Once you’ve decided its time to lay new carpeting throughout your home, the decisions don’t stop there. In addition to style, kind, pile, you’ll also have to decide on color. After all, carpeting isn’t something you change out with the seasons; you’ll have to live with your decision for years.

Trends in color change throughout the fashion industry. Typically carpet coloring runs one to two years behind that of clothing, which means the most popular colors you see on the racks in your favorite stores today will make it to the carpeting section in a year or two.

“But I won’t use bright blues or oranges in my carpets,” you might be thinking. And that’s true. But colors still affect the overall appearance and selection of carpeting. When you walk into a home with cool golds, shades of greens, silvers, mauves or grays, you’re likely to think the color choice is old and outdated.

Today’s colors lean towards solid earthy colors. You’ll find warm golds and greens that resemble the great outdoors. You’ll find light blues, neutral stone hues, khaki and suede shades. And through it all, beige is continued to be a popular choice that never shows age, no matter what the current trends are.

How should you decide what color is right for you?

Level of traffic – Carpets in a well lived in family room take more abuse than a guest bedroom. They are in more danger of spills, stains and tracked in dirt. And in hallways and other high entry points, they sustain wear and tear all day long.

Use of space – Each room is subjected to different treatments throughout the day. Will it receive harsh sunlight for a number of hours each day? Do you work in the room daily, such as a home office? While its easy to choose one carpet for the entire home, if you don’t keep in mind what each space is for – especially for high traffic rooms – you may be sorry down the road.

Personality – Just because you moved in to a home that used a forest green carpet throughout the main living quarters doesn’t mean you have to live with it. What are your preferences? Does it match your décor?

When all else fails, stay neutral and go with the beige. Beige is a universal color, and is a great color choice especially for investment purposes. If you’ll be moving soon, its one that will appeal to a wide variety of people, and will always work no matter what the situation.