With busy lifestyles, the ability to shop at home is a luxury service that anyone can enjoy.  No more visiting multitudes of stores and then going back several times to work out the details.  Why waste time when you can have a true shop at home professional come to your home?

A shop at home floor service makes the process simpler.   The shop at home professional will bring many samples so you can see how they look in your home with your lighting and furniture. Although brick and mortar stores often have what they consider a shop at home service it is usually limited to how many samples they can fit in their van or their car.  The shop at home professional has a special traveling “showroom” with as many samples, if not more than a brick and mortar store. They are prepared to provide you with everything from expertise on choosing the right flooring, to design advice and professional installation.  Basically a “one stop shop.”

We know that flooring is a big decision and the true professional will not only have hundreds of products but will measure and assess your site conditions in one easy step.  If  convenience and expertise is what you want, then shop at home floor covering is the way to go.

What should you look for in a shop at home?  The same business credentials that you would look for in a brick and mortar store.  The shop at home professional is prepared to earn your confidence and make your at-home buying experience a simple and enjoyable process.

When booking the appointment with your shop at home professional, be sure and ask for licensing if applicable in your area and testimonials from satisfied customers.  Shop at home professionals realize they have been invited to your home and come prepared to build that important trust factor.  Remember, since they are a shop at home service, 70-80% of their new customers come from satisfied people like yourself.  They are prepared to provide you with information such as photos from past jobs so you can see the quality of their work.   The shop at home professional will be prepared to walk you through every step of the process and be available during and/or after the installation to make sure everything goes smoothly.  They are aware that not only are they providing a service but building new friendships.

“Our business is built on one premise”, says Christine Rankin President of Carpet Network a shop at home flooring and window treatment service with over 30 years experience.  “Besides our cutting edge products, providing the best customer service is our most important product.  We realize it’s a privilege to be invited into someone’s home and we take that privilege seriously.   As we know, we only get one chance to make that most important first impression.  For the 5th year in a row, Carpet Network has been honored with the designation of being in the top 50 franchises for the past 5 years.  This honor is due to the outstanding customer service commitment of our franchisees to all of their customers.”

Want the process to go smoothly? There are things you can do to help prepare yourself for choosing new flooring.  Determine how much you want to be involved in the process, will you rip up you existing flooring, move your furniture, provide your own installation and be available to do a final walk through after the job?

What about our “Green presence?”   To Carpet Network , green is not only a color but another important part of our life.  For further information on our green commitment visit http://www.aboutgreenfloors.com/.

Want to be in touch with a Carpet Network professional in your area?  Contact either by phone
1-800-821-1635 or info@carpetnetwork.com or  http://www.carpetnetwork.com/ under “Find a Dealer.”

This blog is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.

You remember in August, Mohawk had Ricko the Rhino live on their SmartStrand Carpet and after that time, a lucky team got to clean the carpet and it looked like new.  The product is amazing!  You can check out the SmartStrand Challenge here.

Most recently, Shaw Floors set a world record but not for producing the most carpet or anything even remotely related to flooring.  Their Guinness Book of World Records is for the largest pie fight!  Yes, I said Pie Fight!  The event had over 400 participants and 1,200 cherry, chocolate and apple pies.  Yum!

The January 7th event was coordinated to promote its Anso nylon products.  Anso nylon is known for its durability and ease of cleaning but this event gave Anso nylon a new name.

After 3,000 pounds of pies had been thrown, trampled and ground into the carpet, Shaws cleaning team got to work and made it look like new.  I think this product would make it in my house with two kids and two dogs!

Check out the video and see how the Anso Nylon carpet looks like new after a thorough cleaning.

What a mess!

This blog is brought to you by the people of Carpet Network.

Research tells us that there are six key factors people consider in making environmentally responsible and healthful flooring choices:  Indoor Air Quality, Raw Materials, Product Life Cycle, Installation, Manufacturing Processes and Maintenance.  While no product can meet all these criteria, almost every floor will address one or two of these areas. A well informed dealer can explain how products score in each category.

