Carpet tiles were introduced to the market over 60 years ago but their popularity has rapidly grown during the past decade. Modular carpet tiles are becoming the soft surface of choice for offices, retail spaces, hospitality, and even apartment buildings. They are even popping up in residential spaces that want something more unique than the traditional wall-to-wall carpet look.  Here are three reasons why we love using carpet tiles.

Endless unique design possibilities

With many offices moving away from cubicle farm layouts and embracing open spaces, designers are given larger areas to work with. Open spaces give them a chance to be more creative and try elaborate large scale designs like these new hexagon tiles from Shaw Contract.

Bold statements can be made using a combination of different tiles. These bright tiles can be used to add punches of colour to a pattern or many different colours can be put together to create your own pattern.

Using different installation methods can create an entirely different looking carpet for some patterned carpets. Each of the different installation methods below creates a different look for one style of carpet tile.

The versatility of carpet tiles allows customers to have a custom looking carpet without the cost of ordering a custom made product.

Simple to replace damaged areas

When carpet is stained or damaged, modular tiles are easier to replace than broadloom carpet. When doing a repair for broadloom carpet, a whole roll of broadloom carpet needs to be dragged down from storage, cut and seamed in. With carpet tiles repairs are much easier. Simply remove the damaged tile and put a new one back in. Wear patterns can be minimized by replacing and rotating select tiles rather than replacing the entire floor when broadloom carpet wears out.

Easier transportation and storage

12 foot rolls of carpet and a highrise elevator are not an ideal match. On installation day, it is much quicker and easier for our crews to move boxes of carpet tile instead of bulky broadloom rolls. Businesses that choose to buy extra materials to keep for repairs use less space to store a 2′ x 2′ box of carpet tiles than a 12 foot long roll of carpet.

Small living spaces are getting much attention in Vancouver, like the recently released 297 sf condo units in Surrey known as “Canada’s Smallest Condos“. Whether you are living in 300 sf or there are a few rooms in your home that feel a bit tiny, there are lots ways to trick the eye and make rooms appear larger.  Here are our top five tips to make the most of any small space:

1. Repaint to make a statement.

Darker colours absorb light and give the illusion of less space while light colours reflect and multiply light.  To keep the room bright and airy, try painting the walls cream, beige, or even a light blue-grey.

2. Use floors as a fifth wall

Floors are like a fifth wall – they are another surface for light to reflect off of. Choosing a light coloured floor will make the room appear brighter and more open. The nature inspired bedroom below uses light coloured wool carpet from Godfrey Hirst and off-white walls to keep this room feeling open.

3. Go big with flooring

The World Floor Covering Association recommends using larger flooring to make the room look bigger. Whether it is planks, tiles, or patterns, go big. If you tiles are picked, trying laying them on a diagonal to make the room appear even larger. Laying these tiles diagonally creates a longer line for the eye to follow and a big visual impact on this tiny bathroom space.

4. Let the light in.

Make use of natural light whenever it is available. Use sheer window coverings or ones you can pull back to allow in more sunlight. To maximize light, try placing a wall mirror to reflect natural light from windows. Cell shades from Shade-O-Matic like the ones below, have sheer fabric options that allow privacy without sacrificing sunlight.

5. Cut out the clutter and reorganize.

A cluttered space looks like a small space. Clearing out clutter is the easiest and least expensive way to make a cramped room feel open. Get rid of any unnecessary pieces of furniture or knick-knacks. Replace old single-use furniture with multi use-furniture that doubles as storage to keep your personal items hidden.

As the popularity of mid-century modern design has grown (think of the set of Mad Men), so has the popularity of shag carpet. For many, the mere mention of shag carpet brings up nightmares of wood panels, avocado green appliances, and plastic furniture. But the shag carpet of today is much different than its stringy, burnt orange cousin of the 1970’s.

It’s not just the dated colours of seventies shag carpet that make homeowners want to tear it out of their homes on sight, it’s the quality of the fibres. That harvest gold shag carpet found CMHC specials is heavily matted in all the walking paths. Carpet fibre technology has dramatically advanced since then and today’s shag carpet shows footprints less than the seventies version.

