With 70s-style interiors back in fashion, furniture retailers are heralding in a resurgence of earthy tones, psychedelic prints and wood panelling.
Some retro features aren’t as widely welcomed back though; none more so than the controversial carpeted bathroom.
Alongside avocado suites, carpets are arguably one of the most defining characteristics of the postmodern-era bathroom, with the shag-covered WC in Jayne Mansfield’s infamous ‘Pink Palace’ house sparking a craze that lasted well into the 90s.
Nowadays, the look leans towards a shallower pile or sisal material, employed in parts of the room as an accent (typically in low-moisture areas) rather than floor-to-ceiling fluff.
In 2023, Architectural Digest revealed Lily Allen had a kitschy printed number in the Brooklyn townhouse she shared with David Harbour, while wall-to-wall brown carpet was spotted in the bathroom of Demi Moore’s Idaho bolthole during a 2020 Zoom interview.
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It’s could soon be creeping into ‘regular’ homes too, given the terms ‘bathroom carpet’ and ‘carpet bathroom’ have seen a stark increase in searches, rising by 342% and 360% in the last month respectively.
But just because bathroom carpets are trendy, doesn’t mean everybody’s willing to embrace them.
On the AskOldPeople Reddit page, YinzaJagoff questioned how they every became ‘a thing’, adding: ‘Our downstairs bathroom has carpeting, and it absolutely grosses me out.’
While some argued that the warmth of carpet made barefoot loo trips more ‘comfortable’, others called it ‘nasty’, ‘disgusting’ and ‘unsanitary’, with ohmyback1 noting: ‘Unless all men sit down, there will be pee in that carpet.’
‘My toes curl just imagining this,’ commented movementlocation on a photo of it posted to CrappyDesign, while SuicideKlutch added: ‘I just threw up in my mouth a little’.
People can decorate their homes however they wish, and it’s really a matter of personal taste. However, bathroom carpet converts may want to keep these opinions in mind when selling up – because ignoring them can turn out to be a costly mistake.
According to Verona Frankish, CEO of Yopa, ‘many buyers still see them as a no-go,’ finding it hard to ignore ‘the practical and hygiene concerns around moisture, mould and cleanliness.’
‘Even a newly fitted carpet in a bathroom is often flagged by surveyors and seen as something that needs replacing,’ she tells Metro.
In terms of value, previous Yopa research found that unmodernised properties lose an estimated -6.2% of their value on the open market.
‘Therefore, we can say conservatively that an unmodernised bathroom with a carpet might negatively impact prices to the tune of around -1%, if not more,’ Verona explains. ‘Based on the current average house price of £269,735, a -1% loss is equivalent to -£2,697.’
In her experience, sellers are usually asked to replace carpeted bathrooms before listing, since ‘the majority of buyers will respond by making a lower offer due to factoring in refurb costs.’
You may get lucky, but based on a YouGov survey claiming one in eight Brits deem it acceptable, the odds aren’t great.
Verona adds: ‘If you love the look of a carpeted bathroom, we would recommend opting for washable rugs laid over hard flooring. It gives the same warmth and soft touch without causing complicated hygiene issues and reducing property value.’
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