It doesn't look anything like 70's shag, trust me, so you are fine in that respect.

I do think it is darker than I might choose - I would perhaps be inclined to go with something more like the one of the deeper colors in the stone sample, something a bit more taupe than chocolate and a bit lighter. Seems like a little more taupe color would be a better fit with your stone and tile and paint choices.

I guess the other thing to consider is furniture. What will the wood tones be like in that, and what upholstery are you going to have?

it definitely doesn't look like shag to me... and it definitely doesn't look too dark to me either.

when we finished our basement a few years(almost 8) ago, i chose a carpet the was plush-almost shag-like(can't remember what that loop is called...) that was basically a medium sagey green, but with flecks of different color browns in it...very good for a basement which has had lots of teenaged boys in it over the years! i think solid colors are more apt to show "stuff" than a varied color, but darker is better than light, imo...

Doesn't look like 70's shag at all. (I know this because it's what we ripped out of this place ;)

I'm generally not a fan of darker carpets, but I actually find your color choices quite cozy & soothing. I don't think it will feel like a dark cave either. My parents finished their basement back when we were teens, nothing fancy because with the pool table and ping pong table that went on top of it, my brother and his friends practically lived down there when they weren't in school. The floor was almost the same shade as your carpet only a vinyl, about 2k sq ft. (but broken into 3 rooms by the new walls they put in). Didn't feel like a cave, not overpowering or gloomy. Actually the brown floor was more like a visual anchor or weight, drawing the eye upward to the lighter walls, if that makes sense.

We just finished our basement and put in a similar color carpet. We have lower ceilings than you, and one tiny window. My wall color is darker than yours. It doesn't feel like a cave, but it does have a 'cozy' feeling, which is what I was after. It's on the dark side, but after years of pastel colors and bright white trim, that was what I wanted! Anyway, you can look for my post if you want to see pics of the carpet.

The only thing I would be concerned about is the texture of the carpet. Those little 'grooves' may hold onto the dirt. Maybe it's not as textured as it looks in the pic, but we have had the experience before.

When our kids were younger, we used a berber carpet with some flecks of different colors in it, and even though it was a light beige color, it hid the dirt VERY well. (You can see it in the 'before' pics of our basement.) I'm not as convinced that our new carpet will hide the dirt, but it's less of an issue for us now (arts and crafts now take place in the next room, which has a tile floor!).

My sister just had her basement finished and she and her husband put in a laminate that looks like hardwood. She got a medium tone and then used some area rugs to soften the look. I think it looks great ! She said it was super easy to install themselves.
With a basement you could have water, dampness, kids dirt issues with carpet.

Actually I don't like it. Carpet stores have so many "fun" commercial carpets that are relatively inexpensive and wear like iron. I would choose a fun pattern in the tan/brown/black scheme.

Thank you so much for the responses! I fretted about it overnight, but decided this morning my main goal was for it to withstand the boys, their friends, and the dog, and I think of all the colors I considered, this was the one that would do that. And, it's not the end of the world if it is not the perfect choice. I always second guess myself in decorating, and it usually ends up fine. Trying to keep it in perspective:)

sueb20, you have reassured me so much! Your basement is beautiful - I'll be thrilled if ours ends up looking close to that! I'm envious of your stairs - love the hardwood. I even thought about putting laminate in the basement (that is how much I dislike carpet - carpet never feels "clean" to me). Did you build your media area? If not, where did you get it - I love it. The cords and components are a fact of teenage life, but yours is contained and organized - yay! I had to laugh when I saw all of the "guitars" in the basket..I can't wait to get ours out of the upstairs family room.

Busybee3, I originally intended to get a flecked carpet, as I definitely think it would hide the most. Laying out all the samples, the flecks just weren't speaking to me - go figure. Love the idea of a sage carpet - my favorite decorating color!

braider, thanks for the link - very useful for me to have in the future!

Yes, we had the "media/toy wall" built in. Most of our toys are in those baskets, out of sight! I had a wonderful time purging old, broken, and/or outgrown toys during this process.

I'd go with some kind of laminate in the basement, not wall to wall carpet. You can always put down area rugs, but with a dog and teenagers, I definitely wouldn't do the carpet. I'm speaking from experience.

decochal... can you tell me the mfg. of your carpet and line? thanks. jb