hedgehoggy--we went with Mohawk's Sorona Smartstrand and love it. We also have a Dyson and have had no problems with the strands fuzzing up--it is a little harder to push the Dyson than with my old carpet, but not a big deal. Depending on the level you choose, the length of the strand will be shorter or longer. Our dealer's name for the level we chose goes by the names Intelligent Style or Posh Origins--60oz wt. At that weight, the strand length is longer--not quite short shag/frieze but not your standard plush pile either. Its sort of a combination of the two that comes off as casual yet elegant/luxurious. And it is SOOOOOOO soft! Smartstrand comes in MANY different colors. Grecian Column or Paper Moon colors are neutral and would blend with either the grey or the cream you mention in your post. You can't beat the stain & wear properties of Smartstrand either. It costs a little more than other carpets, but like our carpet dealer said--we would change the carpet out for a different color scheme due to redecorating before we had to replace it due to wear & tear of everyday life.

Hope this helps!

This post was edited by mydreamhome on Thu, Dec 13, 12 at 23:52