Red Carpet Awards

A record 149 guests packed into the Drawing Room at Claridge’s for the seventh Red Carpet Awards organised by the Carpet Foundation. Top figures from the magazine and TV world joined with carpet industry dignitaries to mark the editorial exposure given to carpet in the last 12 months. A special guest this year was Colin Brown, policy director at the Office of Fair Trading.

Introduced to encourage greater editorial coverage for carpet, the Awards have mushroomed in popularity. Now considered one of the most prestigious Awards in the home interest market, they are keenly contested by the magazine world and this year a record number of entries were received for all 7 categories with the standard higher than ever.

Once again, a host of well known figures from the world of interiors and journalism, adjudicated the Awards, the judging of which took place literally an hour before the Awards. The panel comprised: actress, property expert and columnist Fiona Fullerton; freelance designer and Sunday Times expert, Andrea Maflin; Brian Viner, columnist with The Independent; Kerryn Harper, former editor of House Beautiful; Sir Nicholas Lloyd, former editor of the Daily Express; and John Duncan, chairman of the Carpet Foundation.

The 2007 winners were:

Best Article/Feature - Country Living (May 2007)

Best Use of carpet in a decorating/interior scheme - Country Homes & Interiors (February 2007)

Best shopping - 25 Beautiful Homes (October 2006) and Homes & Gardens (January 2007)

Best Newcomer - Ginevra Benedetti - BBC Good Homes

Bissell Cleaning & Maintenance - House Beautiful (October 2006)

Best TV Programme - ITV 60 Minute Makeover

Best Makeover - House Beautiful (September 2006)

Commenting on the Awards, Rupert Anton, Carpet Foundation marketing director said: "We say it every time, but the Awards just get bigger and better every year. It is not just about quantity though, it is also about quality and the fact is that we get support from publishers and editors at the top to newcomers to the industry just starting out and they all mean a great deal to us. I know from my dealings with the media that the Awards do matter they all like to win things! Long may it continue!"

Guests at Claridges

Julia Goodwin, editor
House Beautiful with Rupert Anton

ITV 60 Minute Makeover team

Rachel Leedham and John Smigielski, editor, 25 Beautiful Homes with CF chairman John Duncan