As retailers, we need to understand what consumers really want when they ask for green products.  We need to educate them through the product choices and explain responsibly.  We need to provide the facts that help our customers make well-informed decisions.

Neutrals are still popular, but most consumers are looking for more color and more vibrancy. Although today’s palette has become darker, richer and more complex, white is emerging and has a fresh appeal.

A resurgence of the 1980’s has crept into fashion, music and the home. All things that exemplify over-the-top glamour and luxury are in every area of design in color, texture and pattern.

Glamour and luxury lead many residential consumers to turn to carpet and rugs for their design inspiration, attracted by the use of rich color, accents of black, chocolate, lustrous yarns and intricate patterns that include, florals, vines, grids, checks, harlequin diamonds and even zebra or crocodile.

Hand-scraped, chiseled-edged, distressed wood floors are crossing all style boundaries. What initially was seen as rustic is now being installed in urban lofts, formal traditional homes, traditionally modern interiors and more. Designers and consumers are drawn to the crafted element, especially the subtle chatter marks left there by a true craftsman. These components impact the color palettes of carpet and rug styles.

People want things they wear and things they use to look “green” and natural. Materials will look handmade, undyed and unbleached, with lots of texture and all the natural imperfections proudly showing through. Off whites, sandy and linen-y colors, rock and soil colors, brownish-green – the colors of nature are seriously fashionable now.

For color trends we are seeing variations of rich shades of green in the classics such as emerald, Kelly and milky-green sea glass greens. Blue-based greens still appeal and are bridging well with new color introductions such as gray and the dark chocolates as well as classic black. Yellow-based greens are staying strong because of the environmental awareness as much as for their pop. Versatile, almost-neutral gray-greens can be subtle and sophisticated.

Navy, true blue and the diluted water blues are also important. The “trust me” color will continue to show up on candidates’ ties this election year. Nautical, blue and white, bold stripes are very strong. Soft shades of aqua, reminiscent of the water colors that have been trending strongly for the past couple of years are still vital. The prediction is that blues will become much blacker inspired by technology. Also, blue-greens will be seen in the unusual combinations such as rich browns, yellow-greens and vivid red-oranges.

Seville red (a purer red bordering on the blue side) is being used as a contrast against satiny, lacquered surfaces. Red is always classic and dramatic. Bright corals are strong, while mid-value pinks will begin to decline in the next year.

Copper has been appearing in eye-catching automotive color as well as in kitchen appliance fronts and more, and has worked its way into upholstery and drapery fabric, paint and fashion. Some of the coppers and muddy oranges are burnished and appear oxidized.

Subtle yellow-golds are appearing in gilded finishes, burnished leather, or precious metals. It has been at least twelve years since consumers lost their passion for polished brass fixtures in the home. Now that stainless steel is mainstream, we long again for something that is not seen everywhere. Gold today is bronzed over, burnished and patinaed.

Brown has become increasingly respected and dominant and is recognized as an alternate classic, like black. We’ve seen all shades of brown, including mocha, cinnamon, chocolate and coffee. These colors can be paired with vibrant, unexpected colors. It’s warm and elegant when used with aged gold or dramatic and daring with magenta or orange. Brown maintains its appeal because it complements a multitude of tastes and lifestyles.

Golden beige and taupe are easy to live with and to use as a neutralizer among the vibrant coppers, reds and yellows. For the ultimate combination of sophistication, pair gray with taupe, tan or brown. Neutrals are becoming darker and more saturated and are now being infused with a blush of color, sometimes relating to golden skin tones-crating the effect of more personalized options for consumers.

Gray is also making a strong comeback. Gray flannel and charcoal are re-emerging, possibly because of the sleek contemporary look that is stylish in home furnishings. Brushed nickel and aged pewter are popular for appliances and hardware.

Black is being used as an accent in every room in rugs, carpet, fabric and accessories. Black and white combinations are popular in large-scale, traditional motifs. Black accents in textiles of all kinds are in demand giving added body and visual dimension.