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70s-Inspired Wall-to-Wall Carpeting is BackReid Rolls
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Generally speaking, the phrase “wall-to-wall carpet” conjures up images of sunken living rooms from the 1970s or musty shag carpet that traps every crumb in a two-mile vicinity. Simply put, it has a bad rep—which means you may cringe when you hear wall-to-wall carpeting is indeed back. The good news? The 2026 interpretation is much more refined than in decades past, so much so that top designs are embracing the feature as a way to bring comfort and, dare we say, elegance, to the home.
Ahead, five experts reveal their fresh approach to wall-to-wall carpeting that will soften any space and make covering up wood floors feel like less of a sin. Their work is a celebration of a former fad that’s now a beloved trend, proving once and for all that what goes around comes back around even better than before.
Match the Ceiling
Reid Rolls
Nick Olsen is hardly afraid of using color in his spaces, and no room displays it better than this punchy bedroom. Here, the warm fuchsia lives on both the ceiling and the floor, creating what the designer calls an envelope. “I love using wall-to-wall carpet, and don’t understand the stigma around it,” he notes. “In this bedroom, it feels luxurious and enveloping, and then there’s the bonus of no furniture sitting halfway off the rug—that’s a major pet peeve of mine!”
Go Subdued
Reid Rolls
As much as Olsen advocates for color, he rarely drowns his designs in it. Case in point: The teal-hued den that is anything but overwhelming, courtesy of the pale neutral carpeting. “In this den, I opted for soft wall-to-wall carpeting because the space is a trapezoidal shape,” he says, noting that a traditional area rug just wouldn’t work. “The carpet and teal billiard felt walls are also fabulous for the acoustics of watching TV here.”
Opt for a Classic
Emily Followill
Nothing adds dimension to a room like a small-scale pattern. Rather than installing a busy wallpaper in this bedroom, designer Melanie Millner put the pattern on the floor in the form of wall-to-wall carpeting. “A subtle pattern gives visual interest and is a little more forgiving with wear and tear. Solids tend to show traffic patterns over time.”
Incorporate a New Color
Eric Piasecki
Adding yet another color in an already colorful room may seem tough, but if anyone can pull it off masterfully, it’s Sarah Ramsey, design partner at Cullman & Kravis. “In the library, we selected the sofa fabric first, and then decided on a carpet that not only completed the vignette, but also harmonized beautifully with the living room, which this space opens onto,” she explains. What’s more, because the room is wood paneled, having a fairly light carpet prevents the room from getting too dark and saturated, Ramsey adds.
Make It Playful
Eric Piasecki
In the same home, Ramsey kept the carpet going, this time in the media room. “The geometric pattern of the carpet is the perfect foil for the saturated cobalt blue lacquered walls and 15-foot-long velvet sectional,” Ramsey notes. In a way, the creamy color in the carpet cuts the blue that runs throughout the space, giving it a bit more dimension. “In the media room, the patterned carpet is especially playful, as it’s taken from a Chinese motif, but reinterpreted with a modern edge.”
Give It a Job to Do
Robert Peterson
Another media room with a wall-to-wall carpet is that of House Beautiful’s annual Whole Home. This space, designed by Keia McSwain, is all about the acoustics, which explains the floors. “In a dedicated media space, managing sound is paramount, and carpet acts as a natural sound absorber, significantly reducing echoes and preventing audio from ‘bouncing’ off hard surfaces,” the designer explains. In other words, the carpet is not just about looks; it’s also performing an important job.
McSwain adds, “By running the carpet all the way to the baseboards, we remove the visual boundaries created by area rugs. I wanted to create a seamless, uninterrupted plane that made the room feel more expansive and intentionally ‘dipped’ in texture, allowing the bold geometric hair on hide walls and the deep green ceiling to remain the focal points.”
Utilize Texture
Tria Giovan
Humidity isn’t exactly part of a successful design plan for wall-to-wall carpeting, but in this Palm Beach cottage (an addition to a circa 1930s residence), it works. “Our builders and the architects ensured the walls, floors, and roof had the best waterproofing and weatherstripping to make it a safe option,” notes designer Amanda Lindroth.
She didn’t do all of that extra work to add something stiff and boring, though. Rather, she opted for this very plush, raised option with a subtle pattern. She’s such a fan of floor coverings that she just launched her own collection in collaboration with LXM.
Install Where It Make Sense
Mali Azima
One of the best places to install a wall-to-wall carpet is in the bedroom, where coziness is paramount and it can add softness underfoot. At least, that’s what designer Melanie Turner thinks. “You should also consider visual calm and balance,” she adds. “A solid design keeps the floor quiet so that furniture, art, or architectural details can stand out.”
Highlight Architectural Details
Chris Mottalini
While some designers will admit that they did away with wall-to-wall carpet for the last several decades, Nannette Brown proudly claims she never abandoned it. “When and how I use it is unique to every interior and every installation, though,” she notes. “We install wall-to-wall most often in bedrooms where you want to feel insulated because something soft and textural underfoot not only feels good, it grounds the room and provides sound insulation for a quieter space.”
The key to ensuring it doesn’t overwhelm a space? Brown opts to “cut” around architectural details, like a fireplace hearth, as a subtle way to call attention to a room’s most standout features.
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