Pretty carpet or sensible one?

I have cream carpet in my lounge and 5 dogs, it looks immaculate. This time I moved away from the twist that I normally buy and was tempted by a nice thick plain cream saxony that is bleach cleanable. I've never resorted to cleaning with bleach but It's had several dog sick spot removals and it's still pristine. I was so pleased with it that when my Son recently recarpeted his lounge he went for the same type of carpet, slightly darker but half the price and it looks amazing. Cream carpet is very versatile, it goes with anything, brightens the room and can be very hard wearing too.

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I think "a touch of Iran" actually does work best. We have various highly patterned Persian rugs on our wooden floors and we find they are very forgiving.

We have a good quality 80% wool cream berber carpet, and it has quite a lot of "pet" stains that didn't totally come out.It looks a bit grubby and I'm thinking of getting it professionally cleaned.

I can't face/afford to replace it, but if I did, I might try a pale wood effect Amtico and a large cosy rug in a darker more forgiving colour, possibly a small pattern.

In the "old days" cork flooring was popular. It is quite warm and hard wearing, looks good with a rug. Does anyone still use cork on floor?

We have neighbours with 3 children and they have laminate flooring throughout their house ,the noise level is horrendous we cannot go to bed until they do which is very often midnight.We invested in wireless headphones so we can at least listen to to TV in peace.

If you live in a terraced house hardwood floors are a nightmare for the neighbours. Constant banging and knocking especially when children are playing with toys.

I don't really like laminate flooring for a house. It is hard , floors are noisy and just not cosy . I would always go for carpets in living rooms. The dust etc is much more easily picked up by a vacuum cleaner on a carpet than "chasing" it dust around a laminate floor. As for these restaurants that have all these trendy minimal soft furnishings the noise level in them can be above safe levels and very unpleasant to be in . Groups of people talking make a lot of noise and soft furnishings absorb this. Rant over ?

sarahellenwhitney was your carpet marketed as 'stain-proof'. I am seeking something that looks good but won't require spot cleaning every day or two, thinking really of when I can't easily get up and down to do it.

I have beautiful parquet floors downstairs but found them chilly, hence we carpeted over them. A small crime?

If people are looking for the appearance of wood without the draft, try Amtico. We have this (not the wooden 'finish') in our kitchen/diner and love it. Unlike the parquet, it does not need polishing, just a quick mop clean. Amtico do a variety of wood finishes and are quite realistic and although not the cheapest flooring, will last forever. Do we have forever.....?!

Just remembered that we had a dark brown berber carpet in the 1970's and it showed up every speck of dirt, much which was surprisingly light-coloured.

Finally, I was musing about grey and now you GNetters have just put the kibosh on that idea! I think I am doomed to crawling about my pale peach carpet on hands and knees forever.....

NO,don't do it,carpet is terrible stuff,splurge on hardwood and an area rug,you won't regret it EVER

We removed our carpets and painted our boards as they were not good enough to sand and varnish . I loved it but unfortunately the paint wore off despite using the special undercoat and floor paint . We now cannot decide . DH wants carpet but with 4 small DGC and a a very elderly grand-dog who sometimes doesn't quite make to the garden , I'm not so keen .Bare boards are draughty though so I would like to go for vinyl or someone has suggested bamboo . Has anyone had bamboo.?

My last house had light cream carpets. Nightmare. So in the new house we have put wooden floors in with lovely rugs. So easy to keep clean and looks good. Just saying.

I'm sure those of you with silver or pale grey carpets love them and why not, but a few years ago we had neighbours who had an extension and carpeted with very pale grey and had ice blue walls and corresponding soft furnishings. On even warm days I would feel so cold and as I walked in I would pull my sleeves well down and if wearing a cardi would pull it round me.It was the chilliest room I have ever been in.

We have just put down new silvery grey flecked carpets in all our upstairs rooms. Looks bright, airy and fresh. If I want to change colour schemes in future, grey will go with anything. I'm so glad I chose grey, rather than boring beige.
This will definitely be the last time we do this, as I couldn't bear this amount of upheaval ever again. A divorce was on the cards! Even my trendy adult children are impressed with the results.

