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How to have a modern/clean look while stuck with carpet

post #1 of 14
8/17/09 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
After several weeks of negotiating, I've finally landed an awesome 8th floor corner unit at Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel (now condos/apartments) I was fighting for another unit with hardwood floors but someone outbid me so I'm stuck with a carpeted apartment Even though they are recarpeting before I move in, I'm not thrilled about the idea (This is not my unit but very similar), my living room is actually larger with more windows but I suspect the carpet will be the same or close). My kitchen has a pass-through to the living room that will serve as a breakfast counter. All of my places since I moved away from home have been hardwood. I've never had to deal with carpet before and I have modern-styled furniture. Lots of clean lines, sharp edges, mostly black or white, metal frames, etc... all very similar to the "modern" photo in this thread except I don't like a crowded room. I want lots of open, clean space. I don't care much about the bedrooms, I'm just putting a platform bed and one dresser in each (massive closets). I'm more concerned with the living room. I've done some digging around (ikea, dwr, google, "SF Cribs" thread) and I can't find many good examples of how to pull off a open, modern look in a carpeted room. Is it impossible? Will carpet + open/minimal furniture be a total fail? Are there any suggestions for sources of inspiration?
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post #2 of 14
8/17/09 at 6:26pm
I glance at this website every once in a while for brief ideas from house tours although I'm sure people get addicted to the place like they do here on style forvum, ect. Quality rugs and other interesting disertada can make up for the huge chunk of neutral in the room. Look at these two examples, not for the fact that they are examples that necessarily jive with the modern furniture/ bachelor pad you seem to want... More for the fact that the things you notice in the room when you see it, the carpeting seems to fade into the background. Having this frame of mind should make furnishing the place come along better. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/r...se-tour-091224 http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chic...sion-42-081529 Here's an example that has areas of beige carpeted rooms (along with hardwood) look at a few of those for more ideas since the furniture may be more in line with what you may use. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/h...e-to-dc-085692 This seems relatively helpful with examples as well. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/g...angeles-079605 Here's some questions with various answers to your predicament. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chic...-carpet-069075 http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/a...carpet--064875 http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/g...angeles-067292 My point is there's many ways you can go about it, the place hopefully should reflect your tastes and have personality. You don't need a DWR cookie-cutter cutout to have a nice space. Hardwood floors are certainly nice, but they don't blow you're rental by any means. Get creative and work around them. PS: There are other places for ideas other than AT, but this was where I knew I could help give some quick answers in say under 5 min.
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post #3 of 14
8/18/09 at 12:47pm
No chance to put in HW floors or laminate instead of new carpet before you move in?
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post #4 of 14
8/18/09 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 
Edawe - thanks a million! Apartment Therapy is exactly the type of site I need! I'm going to spend a lot of time looking around after work tonght.

willpower - I mentioned it to the landlord and he's not opposed to it, he's just opposed to paying for it. It's not an expense I'm willing to cover for a rented apartment. It's a historic building so there may be some additional preservation expenses that would be involved.
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post #5 of 14
8/18/09 at 2:35pm
The depth of the carpet's pile will matter as well. Longer pile, like is common in apartments, is harder to make look 'modern'. Grey short pile, like used in many offices, is much easier.

Unfortunantly, it appears you have the relatively common beige that is used in every townhouse and condo in the US. My last three dwellings all had it.
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post #6 of 14
8/18/09 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 
Correct, they won't put in the cheapest carpet available but it will definitely be a generic flavor. As they replace the carpet inbetween each new tenant, I wonder if I can talk him into going with pure white (I'm a "no shoes in the house" kinda guy)
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post #7 of 14
8/18/09 at 3:17pm
For the love of god do not get white carpet. It's a disaster in the making. I'd paint and focus on the walls to take as much away from the floor as I could. Painting the ceiling helps create a nice effect as well.
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post #8 of 14
8/18/09 at 5:40pm
this is probably not up to the buildings standards, or even that of sound transfer etc, but what is under the carpet? if it is just a thin underlayment then concrete floors could be pretty wild. i doubt the building would go for this though. thered be a cost to finishing the concrete or pouring a topping slab though...

see what the $ difference is between carpet and a cheap hard wood, it could be a price you're willing to pay. cheap harwood floors arent that bad if you arent planning on having to put up with them for a while (refinish, deal with warping, etc).

if all else fails, apartment therapy is great.
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post #9 of 14
8/18/09 at 5:42pm
also, a dark commercial grade carpet can be more modern than you think. something thin. or like a sisal carpet.
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post #10 of 14
8/18/09 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by $unny View Post
also, a dark commercial grade carpet can be more modern than you think. something thin. or like a sisal carpet.
gross imo. I think that if you are constrained by the aesthetics of your space, you should do something that suits it and just spend less money on furniture, assuming it's temporary. There are a lot of spaces that just won't do modern well, but will do other styles a lot better.
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post #11 of 14
8/18/09 at 11:17pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not crazy about the idea of dark/commercial carpet. I'm not sure what's under the carpet but there are historic preservation rules with this building so I'm not sure anything could be done cheaply!
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post #12 of 14
8/19/09 at 12:17am
Check outhttp www.designspongeonline.com/ as well.
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post #13 of 14
8/19/09 at 10:08am
BC, unrelated to the topic, but we should grab a beer sometime when I'm in the neighborhood. I am down at Brewer's and 13th and Owl all the time. Congrats on the new place, btw. I've had several friends who lived in the Belvedere and really enjoyed it. Long term, though, I also think you'll be glad you rented there instead of bought
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post #14 of 14
8/20/09 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas View Post
BC, unrelated to the topic, but we should grab a beer sometime when I'm in the neighborhood. I am down at Brewer's and 13th and Owl all the time. Congrats on the new place, btw. I've had several friends who lived in the Belvedere and really enjoyed it. Long term, though, I also think you'll be glad you rented there instead of bought

Sounds great Douglas, just let me know the next time you are in the 'hood!
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