Carpet Styles & Colors to Choose From

Frieze or Textured Carpet

• Frieze style is the finest quality textured carpet. It has a high twist level---very dense---and hides footprints while it provides ample cushioning. Frieze is a cut pile; a more common, less expensive version of frieze is textured carpet. The World Floor Covering Association indicates that the two styles are often confused. Textured carpet also hides marks and dirt but is less dense than frieze and residential customers buy far more textured carpet than frieze. Textured carpet can be an economical, long-lasting choice. The texture of the cut and uncut loops creates a pattern that remains "trackless" even on a well-used floor.

Plush Carpet

• Plush carpet is used with traditional décor and is a formal floor treatment. It has a smooth, luxurious finish that looks and feels like velvet. The individual twists of yarn in the carpet are identical, and plush offers high cushion. But plush shows footprints, dirt and any sign of traffic, so it works well in low-traffic areas such as a master bedroom or a formal dining room. Plush is not for active families with pets.

Looped and Cut Loop Carpet

• Large-looped carpets are sometimes called berber carpets. The loops are uncut at a level or variable height. This is a tight, durable loop that works in high-traffic rooms and stands up to a lot of abuse. It sells mostly for residential use; it is too casual for formal décor.

  Cut and loop is a casual style combination of uncut and cut fibers in varying heights. The pattern is created by the surface texture. This is a choice for an active home where spills may happen so a carpet that hides them is essential.

Carpet Color

• The color of the carpet sets the tone for the entire room, and it isn't as easy to change as paint on the wall. Light colors will make a room seem bigger, and a light color or pattern will show up better against a dark floor. A darker color or pattern is highlighted by a light floor. A dark carpet will absorb some of the light in a room. Fading is least noticeable with a neutral color. Solution-dyed synthetic carpet and vat-dyed natural fibers hold their color longest. A solid color goes with more patterns in the rest of the room but it shows footprints and dirt faster than a patterned carpet.