffield in Woodrose or Palamino.

Total cost for all, including labor/materials/cost, just over $8,000.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much,

Candace

Candace, it sounds lovely. The Internet did not help me find a photo of the bedroom carpet- so I am not sure how it fits in. But from what I can see- it is really nice flooring. A couple of things:

1. Just make sure your tones are consistent. The photos I was able to pull up on the Internet- (which are quite likely not the right colors-) I would say are not similar enough in tones- the wood is a bit too golden for the carpet. If the samples look nice next to one another on the floor- they are probably a good blend.
2. I like the idea of the wood extending through the little hall area. Halls are always the first place for carpet to wear- plus- I just like the look of hardwood with runners in halls.

Enjoy your new home! Your wainscot looks nice in the hall. It sounds like a big move- I hope it goes great for you!

- Christine

Carpet 911

OK- these questions get priority treatment. I worry about stranger's carpet- strange- I know.

Last week I couldn't sleep thinking that a friend of mine was installing polypropylene carpet in her husband's chiropractor's office. Nylon or nothing- that's my motto.

So- when Yvonne wrote with a potentially permanent stain on her carpet- I made this lovely stranger my top priority.

Yvonne wrote:

Hello Christine,

I now live in San Diego. However, I was born and raised in Sacramento. So I am very familiar with Roseville, Newscastle, Grass Valley, Nevada City(one of my favorite places), etc.

My Min Pin had a bad case of diarrhea while I was at work. Poor thing. Anyway, I've had her for 12 years. She has always been trained and excellent about going on the paper, which I have laid down on the kitchen tile floor But now, she goes poop and pee in the area where she had the bad case of diarrhea. Help! What is the best way to not only get rid of the stains but to neutralize the smell from the carpet. I'm thinking about ripping out that urine stained section. Can you help??
Yvonne

Yvonne,

Good question! And you asked the right person. Pet stains are the HARDEST stains to deal with- and a dog getting an unwanted favorite spot- is not uncommon. If this has been going on for a while- it is very likely in your padding- and you should consider having your carpet pulled up- replacing the padding- bleaching the concrete- and re-stretching your carpet.- First- let's work on getting that carpet taken care of:

Follow these steps from 3M:

Step 1:

For large stains, work from the outside of stain to the center to prevent spreading.
Blot up liquid spills with a white towel or paper towel.
Mix a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of clear hand dishwashing detergent with 1 cup of water. Stir gently.
Apply detergent solution directly to a white cloth. Dampen the carpet fibers in the stained area with the cloth. Avoid saturating the carpet.
Wipe gently. Turn cloth frequently. Never rub, scrub or use a brush. This may damage carpet fibers.
If necessary, use your fingertips to work the solution to the base of the stain.
Wet the stained carpet fibers with clear, lukewarm water to rinse.
Cover the spot with an absorbent white towel or paper towel and apply pressure to blot.
Repeat the rinsing and blotting procedures until you are sure all traces of the detergent have been removed.
If the stain is gone, place an absorbent white towel or paper towel over the area cleaned, and weigh towels down with a heavy, color-fast object, such as a weighted plastic wastebasket.
Change towels or paper towels until carpet dries.
If stain remains, proceed to Step 2.
Step 2
Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water.
Apply vinegar solution, rinse and blot as outlined in Step 1.

3M is a great source for instructions- as they own Scotchgaurd and have to honor warranties to people who cannot get stains out of their carpet- so they are motivated to get it right.

The vinegar helps to neutralize the area to prevent a recurrence.

You treat vomit, urine and feces all the same in carpet cleaning.

When my nephew threw up on my mother's off white new carpet at Thanksgiving a few years ago- I acted fast and actually cleaned the entire area with no soap at all. (For which I deserve a medal I think...) I removed the debris- got a roll of white paper towels- added sparkling water to the spot. The carbonation helps to lift the stain- dried it and repeated. I then repeated the act over and over and over. I used an entire roll of paper towels. Never put a dirty towel on your carpet in an effort to clean it. Get a fresh one. Don't worry about wasting towels. Carpet is expensive- paper towels are not. I put the sparkling water on- set some clean towels on it- and stepped on it. I didn't rub- or use a brush. You want to keep the twist in the carpet- so just apply pressure- not agitation. When the towels came up completely clean- I continued using towels until they came up dry. You don't want to leave water in the carpet- it is hard on the fibers. Avoiding the use of soap is best as it is very hard to rinse carpet- and tends to leave a residue that will later attract dirt more easily. Sometimes soap is needed to remove a stain- a mild Ivory soap and water solution is good- as stated above. Don't worry that you might have just spent an hour of your life cleaning your carpet. An hour is nothing compared to a permanent stain. Don't get lazy and quit too soon. (A COMMON MISTAKE) Be late for work. Make your children late for school. Miss church- whatever it takes- this is your CARPET!

If I had a pet- I would keep Scotchgard™ OXY Clean & Protect Pet Spot & Stain Remover on hand- but use it sparingly- and follow with water and drying the area to remove as much cleaner as possible.

