Carpet Samples in Showroom
iStock.com / Edwin Tan

Premium-quality carpeting lends your home an air of luxury and distinction, but its value goes beyond looks. The fiber types and construction methods high-end carpet brands use produce floor coverings that hold up exceptionally well under years of foot traffic, pets’ claws, and kids’ toys.

    Choosing Luxury Carpet

    When choosing a high-end carpet, fiber is one of the first considerations. While wool and wool blends have long been the standard for luxury carpeting, modern nylon carpets are often just as beautiful and durable. In fact, a cheap wool carpet can fade and pill before a quality nylon one.  

    The carpet’s construction, either woven or tufted, is another factor. Hand- and machine-woven carpets make up a small percentage of carpeting on the market, but with a lifespan of up to 30 years, they’re the most durable. Most woven carpets are made with either the Axminster or Wilton method. Both can produce high-quality rugs, but Axminster carpets tend to be more colorful and detailed, whereas Wilton carpets are often plainer, but offer the option of cut pile.

    Velvet and flat weave are other options. Hand-tufted carpeting is a close second for durability, lasting up to 20 years, but machine tufted carpet might not make it past 10 years.

    Both loop and cut piles are found on luxury carpets, so the choice is a matter of preference. Loop piles, particularly Berber and level loop piles, are the most durable options. Velvet pile, a type of cut pile, is often considered the most luxurious in terms of comfort underfoot, but it doesn’t hold up well in high-traffic areas.

    We recommend you read our evaluation of carpet materials to help you make an informed decision in choosing the right carpets for your home.

    High-End Carpet Brands to Watch

    Karastan

    If you’ve spent any time shopping for carpeting, you’ve heard of the time-honored luxury carpet brand Karestan. Founded in 1923 and bought by Mohawk Industries in 1993, Karestan still offers the handcrafted wool carpets (explore the pros and cons of wool carpets) that earned them their reputation for quality, but they also carry styles for more contemporary tastes. The range of fiber options includes New Zealand wool, wool blend, nylon, and SmartStrand (Triexta), a synthetic fiber with permanent stain and soil protection.

    Styles are grouped into simple Casual, sophisticated Classic, and abstract Modern, covering a wide selection of patterns, including animal prints, florals, and plaids. The company’s Vintage Weave looms produce exceptionally detailed patterns rarely found in cut pile carpets. Most of the brand’s carpets are produced in northwest Georgia.

    Couristan Premier

    Premier is Couristan’s high-end carpet brand, carrying on the company’s 95-year tradition of luxury. Carpets sold under this brand are primarily wool or blends of wool and synthetics, and many are hand-loomed or hand-tufted in China or India.

    The brand is an excellent source of distinctive carpets that command attention, as well as more modest styles. A range of patterns, including florals, geometric patterns, stripes, plaids, and a few bold animal prints, are available in fresh, modern colors. They also carry a selection of vibrantly colored carpets made with the less common flatweave construction.

    J Mish Mills

    Founded in 2004 and manufactured in Cartersville, Georgia, this young company is quickly building a reputation as a source of luxury carpets for discerning homeowners. Most of their product range is made from 100 percent New Zealand and British wool. The rest use a blend of
    wool and Tencel-brand lyocell or Ecco Tex, a blend of wool and recycled PET plastic. Both hand-loomed and hand-tufted as well as machine made options are available.

    The majority of their styles feature neutral colors and subtle, small-scale patterns such as stripes, check, tweed, and houndstooth, although you’ll also find a few bold geometric designs. If you don’t see anything that quite suits your needs, J. Mish can create a custom carpet based on your vision. Just find one of their carpets that’s close to your ideal and share your preferences for pattern, color, texture, or other features with a designer.

    Fabrica

    Founded in 1974 and recently purchased by the Dixie Group, the Fabrica brand offers luxury wool and nylon carpets made in Southern California. Their wool carpets are produced from Dixie Group’s Strong Wool, a blend of British wool and New Zealand ZQ Premium Wool, a brand of ethically produced merino.

    Most styles carry understated patterns in colors that stand out from the norm without calling attention to themselves. Many use subtle color variegation to create visual interest. Several patterns with a Southern European flair draw on long-standing traditions for designs that lend a vintage ambiance to the room.

    Stanton Carpet Corporation

    Stanton owns several high-end residential carpet brands, including Stanton, Hiberia, Antrim, Rosecore, Crescent, and Cavan, most of which are manufactured in Calhoun, Georgia. They offer a wide selection of wool, wool blends, nylon, and Tencel carpets, many of which are hand-loomed or hand-tufted. If you love wool, look to the Hiberia or Cavan brands.  

    Stanton’s carpet brands are an excellent place to start if you’re looking for a truly eye-catching pattern. Stars, animal prints, intricate damask and Persian-style, distressed, and bold abstract prints are all options. The Antrim and Rosecore brands are especially good sources of unusual patterns.

    Anderson Tuftex

    Owned by Shaw Industries with manufacturing based in Southern California, the Anderson Tuftex brand carries high-quality carpets in modest styles and neutral colors made predominantly from nylon, including eco-friendly Anso nylon, as well as a few polyester blend styles.

    In the Maker Collection, you’ll find high-end carpets designed to evoke the individuality of handcrafted floor coverings. The Classics Collection offers styles with a timeless simplicity that suits a modern city apartment and a rustic cabin equally well.

    Pet lovers will appreciate the PetPerfect Collection, made with durable fibers specially designed to resist stains and pet hair for easy cleaning. These carpets also resist fading and can be cleaned with bleach, so they’re ideal for high-traffic homes. Many styles in the Maker and Classic Collections are also part of the PetPerfect Collection.

    Interested in other types of flooring? Get a quote from flooring experts near you.

    Hardwood Flooring
    In general, the cost of hardwood flooring tends to range between $3 and $10 per square foot before labor costs.
    GET ESTIMATES
    Carpeted Flooring
    In general, the cost of carpet tends to range between $2 and $10 per square foot depending on the material and style.
    GET ESTIMATES
    Laminate Flooring
    Laminate floors will cost anywhere from $2 to $8 per square foot depending on the thickness of the fiberboard base layer.
    GET ESTIMATES
    Get a Flooring Installation Estimate From Local Experts
    Typical Cost: $6 – $24 per sq foot
    Editorial Contributors
    avatar for Henry Parker

    Henry Parker

    Henry Parker is a home improvement enthusiast who loves to share his passion and expertise with others. He writes on a variety of topics, such as painting, flooring, windows, and lawn care, to help homeowners make informed decisions and achieve their desired results. Henry strives to write high quality guides and reviews that are easy to understand and practical to follow. Whether you are looking for the best electric riding lawn mower, the easiest way to remove paint from flooring, or the signs of a bad tile job, Henry has you covered with his insightful and honest articles. Henry lives in Florida with his wife and two kids, and enjoys spending his free time on DIY projects around the house. You can find some of his work on Today’s Homeowner, where he is a regular contributor.

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