Carpets are the key to a cosy atmosphere

The desire to make a home remains strong – and part of this means making it feel snug and cosy. Alongside the standard items of furniture – our sofas, tables, cupboards and shelves – we also like to furnish our homes with decorative elements and accessories. And carpets are part and parcel of a homely atmosphere. We use them to create different zones in our homes and to set consciously personal accents.

There’s hardly any other home accessory that lends a house warmth and comfort like the right carpet. But carpets don’t just play a crucial role in creating an atmosphere of well-being – increasingly they are evolving into a veritable It item that underscores the particular interior style. What’s more, the sound-absorbing effect of carpets gives them very practical benefits, especially on hardwood and tiled floors. Carpets can also absorb noise when hung on a wall, where they can be displayed as artworks.

But carpets can do more: We tend to divide our space up into zones, especially in open-plan living environments, such as lofts. We generally use room dividers such as shelves or sideboards to separate an eating area or a workspace, for instance. But carpets are another way to zone the home and break up large areas. The advantage: carpets preserve the feeling of spacious living better than zoning with furniture.

Whether they are woven or knotted, plush, high-pile or low-pile, unicolour, multicoloured or patterned, carpets make an excellent backdrop to a personal interior style. The tremendous diversity of styles means that they can work just as well with a minimalist design as they do with a highly decorative interior – and they can make for a great counterpoint. A bright and cheerful design, for instance, can loosen up an otherwise austere decor. A floor covering can also reflect the colour accents in the furnishings, creating a coherent look for the interior design. Modern carpets in particular pick up on the latest looks and utilise cutting-edge techniques, incorporating features such as three-dimensional graphic designs, visual depth or structural contrasts.

Carpets can achieve real wonders in the corridor, which serves as the calling card for our homes. This is one place where the carpet should be chosen with care because the corridor is more than just the entrance to the home. Often it links the individual rooms as well. Neutral carpets can visually pave the way between adjacent spaces, producing a connection that the eye picks up on. On the other hand, entrance areas are among the areas of the home with a more minimalist design. This often allows hallway carpets to unfold their effect without any adornment and to convey a first impression of the interior.

One corridor classic is the runner, which is being constantly redefined in its modern form. Especially in long entrance areas, it’s worth choosing runners with a split design or selecting several carpets. This makes the space look less tube-like.

Striking patterns and bold colours in carpets make design statements, and they require a certain amount of courage. But patterns and colours are less obtrusive on the floor than they are on the wall in the form of an extravagant wallpaper, for example. Patterned carpets lend neutral spaces character and personality. And in the bathroom, where white generally dominates, colourful carpets can set accents that lend the space both visual and haptic warmth.

From vibrantly coloured to strong graphic designs and vintage-feel all the way through to exceptionally light and cheerful, this year’s imm cologne presented countless examples that can make any room stand out with a subtle backdrop or a dramatic mise-en-scène – and they are often long-lasting. After all, many of the carpets on display at the Interior Business Event were available in both indoor and outdoor versions, and there were even carpets specially designed for outdoor use.