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Flooring Design Dilemma living room

Should I put carpet in living room?

3 years ago

We have a mostly open main floor. There is light maple narrow hardwood in the hall through to the kitchen. We’ve remodeled 4 bathrooms and a laundry room and used tile on the floor in 3, LVT in 2. Everywhere else including a second living area I’mon the main floor, stairs and the dining room (even the master bathroom!). is a cream carpet, probably installed in the late 90s.

We are in the throes of doing the living room. It is a double height, flat ceiling box. It is also sunken - one step down from the hardwood along two sides. I’m struggling with what to do with the floor. Would a contemporary patterned carpet be okay? We can’t find an exact match for the hardwood, and I don’t know if a contrasting hardwood or LVP would look odd.

Also, we have a very large, fluffy dog (Great Pyrenees). Can cope with the fur but when he barks it’s LOUD and echoes, which is a reason I’m leaning towards a new carpet.

Would really welcome any thoughts! Thanks!

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Comments (5)

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Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
I also have a pyrenees and all hard floors with an area rug in the LR IMO the rug hangs onto all the fur and is the one thing that needs attention all the time. I would do the same hardwood you have already just get unfinished and have it matched on site . Then a nice area rug to keep that bark as toned down as much as possible. BTW our dog barks at sundown and when he gets up and apparently this is their nature to call the herds home and to tell them he is on guard. We have 2 golden crosses and the Pyr and he is by far the most affectionate ,kind, sweet dog ever so worth the hair hassle.
Brown Dog
3 years ago
It sounds like you have 4 different floorings in you
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Brown Dog
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Sorry, my pinky posted comment before I finished. It sounds like you have 4 different floorings in your home & you’re thinking of adding a 5th? That’s a lot of different floorings. You should reconsider and try to match one of your existing floorings. Your space is sunken so you don’t have to worry about an exact match. Flooring should unify the design of your house and not look like a flooring sale. The way you described your room, I would try to match the hardwood. Then you can put down an area rug for your big fluffy dog.
partim
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
As far as "the hair of the dog" (couldn't resist) I don't see a difference between a rug and a wall to wall. The wall to wall will be less expensive and that's what I'd do.

I wouldn't "count" the bathroom and laundry room in the variety of floorings.
Jennifer Hogan
3 years ago
I am removing carpet from my home and replacing with LVT. I will agree with you that the noise level is triple without the carpet. Both of my sisters chose to use carpet in their living rooms. We all have very nice homes and I don't think either answer is wrong.

I thought long and hard to make my decision. I like carpet in a living room, but it wasn't the best answer for my home. I had to consider that the traffic patterns of my home. The only way to the kitchen and dining area is through the living room and the sliding glass doors to my back patio are off my living room. The dining space is open to both the living room and kitchen. I would have had to carpet the dining room and transition the flooring at the peninsula in the kitchen. I chose LVT because it is more durable and I didn't want carpet in the dining area.

Based on your description, none of the reasons I had for going with LVT would have any impact. In your case I would have probably chosen carpet.

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