Carpet gets its props in the Wall Street Journal

Lost in the chaos of this deplorable election season was a very important article that appeared last month in the Wall Street Journal headlined, “The return of wall-to-wall carpet: Why Americans want this soothing luxury now.” It may be the first positive article on carpet I’ve seen in the national publication since I had a respectable head of hair. 

Make no mistake: This is an important piece of literature. It is something that our customers need to read. Maybe even print it out and have copies in your store. The author, Antonia van der Meer, states: “In a noisy, nerve-wracking world, design pros and homeowners are rediscovering the calming luxury of broadloom carpet as the industry offers more beautiful—and healthy—options.” 

In the Wall Street Journal article, Kerri Pilchik, an interior designer from Ridgewood, N.J., noted that wall-to-wall carpet is part of a larger movement to feel more “snuggly” at home. “My clients used to say, ‘I don’t want to cover all the hardwood…’ I don’t really hear that anymore.” 

According to the Wall Street Journal, carpet’s “tidy” look is helping fuel the trend. It reads, in part, “With no edges to trip over, and no unsightly pads peeking out from underneath, wall-to-wall suits the fastidious.” 

Meanwhile, it acknowledges how the industry has recognized concerns about indoor pollution and the toxins that synthetic or treated carpet have historically emitted. “The largest change in the last 20 to 30 years has been disclosure,” said Jordan Zambrana, a biologist with the Indoor Environments Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. He says you can find lower-emitting safer materials. Look for Green Label Plus, Cradle to Cradle Certified NSF 140 and NSF 332 labels. He also recommends natural, untreated fibers such as wool. 

The article goes on to mention some ways in which designers and homeowners are embracing broadloom. For example, carpet can erase flaws in floors. Pilchik recalls one foyer project where the owners didn’t want to rip up stone she describes as “quite ugly.” The fix: “Sisal was an elegant and neutral solution, and we installed it right over the tile.” 

Another interior designer from Louisville, Ky., touted a wool tight-loop broadloom pattern from Masland. The flatter surface let her toss an accent sheepskin rug on top. She prefers wool for its stain and fire resistance in addition to the luxurious aspect. 

Another advantage of carpet is its ability to handle odd-shaped rooms. One homeowner that was mentioned in the WSJ article was at a loss for what to do with a long, L-shaped room in her beach house. “When you have a room with a lot of corners, area rugs look too messy,” her designer said. “Broadloom offers the cleanest, best-looking and most economical solution.” 

Other advantages mentioned: 

• It reduces the risk of sliding on a wet floor. 
• It can expand a small room. 
• It is soft underfoot. 
• The acoustics of carpet combat the many noises in a home, creating a peaceful environment. 

Of course, the WSJ article couldn’t appear without some yo-yo blogger named Lloyd Alter, probably some Green New Deal proponent, speaking out against the article, going as far to say designers should “nip this trend in the bud” and that the article is “wrong.” The good news is that he probably has a minimal following. 

While admitting there have definitely been improvements, and a reduction in volatile organic compounds, flame retardants and stain-proofing chemicals that were toxic, this annoying individual takes a far-left approach in his assessment that the use of polyester in carpet has seen a dramatic increase in recent years at the expense of nylon but both are made from fossil fuels. 

Then this: “Biological components of dust… include microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, protista) as well as pollen, dust mites, pet dander and arthropods. Next-generation sequence-based technology applied to indoor environments has revealed that the fungal communities within carpet dust reservoirs are composed of a vast array of fungi. Because the mass of dust is greater per unit area of carpet than it is for hard surfaces, the presence of carpet increases the potential for our exposures to these biological agents.” 

He goes on with the misinformation. But he never mentions that his “biological components” are better trapped in carpet than loose on hard surface or worse, airborne. Bottom line: As much as the WSJ article is such a positive for the industry, we will always ha 

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