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Flooring Design Dilemma living room

Sunken family room -HELP with flooring!!!

last year

last modified: last year

We are renovating our new house and it has a sunken living/family room that is 1 step lower then all the other rooms on the first floor. There are 3 other entrances into this space -from the kitchen, the foyer and a smaller den. We want this room to feel cozy and we originally planned to install a nice textured carpet, especially since we thought a floor change would visually look better bc of the step down/different level. BUT we are second guessing it now and are considering doing LVP. (The rest of the 1st floor will have LVP and we figured it’s just the “nicer” choice and flows better) Im so torn! Is carpet completely out of style or will carpet be a better choice, especially considering the step down, bc it will sort of “soften” the transition and create a cozier space?
If we do LVP we would definitely have an area rug, but I fear it will get complicated trying to work with the perimeters that the step down creates plus the furniture.. if that makes sense. We need to make a decision soon. Help!!

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Comments (4)

kandrewspa
last year
I would say that in general carpet is an unpopular floor surface for the first floor. I like it in bedrooms, and it is used more frequently upstairs (if you have a two story house) and in bedrooms. The drawback to it is that it shows traffic patterns more readily than either wood or LVP. That being said, some people definitely like it in their family rooms, so if that is really what you prefer, it's your money and your house, you should please yourself.

If you're concerned about getting an area rug in a standard size and having it work in your space, keep in mind that carpet retailers can cut remnants to a custom size and bind the edges to make an area rug, and in fact can do that with any of their stock or special order carpet. I did that in my living room and I have a 9 X 12. So I could have gotten a standard size but a custom order pattern was closer to what I wanted. And it didn't cost any more than a standard rug. More than the cheap polyester ones, but not as much as an expensive wool one (it's nylon). It is not bedroom plush. There is a lot of variety available if you have a large retailer near you.
Valerie K
Original Author
last year
Thank you for the input! Yes I love the idea of the custom carpet made into a rug. I’m still entertaining the option of carpeting the whole room and probably won’t know what the “right” choice is til the furniture is all in…. but I appreciate the advice!
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You need to get the rest of that vinyl off the concrete. You need to get the concrete prepped = grinding+filling+grinding. Then you need to do the same for the plywood. Those knots in the plywood will probably transfer through if you are working with thin vinyl (less than 5mm thick). Then you need to sand the edges of the plywood to bring it level with the concrete and then fill the gap. In short, you have some work ahead of you. Just for fun, did you use a vapour barrier underneath the wood? Wood structure should never touch concrete structure.
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ptreckel
last year
So, you are replacing your beautiful wood floor with LVP? Why? And, yes, I like your carpet. I like a warm family room. Yes, it will show wear. So what? I like the fact that it shows the transition in levels. I know you are seeking affirmation for your decision. You will receive it from many people here. Will your choices work? Yes. I would keep what you have. It looks great!
Valerie K
Original Author
last year
No none of this is staying. We are completely renovating it and all the flooring you see in these photos is being replaced. My question is- should we install carpet or LVP in family room area/in the step down space?

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