If you were redoing carpeting and wall color in a room, which would you choose first?

Choose the rug first because paint colors can be custom mixed.

Your floor choice is probably the more permanent of the two. I would make sure you get that right (and I suggest staying neutral).

The carpet. Do you already have your color pallet for the room? A piece of fabric or something you saw on line? I usually like light walls, so depending on the colors I want in the room that would help dictate where I go with the carpet. In a living room I would be thinking about the furniture color also at the same time I am choosing carpet. In a bedroom, if you like patterns on your bed coverings, you could consider that first. That could be your fabric to work from.

If there is any chance you might sell sometime soon go neutral with the carpet, paint is more readily changed.

If it’s wall to wall carpeting, then I’d say get the carpeting first. If it’s an area rug, I’d say paint the walls first.

For paint color, I’d recommend picking out a few sample colors and putting them on the wall (small areas) so you can look at them and see how the sun and other light hits them. Then make the big decision. You can also do a feature wall with one or two walls one color and then the rest another color.

I would probably choose the wall color first, as that is what I would be looking at the most.

I would choose the wall color first and then choose the floor that would match, but would also match other alternative wall colors.

I’d choose carpet color first.

I was just thinking that when I have built houses and you go to the design center to pick all the cabinets, flooring, doors, faucets, the last thing is almost always the wall color. A small adjustment might happen once looing at the paint colors, but not usually.

The jellies who pick wall color first, do you pick very colorful walls and neutral flooring usually?

I find the answers surprising.

One would choose a light color wall in order to make that room look bigger.

It depends on what you want to emphasize in a room and the reason.

Usually a feature wall is different but complementary and a focal point feature.

Those decisions should be thought out first before choosing colors etc.

Another consideration is to decide how long on will likely stay in that home as any

homeowners sell within a few years and thus do NOT have wall to wall carpeting but rather

have hardwood floors put in and use area carpets instead.

Maybe consult with designer for ideas?

@Inspired_2write Thanks but I’m fairly confident in my decorating skills. This was a specific question.

@JLeslie I pick by mood, entirely. Sometimes big color, sometimes not.

@janbb
Then Do the walls first deciding on feature wall color’s etc.

The wall first. That eliminates the risk of paint stains on the carpet.

I choose the color-feel of the room first in my mind and then go looking for what works together to get as close as possible. Neutral colors are not for me.

I’ve never been able to pick everything in a room at one time, so I always have to work with what’s there, carpet or furniture or whatever, and let it evolve over time. But I did come close when I chose three shades of purple for the walls and ceiling of my daytime room. The room was always going to be dark, so I went with dark. I loved the result.

Well, I will never go with wall-to-wall carpeting again, for as long as I live.

I vote for walls. You can paint a bit and then see if you like it.

@janbb: Are you doing wall to wall or area rug?

FYI….we got an area carpet in the remnant section at Lowes . The edges are finished (or were until baby brat Cato chewed one side off!) It’s like 20ft by 17ft. It’s a neutral tan color. It feels like wall to wall, but it’s not. And it was only $60. Simple to replace, unlike actual carpeting.
The floor is laminate wood flooring so it’s nice with no carpet.

@JLeslie – not very colorful, personally. I like neutral with small pops of accents. But I have never in my life been in a position to design anything from scratch, never even picked out (built-in) cabinets. I’ve also had either hardwood or ceramic floors, so I don’t even change those. It was fully hypothetical for me.

When I do this, it will be wall to wall, replacing a wall to wall. And as I said in my details, this is about choosing first, not whether to paint first. The main colors in the room will not be changed; I have a wonderful quilt on the walls and the bed. Just the carpet and the walls.

I would choose the carpet first. To me, texture is just as important as color. I have bold tastes in artwork, so I prefer very plain walls.

@Hawaii_Jake I think I’m leaning that way mainly because there are so many different shades and gradations of paint whereas carpet choices can be somewhat limited. Both will be relatively neutral in any case but with some color.

I would do the paint first. The reason I say this is because sometimesyou think you are going to like color and then you find you can’t live with it. Unless it’s a color you had before. I’ve done the opposite. Put down a carpet and think it would work with the colors I would like and it didn’t. It was an autumn color carpet with a lovely design and it looked great in a bright store. So when I chose a color that would go well with it, I hated the color. So I changed it to a color I did love and got rid of the carpet.

Oh, one more thing. If you like to change your pictures or wall art and try different color frames then choose a neutral color for your wall. One that can go with light or dark colors. And you should try to avoid matching your carpet to your furniture. Choose a color that will either make it the centerpiece or hi-light your furniture. Also be patient. It took me 2 years to find the right rug for my living room but it was worth the wait. It opened up the room and made it brighter.

Agree with @jca2. I’d go with whichever is more permanent.

Carpet before paint.
Paint before area rug.

(Kind of want to see before and after pictures now!)

@raum It’s just a twinkle in my mind’s eye at the moment. Hoping to do some work on the kitchen first.

(Ooh…want pictures of that too.)