When chatting all things comfort with the design team, we all agree one of our earliest memories is playing in our childhood bedroom in our younger years sprawled out on a carpeted floor with toys or books. Comfortable, fun and warm, memories of childhood are so potent and become even more so as we age. Designing spaces that facilitate memories is the goal of any designer and a great way to tap into this when renovating or redesigning is choosing items that have a sense of comfort and quality. At the Barefoot Bay Villa, we used a honed burnished concrete downstairs, which is soft underfoot but also a practical choice due to the spaces opening up to the exterior so freely. Upstairs, however, was a chance to do something with more comfort in mind, and we knew it had to be carpet. The bedrooms upstairs especially were always meant to be utilised as restful zones with luxury in mind. With this in mind, we knew we needed to have wool carpeting, nothing feels quite as sumptuous underfoot as a natural fibre. The benefits don’t stop at its soft touch, it has noise reducing qualities, is durable and easy to clean and so much more.

Are you about to renovate or looking to replace the flooring in your home? Our designers tackle a couple of commonly asked questions and comments on carpeting from clients and followers. Read on below…

Why choose carpet?

Due to its naturally soft fibres, carpets provide outstanding acoustic benefits and noise reduction as it absorbs sound, rather than reflecting it as many hard surfaces do such as wood, concrete, and tiles. Hard flooring options also tend to lack the variety of styles, textures, and designs that you can choose from with carpeting. Carpets are available in a vast array of styles and colours, as well as expressive and organic patterns which give us a plethora of options when it comes to designing.

There are a whole host of benefits to incorporating carpeting, but one of the most important ones we always consider is its ability to bring comfort to the home. The soft and spring-like fibers have a cushion effect which is easier on the joints. Consider this if you have children or elderly family members as well, the consequences of falling, slipping and tripping over will be reduced in comparison to smooth flooring material.

Is carpet better for allergies?

This is a highly debated question, with many a passionate answer. Whichever side you’re on, don’t forget that unfortunately dust naturally occurs in any home regardless of the type of flooring choice! However, carpets are far better at trapping the allergens than hard surfaces as the carpet fibre catches particles and dust that settles into it until it is vacuumed away.

According to a study performed by Airmid Healthgroup (https://carpet-rug.org/study-shows-carpet-is-a-viable-choice-for-asthma-and-allergy-sufferers/), an independent biomedical research group, the study showed that “effectively cleaned carpets can trap allergens and other particles, resulting in fewer particles escaping into the air.” These studies were also designed and evaluated by Dr. Bruce Mitchell, Airmid Chairman/CEO who is also a practicing allergy and immunology physician. He said, “These studies challenge the long-held belief that carpet must adversely impact indoor air quality as it pertains to asthma and allergy sufferers…Effectively cleaned carpets have the capacity to trap allergen and microbial particles, making these particles less available to become airborne and thus maintaining indoor air quality. This makes regularly cleaned carpet a choice for families impacted by asthma and allergies.”

Wool carpet in particular also acts as a natural humidifier which helps to create for a healthier indoor household environment. When the air is humid, the wool carpet will absorb the excess moisture in the air. Consequently, when the air is drier, the fibres will release the moisture, thereby helping to keep the home’s moisture levels in balance. For The Barefoot Bay Villa, this was a huge consideration that we took into account. Byron Bay is a humid climate zone in the summertime, so this was a huge bonus to include this type of carpeting upstairs, where a home usually gets the highest in temperature.

Wool vs. synthetic carpet – which one is better?

For design and performance, wool is one of the best choices hands down. When we were looking into carpeting options for The Barefoot Bay Villa, little else compared to its natural comfort and there were a plethora of benefits to it that we just couldn’t look past. We always aim to think about a material’s function – do you want to utilise it for its comfort, easy maintenance, noise-reducing qualities or its insulation properties? If it’s yes to all of those, wool is the better option. Synthetic carpet can also track and mark easily, as well as not purifying indoor air quality as well as wool carpet does.

Wool was not only an excellent option for The Barefoot Bay Villa in the long run due to its long-lasting nature, but it was also a good option for the planet’s future as well. This is a major consideration to think about when choosing flooring, many of us would prefer to go with a sustainable, bio-degradable product that will help the planet’s future. If this is you, wool is the best choice for this as sheep grow a new fleece every year making it a renewable product option.

I want to have carpet in my home, but I’m afraid of stains.

No matter what, every home is prone to the occasional coffee spill or mud tracks across the floor after some rainfall. But it’s always important to keep in mind that it’s all about how the stain is dealt with first that matters most. Another thing to keep in mind is that all types of flooring stain, even wood, and tile, so the cleaning of the stain initially is really what is important. However, if you’d like to avoid stains remaining in your carpet even after clean-up, consider choosing a darker colour carpet. You can also consider how you live inside each room – do you have kids or pets? Do you entertain in your home frequently or do you have certain high-traffic zones? The primary desire to keep your home stain-resistant will be easy when choosing from carpet styles and colours.

One of the primary factors in determining stain resistance is carpet fibre type. Wool carpeting, for instance, repels most kinds of stains and is easy to clean – wool fibre has a protective membrane that acts as a natural stain-resistant – anything to lessen the clean-up of a home is an advantage in our eyes! Of course, stain-prevention is always an important factor to consider when choosing your flooring. That’s why for The Barefoot Bay Villa, we went with wool carpeting from Cavalier Bremworth. They're our go-to for high-quality wool carpets that we know will keep stains at bay.

I want to have carpet in my home, but I’m afraid of stains.

No matter what, every home is prone to the occasional coffee spill or mud tracks across the floor after some rainfall. But it’s always important to keep in mind that it’s all about how the stain is dealt with first that matters most. Another thing to keep in mind is that all types of flooring stain, even wood, and tile, so the cleaning of the stain initially is really what is important. However, if you’d like to avoid stains remaining in your carpet even after clean-up, consider choosing a darker colour carpet. You can also consider how you live inside each room – do you have kids or pets? Do you entertain in your home frequently or do you have certain high-traffic zones? The primary desire to keep your home stain-resistant will be easy when choosing from carpet styles and colours.

One of the primary factors in determining stain resistance is carpet fibre type. Wool carpeting, for instance, repels most kinds of stains and is easy to clean – wool fibre has a protective membrane that acts as a natural stain-resistant – anything to lessen the clean-up of a home is an advantage in our eyes! Of course, stain-prevention is always an important factor to consider when choosing your flooring. That’s why for The Barefoot Bay Villa, we went with wool carpeting from Cavalier Bremworth. They're our go-to for high-quality wool carpets that we know will keep stains at bay.