I have got a pale grey carpet in our hall, stairs and landing. It has been down 18 months and it is a nightmare. I hate having to ask family and friends to take off their shoes at the doorstep (even though they do not seem to mind). I seem constantly to have carpet cleaner and a cloth in my hand and wish I has chose a dark grey carpet

I have had cream coloured textured carpets in my flat - apart from the hall which has laminate down. I've been in the flat for a year now and so far so good. Have had to spot clean once or twice but the carpets are stain resistant and all marks have come out easily. I had some big pieces of carpet left over, so I had them edged with oversewing and have put them down in doorways to save wear - and one particularly large piece is a rug now - saving wear from feet in front of the sofa. I'm steady on my feet, but am aware that for those who aren't these pieces of carpet can be trip hazards.

We got a cream coloured carpet, but then got a cream coloured cat, who is completely camouflaged and always at risk of being stepped on

Oh Crafting, yes I always wanted a cream lounge carpet and finally got one 2 years ago.It looks lovely completely finishes the room makes it look bigger warmer and cosy. But... I've had it cleaned twice in 2 years, as yes it does show every mark I'm a clean tidy person but still can't avoid the odd marks that appear. It is only general dirt that we bring in on slippers or dogs paws but to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way as I love the look of it and everyone comments on my lounge. So I'd say go for it.

My DCs both had cream carpets laid before the DGCs, but now they shampoo them regularly and they are not too bad, even with dogs and cats. I loved the sandy twist pile one I had which was amazing, the blue/grey one was also very good, though a little dark. I once had a dark green carpet which looked lovely at first but I was forever picking up pieces of fluff etc, anything light showed horribly.

Now that I live with tiles and wooden floors I would never go back to carpets when I see how much muck I hoover up everyday! Despite shampooing regularly they must have been filthy! shudder.

We have a cream stair carpet .What was I thinking ...I think the problem with it is actually not suitable for stairs (so why did a well known store sell it to me...)About to get rid of it but cant decide on replacement. We have a wooden floor in hall and whole of downstairs except lounge
Lounge carpet was scotchguarded at factory before being laid .18 years later it doesn't have a mark on it .I spot clean with vax cleaner and marks just lift off .Its called dragonfly so a lightish teal blue with very faint reddish brown fleck.The room faces north so it warms it up without being beige iyswik.It's faded ,but very evenly and you cant tell until you move a piece of furniture (the room has two windows and gets a lot of late afternoon sun) .If they still did it I'd replace it .But it's a bg room so would no doubt cost a fortune

Much prefer a touch of Iran myself lol x

when I moved in here 2 years ago I thought about having carpet replaced as it is plain beige throughout, carpet was only 1 year old, needed to get furniture out of storage, acquired a cat (was my DD's - long story), walk straight in from garden (forget to kick trainers off), so now I'm stuck with carpet as I would have to put furniture in storage to have new carpet down

I do have doormats & a rug which is very flat & can't move as my heavy coffee table is part on it to save trip hazzard.

Need to borrow a carpet cleaner again, find it difficult to get down on my hands & knees

Jalima, such a simple tip....but that is what I am going to do (I am not buying red wine)
I have taken up my hall carpet, now have victorian tiles.Not only do they look good, but so easy to clean.
My sitting room carpet is oatmeal with flecks.With a large Kelim rug in front of the fireplace. (John Lewis) have an extensive collection.

The trouble is - a light carpet shows up dark marks and dark carpets show up light marks. I chose cream carpets throughout four years ago with a degree of trepidation but I haven't regretted it. The one I chose can have anything thrown at it and can even be bleached. Having said that, I never have. There's something about applying bleach to a carpet that feels just wrong!

I too have a good quality VAX carpet cleaner and run over the main areas once every month. It only takes 20 or so minutes and I must say it does do a nice job. Thinking about it though, I don't think that I would have cream carpets if I didn't have the cleaner.

I think dark carpets show up bits more. I have a beige carpet in the Lounge. I did get a piece edged as a runner by the carpet shop and this is placed on the main run. I have had the carpet a few years now. I have a dog. It is fine. My cleaners husband has a carpet cleaning business she wants me to use him but it is a powder cleaner and I am not keen on that.