Recently, I received an Instagram message asking me how to design around carpet. The short answer is, I just do. I’ve never believed in allowing things like textured walls, vinyl windows, or wall-to-wall brown carpet stop me from creating beauty…all of which I have by the way.
Want to know how I do it?
Read on…
This is the exact question I received about carpet:
Hi! Iām new to your blog and absolutely love your style (and budget friendly upgrades!). How do you work around your carpet?? I despise mine and canāt seem to overlook or design around it. Many thanks.
Update:
1 | Design As If You Have Your Dream Flooring
If I were to let my discontentment with our carpet take up residence in my mind, I wouldn’t be here, sharing the beauty I’ve created in our veryĀ imperfect home. And I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it, make it a safe haven for my family, or welcome friends in to break bread.
So, I ignore it and decorate as if I had the most beautiful hardwood floors. I lay down rugs and decorate everything else the way I would if our flooring was different.
And you know what?
It helps.
Oh, I still struggle with the desire for clean, fresh hardwood floors. But there’s no way I’m going to allow that one (glaring) detail keep me from creating beauty in my home.Ā
In Hannah’s room, literally the only thing that needs to change is the carpet…and it is being replaced soon. But until then, I’m going to decorate as if it’s hardwood. This helps with the budget as well, because most people want to get all new dĆ©cor itemsĀ once updated floors are installed. That’s very cost prohibitive though. If you work on updating the design elements you can afford while you’re saving for hardwoods, then the room will be the way you want it when new flooring is installed.Ā
2 | Speak Kindly About Your House
HGTV and home improvement shows have made it normal to call anything we don’t like in a home disgusting or horrible. But in reality, they’re just things that aren’t our taste or are maybe outdated.
I fall into the trap of thinking I need to explain to everyone who comes into our home (and on Insta) that we have plans to lay hardwoods. I don’t want anyone to think I’m okay with what we currently have.
Such a first-world problem, I know.
I’ve had to train myself to talk nicely about our flooring. I say things like “We aren’t in love with our carpet, but we’re grateful it’s a neutral color and fairly new.”Ā Once you start speaking like that, your brain falls in line and startsĀ thinkingĀ differently about something you don’t like.
Look at all that shag carpet in our family room. I could refer to it as hideousĀ and spend a lot of energy hating it OR I can refer to it as aĀ future projectĀ and spend my energy dreaming of what we’ll have one day. Also notice that IĀ didĀ lay a rug on top of this crazy shag carpet. I’m telling you, it works to just ignore the carpet.Ā
*You can see the updated family room in this post.Ā
3 | Create Future Design Boards
This is definitely one of my secret weapons for getting out of my head when it comes to our carpet. Sometimes I find myself staring at a space in our home, and I am paralyzed by what’s in front of me…the carpet.
In order to break out of that paralysis, I create a beautiful design board on Photoshop and forget all about the carpeted floors.
It’s just so refreshing to step away from the design limitations of carpet to the limitless possibilities of creativity. Even if you have to cut pictures out of magazines and paste them on a poster board, it will help you envision and design your space without carpet holding you back.Ā
IĀ justĀ wrote a blog post all about our plans for our formal living room in 2021…and they didn’t include new floors! But it sure was fun creating that design board. I know that when we’re ready to do the floors, they’ll just be catching up to the space that’s already fully decorated.Ā
4 | Know Your Limitations With Carpet
In a more practical sense, youĀ doĀ have to consider the type of furniture you’re putting on carpeted floors. In our shared office, I couldn’t use a rolling desk chair because, well, it wouldn’t roll. So, I purchased a beautiful, unique chair that somewhat distracts from the floor and is still functional for working at the desk.
If you’re trying to re-create perfect images from Pinterest or Instagram, you’ll continue to be discontent with your carpet. But, if you can do the best with what you’ve got, you’ll discover a new kind of gratitude for the beauty you create despite imperfection.
5 | Change your perspective
Each month, we financially support a little girl in Ethiopia named Tsion, who sleeps on a mat on top of a dirt floor every night.
We fully recognize that this is not our reality or even in the realm of our understanding as Americans. However, Jeff and I like to check each other’s perspective when we’re struggling with our desire for new floors.
We pray for Tsion, and we have conversations with our girls about how different her life is on the other side of the world. We do this so that we can all remember what’s important in this life…and it isn’t floors.Ā
Let me ask you a question.
When you look at the photos I share, do you focus on the beautiful furniture, paint colors, and styling?
Or do you stare at the carpet (literally in every photo I’ve shared) and forget all the beauty?
Exactly.Ā
“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12
We must train our minds to see the beauty in our own homes, day after day, when we’re tempted to cave into complaining, in order to have the right perspective. I don’t know about you, but even stronger than my desire for new, clean, light, beautiful hardwood floors is my desire to glorify God, serve my family, and love on my friends with my home.
