Color gives a room personality. Says Vicki Gilstrap, Mohawk's director of color and design for residential carpet, "You can actually create a room mood with color. For a lighter feel, try using natural or earth tones. Light colors expand a room. Dark hues provide coziness. On the practical side, dark colors help disguise soils and stains in high-traffic areas."

The interior of your home should be designed as an interrelated unit. Think of it as a whole rather than a series of unrelated spaces. Rooms open into other rooms. The textures, colors, and patterns of your carpets can create a pleasing, harmonious effect - or one that is jumbled and visually disturbing.

Your floors are the "fifth wall" of a room, connecting all the design elements. When choosing a color scheme, consider the walls, window treatments, and other furnishings, as well as any special effects you wish to create.

For example, wall-to-wall carpet tends to expand the space of a room. An unbroken sweep of color, especially a light color with a smooth texture, fools the eye into seeing more space than really exists. In very small rooms, paint the walls the same light color as the carpet. Cover the sofa or bed in fabrics of the same hue, varying the texture for visual interest.

Conversely, larger rooms can seem more intimate with a rich, deep-color carpet in a sculptured texture. Upholstered pieces can be covered in contrasting or boloder colors or patterns that a large area can accommodate.

The right color carpet in a room can affect its character. A room that lacks sunlight can be warmed by sunny, bright yellows, oranges, and reds. ON teh other hand, coolo colors, such as blues and greens, can create a serene feeling in a room that's too sunny.

Vibrant, lively colors are good for family rooms or kitchens. More formal rooms are enhanced by elegant pastels or traditional, old-world colors.