In most carpet stores, this new generation of shag is often referred to as “frieze.” The new name helps shag carpet shed its image as a style nightmare. Emily Morrow, Director of Colour, Style, and Design at Shaw Industries explains that “the simplicity and contemporary lines of the style appeal to a generation of new consumers and homeowners who did not live through the trend in its original heyday but like the nostalgic effect it offers.”

Like the look but aren’t ready to make the commitment of wall-to-wall shag carpet? An area rug is a great way to incorporate this style into your home. Broadloom carpet from any manufacturer can be cut and bound into an area rug, giving you an endless array of colours and styles to choose from.

Still skeptical about shag carpet looking good in your home? Take a look at Houzz’s shag carpet ideabook to see how shag carpet is incorporated into a variety of decor styles.

What do you think? Would you include shag carpet in your next home redecoration or is this a piece of history that shouldn’t be repeated?

Wool is the highest standard of fibre. It is the fibre all other synthetic fibres are trying to imitate. We prize Merino (from merino sheep) and cashmere (from goats) wools for our clothes. Why not consider it for your carpet?

Here are the top three reasons to choose a wool carpet:

1. Naturally resistant to soil and dirt

This is often the number one reason to buy wool carpet for many customers. The fibre structure of wool has overlapping scales, similar to roof shingles. These scales keep the dust and dirt near the surface of the carpet and prevent it from reaching the inner pile. Since the wool fibres have kept the dirt and grime at the surface, wool carpets experience significantly better soil release when vacuuming than their synthetic carpet cousins.

2. Appearance retention

Flattened pile can occur after only a couple years with cheap synthetic carpet and cause the floor look worn out before its time. With wool’s natural elasticity, flattened pile is not an issue. Each wool fibre has a three dimensional spiralling crimp that can stretch to more than 30% of its original length and bounce back like a mini spring. Wool is a crushproof choice that quickly recovers from daily traffic and even furniture indentations.

3. Naturally stain resistant

Wool fibres have a thin protective membrane that gives wool the ability to shed water instead of immediately absorbing the liquid into the fibre. Since 80% of carpet stains are water based, this membrane is an important contributor to the natural stain resistance of wool carpets.

This wonder carpet is generally associated with a high price tag, but it is actually more in reach than expected. Like a cashmere sweater, purchasing a wool carpet is a long lasting investment. The wool carpet looks great longer and has to be replaced less often than synthetic carpets. By investing more money in a timeless wool carpet, there are savings in future material and installation replacement costs. The benefits offered by wool carpet can be of greater value for your lifestyle. For wool, both the luxury and value are worth the price. Feel a couple samples of wool carpet and we dare you to not fall in love with this amazing fibre!

We have rounded up our favourite apps for home renovations. Download these apps and your iPhone will be an essential part of your tool belt.

Houzz – Free
Houzz has the largest collection of high-quality interior design images on the Internet. Their app provides endless inspiration for your future renovation projects. Favourite photos can be saved for later viewing in your own ideabook.

Benjamin Moore Colour Capture – Free
The Colour Capture app allows you to capture any colour inspiration and match to a paint colour. Simply take a picture of any colour that catches your eye and the app will match it to a Benjamin Moore paint colour. You can also pick paint using the colour wheel and the app will suggest other colours that compliment it.

Ames Mobile – Free
One of our favourite tile suppliers, Ames Tile & Stone, has an app that allows you to view their entire tile catalogue, complete with inspiring room scenes and extensive product information.

Renovation Budget Tracker – $2.99
This app makes it easy to track your budget and prevent cost overruns on your renovation projects. Countdown clocks help you keep track of when contractor payments are due.

Home Improvement Calcs – $1.99
Tackling a big renovation project yourself? The 170 calculators and unit converters in this app can help you with measurements for framing, electrical, heating, concrete, lumber and more.

 iHandy Level – Free
When you need a level in the pinch, this app is here to help. It can be used for picture alignment, angle measurement and more. The level is part of the iHandy Carpenter’s toolkit, which includes a plumb bob, ruler and protractor for $1.99.

Shaw Floors Carpet Stain Center – Free
Accidents happen while renovating and when it does, it always seems to be a big stain in the middle of the carpet. Whether it’s paint, glue, or some other mystery substance that appeared while renovating, the Shaw Carpet Stain Center will turn that accident into a sigh of relief.