Red dust is what a rug in Dabolim has to live with. It is carried up in the lift on shoes and blown through open windows from the plateau in the dry months, and it works down into a deep pile where a vacuum cannot reach. A low, dense pile in polypropylene or nylon releases it easily, and a mat at the front door and another at the balcony catch most of it first. The high floors are airy and dry out fast, so a flat-woven cotton or wool rug is not ruled out, but large windows put sun on the floor, and a mottled or mixed colour hides both fading and dust.
- Living rooms in apartment blocks: a low-pile synthetic rug under the seating, which also softens footsteps for the flat below.
- Bedrooms used for daytime sleep: a rug beside the bed in a mixed colour, small enough to carry out and shake on the balcony.
- Home offices and study corners: carpet tiles, so that one tile stained or worn by a chair can be swapped.
Dabolim sits on the plateau above the Zuari, between Vasco and Cortalim, and is where Goa's older airport and the naval air station are. The plateau has filled with apartment complexes and gated colonies whose residents work at the airport, the navy, Verna and Vasco.
Housing here is mostly mid-rise and high-rise apartments, many on upper floors with wide views. Windows are large and exposed. Blackout is in demand in bedrooms because of shift work at the airport, and many flats are let furnished.
The plateau is open to wind from the sea and the river. Aircraft noise is part of life, and red laterite dust blows in the dry months. Heavier lined curtains help a little with noise, and smooth blinds are quicker to clean of dust.
Apartments and town flats
In a flat, a rug under the seating softens noise for the neighbours below. Leave a border of floor showing around it. Carpet tiles suit a home office because one stained tile can be changed.
Hilltop and plateau homes
Airy rooms on high ground dry quickly, which is good for natural-fibre rugs. Large open windows mean more sun on the floor, so choose colours that will not show fading along one edge.
