Carpets

Carol O’Callaghan reminds us of the merits of carpets and supplies a few tips on choosing the one that’s right for you

WE’RE a nation of sun-starved souls so we only have to get a few hours of sunshine without a grey cloud in sight and we’re in the garden baring our flesh until it turns to the colour of boiled lobster. We’ll sit shivering under leaky canopies outside cafes with rain dripping into our espressos thinking we’re Mediterranean types, wearing sun glasses to shield the weakest of rays filtering through the clouds. A triumph of hope over experience and common sense.

This excellence in pretending to have the sunshine lifestyle on this rain-sodden little island of ours extends to how we create the interiors of our homes. We’ve adopted American timber floor style throughout, loving how clean it is and easy to maintain while also helping to give an impression our space is bigger and airier. But have we gone a step too far decking out our floors with chic porcelain tiles without under-floor heating in the manner of Mediterranean living, a notion brought on by spending two sweltering weeks in a rental in Majorca padding around in bare feet on gloriously cold tiled floors?