I’m not going to let carpet deter me from that mission.
Don’t Wait
I’ll let you in on a little secret…right outside the frame of this image is shag carpet. Our cozy reading nook is located in the family room with all the shag carpeting we dislike so strongly (trying to be nice). If I had waited until we had hardwood flooring, or even just better carpet, we would still have an old, unused dry bar where the reading nook is.
Don’t wait.
Create beauty in your home despite carpet. Oh, and set up a savings account for your hardwood floors. Seeing that account grow each month will motivate you to keep making the best of what you’ve got until you can afford what you really want.Ā
I hope this was helpful for those of you who are struggling with wanting to replace your carpet but can’t right now. Know that you are not the only one, but also that you don’t have to let carpet hold you back from creating a home you love.Ā
You Might Also Be Interested In:
All About Our Hardwood Flooring
Just found you today. Can I tell you something? I didn’t even realize you had wall-to-wall carpet till you said it. And I LOVE what you said: ” . . . even stronger than my desire for new, clean, light, beautiful hardwood floors is my desire to glorify God, serve my family, and love on my friends with my home, and Iām not going to let carpet deter me from that mission.” You can substitute whatever your own hangup happens to be where the word, “carpet” is. Beautiful sentiment. Words to live by.
It’s amazing the things we let ourselves get hung up on isn’t it? I have all new hardwoods now and boy are we breathing better, but our house hasn’t been nearly as welcoming because we’ve been under construction for so long. I know it won’t last and I’ll be able to host again the way I did before, but I never let anything like carpet or unfinished spaces deter me from hosting, loving on people, or glorifying my Lord and Savior.
Just discovered your blog. Love your esthetic. Was so heartened by your post on living with neutral carpet. I have real oak hardwood in foyer,kitchen and large breakfast room but beige carpet in all other rooms ( with exception of ceramic tile in bathrooms of course). I have done exactly what you have _ laid beautiful jute, kilim,needlepoint and oriental rugs over carpet in all rooms with carpet. Would I love to someday finish rest of rooms with hardwood? Absolutely! But like you, I find that people notice my rugs, beautiful antiques and collections and the carpet is just a neutral background that practically disappears. More important uses for my discretionary income have come up in the six years I’ve been in this home. Helping our thirty-three year old daughter who was widowed two years ago support a family of three as her sweet husband battled ALS and her company fired her because she could only work part time as his disease progressed. Helping to finance her older sister’s Masters in Library Science while battling MS and most recently helping out as the younger one completed her Master’s degree this past December. ALL of which were so much more important than hardwood floors! Here’s hoping you and I both someday have them. But your home – and mine- are perfectly lovely without them!
Hello Barbara! Thanks so much for sharing this with me, and I’m glad my post was encouraging. I’m all about making the best of what you’ve got and being grateful for a roof over your head. Our new hardwood floors are wonderful, but I was happy before we had them. We are all sneezing a lot less now and that is ultimately why we wanted to get rid of all our carpet. And I understand about needing to use your funds for other, more important things. We’re in that boat now with home improvements we want to make, but pressing needs that must be addressed with our finances. Thank you again and I pray you’ll get your hardwood floors sooner than later!
I just discovered your blog and love your style as well as your perspective and beliefs! Thanks so much for sharing. š
Oh wow, thank you Denise! What a kind compliment. I’m so happy you’re here and thank you for leaving me this message.
Hello,
Your style is beautiful. Can you please share with me where you purchased the round antique gold mirror? Thank you!
Hi there. I actually don’t have an antique gold round mirror…the only round mirror I have is from Wayfair and it’s called the Minerva mirror. They still sell it!
I am new to this wonderful blog; I realize this is an old post, but I also thought I could add some insight. I had stage 4 cancer as a young teacher in my late twenties. I fought for my life for months in the hospital. Ten years later, I am dealing with many health issues from radiation damage. I cannot work, and my husband makes a modest living as a social worker. Thus, we are on a seriously tight budget.
We finally saved enough for our own home after living in areas where shooting were a norm. While we got away from that horror, there is a lot that needs work in out home including really old shag carpet that traps dust, and makes my breathing poor. We are saving for wood floors. Everytime I feel anxious about everything wrong with our home, I remember how lucky I am to be alive. We often focus on things we want, snd we forget that we are all so lucky to be alive.
Wow Julie! What a story with a great ending…but still hard. My husband and I often keep each other accountable for having the right perspective when one of us starts to complain about something in our home. We remind each other to think about people in third world countries, the friend whose husband is literally on his death bed, and the fact that we can’t take any of this with us when we die. It helps us to stay grounded and not place too much emphasis on these temporal things.
