You are right that the downstairs being a refinished space won’t feel “historic” but keeping the design choices to something more cohesive with an old house is what we are saying. I had a 1925 colonial and was very conscious of keeping it consistent. I chose a simple maple cabinet when I redid the kitchen. But I also had a television in the living room. We live modern lives but our historic architecture deserves some sense of preservation. No, you don’t have to do the basement the way many of us are suggesting. But it will feel more like “it’s always been finished” if you consider the structure itself as you make design decisions. Not nagging you but sharing a different perspective.

Shelley, I love her choices. Great wallpaper. I think the curtains you show could work very well with the paper — the colors and pattern. For a rug, what is your budget? What size do you need? My first thought was a white or ivory shag rug. It would be plush and soft, and not compete with the other elements. It’s barely showing here, but I like the natural woven rug here with that paper, too (but she’ll probably want something softer and thicker):

Agree about painting all one color and adding drapes (I love a slubby white linen against soft white walls but that’s a me thing) + add nice lamps to the bedside tables (make sure they are not too small, I love the room&board Serena lamp) also change out the ceiling fan to a sleek modern one, no light I would be tempted to move the dresser where those canvas are leaning on the walls and mount the TV above it on a swing arm that can be pulled out pivoted to face the bed - then I would want some fabulous room screen to block off the view of the desk from the bed - seems like the room is big enough to pull off and it will help reduce the visible work clutter - WFH is part of life for sure but it’s nice not to look at it when you’re in bed

I hope you find a match for your flooring. Maybe contacting a local floor company to come over & offer some suggestions & see if they can find a match for you. That can be a challenge once discontinued trying to find that on your own.. Sometimes builders or previous owners leave extra leftover pieces in basement or attic or garage. If there's another room or closet that's not as obvious, has same flooring that can be relocated. Depends on how it was attached, if it can be removed without damaging. Or a creative solution is a " rug tile look". It's when tile or something different is installed around the perimeter of the island. If done right, it can look good as an accent. This post has some photo examples. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4502541/tile-around-the-island-only Hope you find a solution that works & turns out beautiful :)