How to choose the best carpet for your home office

The home office has come into its own in the past year, with millions more of us working from home. If you have been making do with your existing home office space but want to freshen it up after a year of heavy use, you will no doubt be thinking about painting or papering the walls and replacing the flooring.

Carpet might not be the most popular choice in commercial offices with heavy foot traffic and frequent spills of drinks and food; however, it is a great option for a home office. It muffles sound, so will help to keep your workspace quiet, which is particularly helpful if you live with family members who are also spending more time in the home. Carpet can help to create a quieter and more relaxed ambience, enabling you to stay calm, focus on the task at hand and be as productive as possible.

What type of carpet is best for a home office? There is no right and wrong answer, with the best type for you depending on several factors. Here are a few important things to think about before you choose a new carpet:

What type of office chair do you use?

If you have a wheeled chair and are constantly rolling yourself back and forth to the printer or other equipment, you won’t want a carpet with a deep pile. A short pile carpet with a firm surface is best for wheeled furniture and won’t restrict your movement.

Do you need to brighten up your office?

If the answer is yes, a neutral carpet is a great way to do so while keeping the space feeling calming and professional. If your office is already bright and well-lit, you might choose a darker carpet to create a warmer feel.

How formal do you need your office to be?

If you want your office to have the feel of a formal place of work and like to create a real boundary between your home life and your work life, you will require a different office to someone who prefers to feel relaxed and at home in their office. If your office is used as a place of both work and leisure – perhaps you sit and relax in there sometimes or share it with other family members – a deeper pile carpet can create a more homely feel.