Thanks for sharing your insight! Love all the little pointers and tips you outlay. Living in the great white north of Canada, carpets is certainly a must. especially for the bedrooms. Thou they are a magnet for hair and dirt as you mentioned, the additional softness and warmth they bring is well worth the extra clean up and maintenance. I can totally see parts of southern USA and warmer climates shunning carpets. I find that if we stay on top of our weekly deep vacuums and quarterly carpet shampoos with our pros, they stay pristine, soft and wonderful
Oh I still love carpet! Just not the carpet we have…lol. And yes, they do provide so much softness and warmth! We are going to still have carpets in our bedrooms, just replacing with new, clean carpet, and then we’ll stay on top of cleaning and vacuuming to make it last longer.
I can’t wait for more of this series! I’ve struggled with balancing contentment with what I have and motivation to change all the things in my home for 32 years of marriage, all but 7 of them in a rental situation. I’m dealt with lots of carpet over the years, and am currently living in a small apartment which (no surprise!) does NOT have beautiful hardwood floors. It has old, small appliances, limited storage, I can’t paint the walls, and on and on. It does, however, have good natural light, is easy to clean, cheap to heat/cool, and very affordable to rent. One day as I drove home from work I was feeling extra melancholy about all that was lacking in my home compared to others at my age/stage of life. I actually was fighting against shame. I trudged up the stairs to my apt door and was suddenly struck with the realization that in this apartment God had given me something I value very much—–Simplicity.
Hi Rebecca…thank you for taking the time to share your story with me. I completely understand this struggle, and it’s why I started this series. I remember thinking, “I can’t be the only one who deals with these feelings of comparison, frustration, and shame about my home”. Like, I’m grateful for this home, but I still struggle with emotions and thoughts about it. As I have worked through those things, I felt led to share how I’ve dealt with them and what the Lord has taught me. Thank you again for sharing your story and I can’t wait to share the next Home Thoughts post!
Thank you for this encouraging post. I loved reading about Tseyon and how you encourage your family to value eternal things over worldly things. Appreciate you girl!
Wow! Thank you for this comment Caitlin…seriously means the world! My most important job in life is ensuring my girls have a personal relationship with the Lord and have the right perspective on life. Stuff is just that…stuff. Investing in people and the things that will outlive us is so much more important and worthwhile.
I appreciate your insight! I moved into a fully carpeted studio apartment last year and the previous renters had pets. As much as I wish I could live in a large apartment with wood floors and nice furnishings, I realize that it’s important to be grateful that I have a roof over my head and am saving money in this temporary space. Decorating the apartment with my “style” has helped and I’ve got a carpet cleaning every few months, which keeps the floors looking decent in the meantime!
That’s a great perspective Sarah. Practicing gratitude is so important in the fight for contentment…and so is clean carpet š
I love this post! Such great perspective. Thank you for writing it.
You’re very welcome! It truly is just how I talk myself through being patient, saving money, and being content and grateful. I’m happy you liked it.
YES! Thank you for sharing your heart on this. Be grateful for it. Paul says it so lovely. Learning to be content, practicing gratitude.
You’re so welcome…it really is my heart. The earthly, materialistic struggle is real, but I’m so glad we can be content in any situation.
Love love love this! We have carpet in most of our house, and I canāt wait for the day we can rip them out. Until, I try to think of our beige carpet as a great neutral jute that I can layer rugs on! Thank you for this great post!
Yes! That’s the right attitude! I picture my carpet as dark brown hardwood floors. Whatever it takes to stay grateful and have the right perspective, right?
We are in the exact same positionāI truly despise our brown/tan carpet (in our master and upstairs) but itās in decent condition (we moved in a year ago). I have done a lot of upgrades like you have (shiplap, beadboard, etc.), and, while I have loved the end result, I always have this thought in the back of my head that the carpet kind of āruinsā the upgrades. But, youāre right, I rarely notice the carpet in anything you post. So I need to be more accepting of my own carpet. Boy, itās hard, though! I could say the same thing about the ornate, chunky trim work around our main floor windows and front doorāI really want to change it out, but Iām not ready to take on the project of replacing/repainting.
It really IS hard…I agree with you on that. No matter how much perspective we have, it’s just a hard mental game we have to win day in and day out. Here’s to hanging in there with our carpet until we can replace!
Well said! I couldnāt help but notice, your existing carpet looks very much like the huge area rug I considered a āscoreā to cover a room of cold and uneven tile! In our bedrooms we have commercial, patterned carpet covered in paint stains so I threw down a nice jute over top. Since we are in a rental we donāt have the expectation of change, so I really enjoyed your post on having perspective. Thank you.
Hey, I love that you’re making the best of your situation because in the end, it’s all just stuff. Sure, we’d all like to have the most beautiful stuff, but unless we can responsibly afford that stuff, it’s in our best interest to do the best we can with what we’ve got. Seriously, great job on having a good attitude toward your flooring!