Help! What do I do With Purple Carpet?

The most frequent question I have been asked lately is how to incorporate a bright non neutral carpet color into an all around pleasing decorating scheme.

Our latest reader writes: My daughter moved out and I want to repaint her room. The carpet is a deep purple. What color would go well?

This is what I’ve found to work well……….

Option #1

Track down a color wheel and locate the complimentary color (the color directly across from it). This yellow will look good on the walls and as an accent color. If you’d like to stick with a purple theme, choose a neighboring color on the wheel. Adding white to lighten the purple or black to darken the purple may be just the hue you need for the walls. You then can use different shades(adding black to original color) and tints (adding white to original color) in accents like linens, pillows, rugs, lamps or vases to bring the monochromatic look together.

Option #2

If you have carpet that is just unbearable and lack the funds to replace it, try painting it. Yes, you read it right! Paint it! However, I must warn you, there is no going back. This idea is for carpet that really cannot be saved and the next stop for it is the city dump. Mix one part latex paint to two parts paint conditioner. Paint conditioner helps the paint to dry slower and even out a bit. First try this on a scrap of carpet to see if you can live with the results. Then apply the solution to the carpet with a roller and brush. After a 2’x2’ section, rub the carpet gently to help the paint to sink in and to loosen the carpet fibers from each other. You’ll find that the carpet will take several days to dry. The result will be pleasing to the eye, but may not be as soft as it once was. You can find info on this idea here.