Comfort and warmth is becoming desirable, knocking cold and draughty floorboards off the pedestal. For the past decade or so it has been ripped up and tossed out but now carpet is making a comeback. People are keen to cover their cold and draughty floorboards and sink their feet back in something with a bit more comfort, warmth and depth. From cut pile to shag, block colour to swirly pattern, wall-to-wall carpeting is once again smothering wooden floors. As for renters , a great rug renaissance is in full swing.
![[Chloe Mac Donnell]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/11/07/Chloe_Mac_Donnell_Next_Gen.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“While wall-to-wall carpets used to be passé, they are definitely having a bit of a moment now,” says Elizabeth Metcalfe, the author of New English Interiors: At Home with Today’s Creatives. “There is a nostalgic charm, but I think they also bring cosiness and warmth to a space – a hugely appealing prospect when we’re faced with rising energy bills.”.
![[A rug from Nordic Knots’ Modernist collection]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c667153a1f500f45765ee8a3ba9a88785d3bbb1/0_600_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Liza Laserow Berglund, the co-founder of the Stockholm-based rug company Nordic Knots, which has gained an almost cult-like following for its simple but striking designs, describes a rug in a room as “the fourth wall”. “It frames a room,” she says. “People think about curtains but the floor really needs texture and warmth as well.”.
![[Prada’s autumn/winter ‘25 set]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d72166aa0af4c00fb3290efb2e46a593e984d381/82_0_2625_1575/master/2625.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
One of Donald Trump’s first memos to staff was an instruction to change the Oval Office’s floor covering. As the Bidens were still packing up, the Democratic blue rug was being swapped out for a pale beige circular version, originally designed by Nancy Reagan for her husband’s time in office. Trump previously had installed it during his first term. According to White House aides, this time around pieces of the Resolute Desk had to be disassembled so the rug could be placed underneath it.
