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Live Lounge

Jo Whiley

Radio DJ and presenter Jo Whiley is one of the country’s most popular presenters who also fronts the coverage of Glastonbury.

She has interviewed music legends and her most memorable moment was introducing Sir Paul McCartney. She counts Beyoncé as one of her all-time favourite festival performances.

Jo tours the country with her ‘90s Anthem club nights, sharing her love of music and dancing to the songs she grew up with. She loves bringing people together and would now happily swap camping for her lovely family home.

We caught up with Jo after another momentous Glastonbury and asked her what her home means to her and why she chose Alternative.

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley

Wool Pebble carpet

Firstly, the most important thing to Jo about her home is that it is relaxed. She has a busy family. There are six of them in the home and that means there are generally more than 6 people in the house with friends. Jo's main priority? She just wants everyone to be so relaxed and comfortable.

Her 2 key words are RELAXED and COMFORTABLE.

"Obviously working in the music industry all my life, there is a lot of memorabilia around and for every little thing there is a story behind it."

Sisal Herringbone bespoke rug

Jo really likes vibrant colours, she finds them energising. She also really cares about texture and the feel of things; she loves velvet for the sofas and cushions.

In Jo's own words, "I like things to be interesting, memories from our lives around us."

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley, Wool Knot bedroom carpet

Wool Knot carpet

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley, the Live Lounge

So how did Jo go about choosing flooring for her home?

Jo and her family live in a barn conversion with amazing flagstones, and they are lucky enough to have underfloor heating. She walk around barefoot a lot of the time, so textures are really important to her.

She also loves the feeling of comfort rugs can bring to the room. She states "the Make Me A Rug Service was so easy!" Downstairs, she chose to have lots of soft rugs that she can sit on and watch tv. Then she chose a sisal rug for the hallway and the main thoroughfare; and finally a lovely soft carpet in the snug.

Jo simply loves the luxury of a soft wool carpet which they have in their upstairs spaces.

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley, Wool Pebble chunky bespoke rug

Wool Pebble bespoke rug

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley, Wool Pebble made to measure rug

Jo decided to choose a wool carpet because she loves the look of it.

As she says, "I have got to that time in my life where I am feeling a little bit more grown up. I am never going to completely grow up but also my kids are a little bit older – so there are less spillages."

Wool appealed to Jo because she wanted to be a little more sophisticated. It’s a natural product, its breathable and its acoustic properties are really good – Jo mentioned that the house can be a little echoey and she found that there is something about the sound quality when you have fitted wool carpet.

Jo chose to have Wool Pebble floor coverings downstairs.

Upstairs she chose to have the Wool Knot Arbor because it is a little less dense for underfloor heating.

She simply loves the luxury of wool carpet, and the lovely comfort it brings when walking around barefoot.

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley, Wool bedroom carpet

Alternative Flooring at Home with Jo Whiley, chunky wool carpet

And what did Jo think of her carpet fitting experience?

"It matters when someone comes into your home. Our local flooring retailer, Whilton Locks, an Alternative key retail partner, advised us on the carpets and they were so accommodating. It really is important to shop locally. They were just brilliant!"