Whenever I use a liquid cleaner- I always follow with Capture Carpet and Rug Dry Cleaner. This helps to pull the cleaner out of the carpet- as well as dirt.

My favorite carpet cleaner for unknown stains is Nylac carpet cleaner.

The Carpet Rant

Christine,

Alright......you owe me this after that trashing I took:-) (I agree with all your ideas....I KNOW how awful it looked.....)

We are in the midst of choosing new carpeting for ALL bedrooms and that awful living room you bashed:-) The carpet in there now is almost brand new.....YUCK!!! We hate how light it is and it shows everything!! We now have TWO golden retrievers to trash the place!!! My husband is in love with a chocolate flecked frieze. With me TRYING to make the house beachy, I am worried about that. I HATE HATE HATE wood floors so that option is out. What do you think??? (dare I ask??) :-D

deb

Hi Deb,

Let me just start by saying that none of my friends with flecked carpet are allowed to read this post. Just turn away. Go check out my sister's blog- or try my other sister's blog.

Carpet, like so many things, goes through fazes of being "in style." Take skinny jeans, for example, there are the trend setters that were wearing them before anyone else. Their parents were embarrassed, their friends were jealous- they were the hot thing.

Time passed, and then their parents had a pair for themselves. A little more time will pass, and the "style stragglers" will decide to get their first pair. At this point the trend setters will no longer be seen in them- and the "style stragglers" will wear them for way too long. Most likely oblivious to the fact that they are no longer "in style."

Carpet is no different. Are you old enough to know about the sculpted carpet of the 70's- the plush of the 80's? The fleck is the 90's hot thing. I would not say that it is "out of style." However- I will say that it is not the "hot thing"- and its shelf life of "in styleness" is not as long as your carpet will last.

But your husband says, "The fleck will make it not show dirt!" So does the sculpted multi- colored carpet of the 70's.

Carpet that is the least forgiving is a velvet plush. Adding texture adds to the forgiving nature. This can be done in patterns, cut and loops, multi-level loops- many ways that are far more "in-style" than a flecked cut berber carpet. So why do it? I wouldn't. With that said, I would say that the one characteristic that will withstand the abuse of dirty dog paws more than any other is simply is good high quality carpet- and proper care. High quality carpets come clean when they are professionally cleaned. Everyone has seen flecked carpet with stains on it. No- it doesn't magically disguise them.

Vacuum frequently. Use a powder dirt remover like "capture carpet cleaner." Don't' use spot cleaners with a high soap content that will leave a residue that will get dirty. Use just water or soda water to remove "mishaps" on your carpet whenever possible. Spot cleaners are a last resort- not your first resort. Don't use your own steamer- or any rental or company that is not truck mounted. You need power to suck that water out of your carpet. Those cleaners will sometimes void your warranties as well. Don't use dry carpet cleaner- steam is important in bringing the memory back to the twist of your carpet. In the same way that curly hair gets curly again when it gets wet. I know I am ranting- I feel passionately about carpet- weird- I know.

PS. Remember the shedding- don't go too dark on your carpet color... and also know the studies show that the least forgiving colors for showing dirt are light blue and light gray.

PPS. How can you HATE hardwood floors???? ;)

PPPS.- For a beachy feel- I would use a carpet like the Masland piece in the pictues above. You could still put a rug over it...

Maryanne's Family Room

Hi Christine,
I sent you an email with pics a week or so ago and wanted to follow up with some more questions. See my response here. I was on the internet and found a couple of items for my family room that I liked. I wanted to run them by you and get your advice.

The first is a fireplace mantel beam that I liked. It would look better than the existing and bring out some of the dark colors of my kitchen cabinets.
http://www.fauxwoodbeams.com/beams_timber.php

I hate to tell you my opinion about this without seeing it in person- but let me tell you my reservations. I like using faux wood on the floor (amtico is one of my favorite products)- and on the ceiling, but right at eye level -- I am very leery of it. It is such a close view- It would have to look pretty darn real... I guess what I am saying is that I would sooner go with real wood at eye level. I like the idea of going darker on the mantle though- good move.

The second is a piece (actually two options) shown below that I saw on the Crate and Barrel web site that I thought might look good on the large wall on the left side of the family room. I think it might help balance the room some.

I cannot tell from the picture if they will encumber your walkway at all- but I really like the idea of breaking up that long wall with a piece of furniture- I prefer the Faulkner over the Rojo cabinet.

Also, I will be choosing carpet very soon. Found a great frieze. Would your recommend a tan that blends well with the kitchen tile or a darker color that provides contrast?

I would want contrast with the furniture. In other words- don't go beige sofa, beige carpet. It needs to look good with the hard floor- but does not need to blend or contrast with it. I still prefer my idea of continuing your stone and adding an area rug :)

I’m wondering how many emails you get on your blog….. more than I am able to keep up with- but I try :)

Thanks!
Maryann