With subtle tones, striking patterns and lush textures on offer, there's plenty of excitement afoot in the latest carpets and rugs, writes Jodie Thomson.

Whether it's luxurious wall-to-wall carpeting for the living space or a design-statement rug, there's no stemming our passion for soft flooring. And the latest styles in carpets and rugs offer up even more ways to bring a comfort-packed layer of colour and texture to a room.

In the world of carpets, there's a strong trend towards a more rustic, homespun effect, featuring softer colours and tactile, textured weaves.

"Consumers are asking for a relaxed and textured look," says Michelle Parker, Product Manager at Cavalier Bremworth Carpets. "New textures include felted products that have a bulky appearance but are still soft to touch, while also being extremely durable."

Along with the move to chunkier weaves, solid colours are giving way to 'heathered' blends. "These have several colours blended together to give a soft, multicoloured effect," says Parker, "like a charcoal blended with mid-grey and white to produce a 'misty' effect in the yarn."

Interior designer Lindy Evans, of Brisbane-based Windemere Interiors, says she's seeing a preference for the more casual effect of loop-pile carpets. "These new styles have the familiar twist or cut pile," she says, "but with a loop texture pattern through them, breaking it up."

There's also a strong tendency to make a rug the eyecatching focal point within an interior space. As a result, there's a bigger selection of rugs now available on the market, with bolder colours and patterns in both traditional and contemporary themes. The right choice can provide a design anchor for the rest of the room.

"I'm seeing a lot of florals on rugs and all sorts of bright colours," says Evans. "A lot of companies are doing custom rugs, where you can pick the pattern and size to suit. A rug can really pull the whole room together."

Wool or synthetic?

It's a matter of personal preference whether you opt for wool, synthetic fibre or a blend of both in carpets and rugs. Technological advances have boostedthe quality of all these options, so there's moreto choose from.

Wool offers sustainable and non-allergenic warmth, The latest synthetic blends, meanwhile, promise excellent durability and more. "They've come along way," says Lindy Evans of Windemere Interiors. "They're easy to clean and come in really nice styles."

Colour watch

The top palette pick in wall-to-wall carpeting is still grey, but in earthier, browned tints. "It's a more muddy grey now," says Lindy Evans of Windemere Interiors. "Also popular are dark, earthy chocolates." There are also lots of soft tints of colour around, says Michelle Parker of Cavalier Bremworth Carpets. "Pale peach, soft lilac, faded olive... In the neutrals, there are silvery greys through to mushroom beiges. And every shade of blue, from the palest tones to indigo." Keen to inject a brighter element? There's a wealth of wonderfully bold rugs – look out for hot pinks and graphic patterns – that will do the job perfectly.

It's only natural

For an all-natural feel with no shortage of style and sophistication, the latest woven flooring products present a wide range of options. Sisal, coir, seagrass and even paper come in a vast array of colours and weaves, and can be made up as rugs or used as wall-to-wall flooring. "From fine ribs to chunky basket weaves, expect to find texture expressed in many different ways," says Michael Dowe, Managing Director of The Natural Floorcovering Centres. Also popular are blends of natural plant fibres, such as sisal, with wool. "For example, the latticed interweaving of silk-sheened sisal with the soft fluff of wool," says Dowe. "That's continuing to gain market share."