If your home is busier than rush hour at Piccadilly Circus, there’s only one type of carpet that can step up to the challenge – say hello to the firm, durable and versatile loop pile carpet.
Berber style, or Berber loop, carpets are another name for a loop pile carpet, incredibly popular for its textured look, resilience, and firm ‘barefoot’ feeling. Berber used to be the term for a neutral flecked carpet, but when we talk about a Berber style carpet nowadays, it’s associated with the traditional Moroccan Berber rugs, known for their distinctive hand-knotted finish. This relaxed style can easily be replicated when making a modern Berber loop carpet by leaving the tightly woven yarn in loops (rather than cutting the loops as you would do when making a saxony or twist carpet). This technique allows you to create a wide variety of textures and patterns, depending on the height and density of the loop. The loops can be level or on multiple levels to create amazing textural designs on your floor.
Loop carpets are available in natural fibres (like wool) or synthetic ones (like polypropylene carpet), and some styles are woven from a mixture of the two (like a wool and polyester blend). Synthetic fibres are harder wearing than natural fibres, so a wool blend carpet offers the best of both worlds. A pure wool loop carpet will be softer, but as it’s made from a natural material, you’ll find that there’s a greater variation in colour and texture. They’re available in a spectrum of neutral colours, from light grey to dark grey (and the fifty shades of grey in between). Loop pile carpets provide excellent performance in all areas of your home, especially if you go for a low, densely woven loop. The lower the loop, the more durable the carpet will be, so a Berber loop carpet is a popular choice for stairs, hallways, or other rooms with a high volume of foot traffic.
Overall, loop pile carpets are the perfect blend of value, durability, and performance. The tightly woven, densely packed fibres mean a loop carpet is more hard-wearing than a cut pile carpet and requires less maintenance. The firm pile bounces back easily so won’t leave tracking marks when you vacuum. They’re also great for hiding stains – the looped pile structure means that spillages will sit on top, leaving you enough time to clean up the mess before it soaks into the fibre. Hurrah! We love the relaxed, rustic style of a loop carpet – they’re the ideal carpet for a modern family home.
Published: 08-02-2022