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Posted on: November 6, 2008

The Fifth Wall

Gone are the days when homeowners had to choose between rugs and hardwood. Welcome to your bedroom's economy-friendly fifth dimension

By Patricia Rivera
CTW Features

Guest appearance: Offer your visitors a welcoming home-away-from-home respite, complete with a detailed rug or carpet in a delicate neutral to complement the bedding and wall colors. Image courtesy Johnny Widner/ MSLO

If your bedroom flooring has left you yawning, you can breathe new life into the room with options that range from carpet tiles to stone.

Gone are the days when homeowners could only pick from either rugs or hardwood, although both of those options remain very popular. The trend these days is to liken flooring to a "fifth wall" and give it personal treatment.

"Unlike areas that are more public, you have the opportunity to really personalize a bedroom and make it yours," says Kevin Sharkey, executive editorial director, decorating, for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

He adds that bedroom flooring is not often a priority in home decoration because so many other rooms take precedence. But yet the bedroom floor is the first element of the home that your body touches when you rise each day.

The idea in the bedroom is to create a sense of calm. While you may dare to use bold colors elsewhere in the house, the bedroom should be a retreat, an escape from the rest of the house. Opt for more natural colors that relax the eyes and feel warm to the feet, Sharkey says. Because bedrooms receive less foot traffic, the flooring here isn't as restricted in other areas. The trend in bedroom flooring design is toward a cleaner, more modern look that's easy to maintain. Floors should be quiet and warm.

Designers suggest selecting one neutral tone and two brighter accent colors that work well together, so you create a sense of calm. The flooring can either serve as the focal point for the room or complement some other element of the room.

For those who like the warmth of wood floors, consider some area patterns or borders. Technology now allows for the creation of such detailed designs as medallions with geometric, floral and nautical motifs. Be careful not to use too many strong designs in a single bedroom - multiple items that compete for attention can upset the harmony of a bedroom.

Sharkey loves the look of wood peaking out from under rugs, which he finds soft and versatile. Martha Stewart Floor Designs with FLOR feature eco-conscious carpet tiles that sell in colors ranging from soothing neutrals to rich earth tones that bring the beauty of nature indoors.

"You can experiment with different colors, different textures, different designs and create a more personal look," he adds. Carpet tiles allow for the creation of any size rug from runners to area rugs to wall-to-wall carpets.

Joyce Lowe, carpet and home dï¿½cor expert at Saddle Brook, N.J.-based Nourison, agrees that rugs serve as basic accessories in the bedroom and throughout the house. They can alter a space's ambiance and appeal factor both quickly and affordably. Especially during rigid economic times, switching a rug and painting a wall results in an extreme bedroom makeover without the drastic expense. Adding an area rug to a bedroom is the easiest way to create a cozy feeling.

"Rugs can define spaces and warm up a room instantly with splashes of colors, and today's carpet choices frequently create the color palette for a room rather than merely matching the items already there," she adds.

Using rugs with oranges, yellows, reds and greens can create a visual effect of warmth. For a very personalized touch, New York interior designer Esther Sadowsky likes to create rugs for bedrooms that feature a particular design.

"You're creating a focal point in the middle of the bedroom," she says.

She adds that rugs are also great on top of wood floors to demark various spaces within a bedroom. Prayer and yoga rugs, for instance, can also add character and comfort to a room. Silk rugs, known for their luster and shine, are a real treat in the bedroom. Look for rugs that suit the theme of your bedroom.