In 1800s-early 1900s houses, it was common to have different woods on floors ... with the degree of expensiveness declining as you went away from public areas. I lived near one house where the flooring changed from rare hardwoods (inlaid, of course) in the areas visitors would see, to good oak in the family's bedrooms and private areas, to pine planks in the servants quarters. The moldings going up the staircases declined in ornateness with each floor, too. Carved walnut became less ornate oak became plain poplar painted wainscoting as you went up. Often the lower floor's flooring was continued up a staircase, with the change taking place as you stepped onto the next floor. Or at least until the wood was out of sight of the guests ... I have seen staircases where the switch happened at the landing because the upper part of the stairs was out of sight. "The stairs go halfway up to a landing, then 180 degree turn to go up the rest of the way, if that matters. " Take some photos and spend time with an editing software: maybe light wood on the stairs would be a nice contrast, maybe not. Maybe painting the risers to match the moldings and having dark tread would look best. Or match the risers to the lower floor color and the treads to the upper floor Lots of choices and none of them are "wrong".

I would install the laminate up to the tile and then stop. Laminate is not wood. It is a photograph of wood on fibre board (something like very dense paper mache). Laminate does not do very well in kitchens. The tile is the most appropriate floor out of the two. If you install the laminate in the kitchen you will immediately void the warranty. If you MUST do it, you will install thick plywood (could be 3/4" thick) to run up to the tile (should be even). Then you will use self leveling compound the bridge the gap between the plywood and the tile. Then you will install the laminate over the tile. But beware. Your doorways (and your appliances) will have to be adjusted. Most doors are hung to accommodate 3/4" floors. Carpets are often 3/4" thick (with the pad). And tiles are often 3/4" thick. A laminate on top of tile can and will muck up anything/everything it comes near. It is better to remove the tile than it is to lay plywood. You could be forced to remove, trim and rehang all the doors (not to mention the dishwasher won't fit and possibly the fridge won't fit and the range will no longer sit flush with the counters.

At this stage in your family & needing toy storage, have you considered the cube type cabinet pieces from IKEA with pullout drawer baskets? I found those to be a lifesaver when my kids were small & a great way to keep toys organized. I even labeled the drawers so that as they learned to read, they also learned which toys went to which drawers. It made it easier when it came to picking up (& finding) toys. Above the cube shelving, I could see a fun collage on the wall with favorite family photos, & artwork mixed in a way you like. The key on such a large wall is not using tiny photos & artwork but going a bit larger. Make sure to secure cube shelving to the wall (especially if you have climbers!). Then, you could put a couple live plants in the space. Maybe 1 or 2 on top of the shelving and then a large taller one to one side. Or, faux plants if live plants aren't your thing. I love live plants in a home though. :-) The natural light coming in is fantastic!

@G & S services Well, I found a stair place, and they have complete landings. They look just like the treads, same bullnose front, same build of strips glued together, but they are 4’ x 4’ or (5’ x 5’). This place does installations as well as sales (but scheduling weeks out). He offered to tell me what I should be charged for labor. In the process, I showed him the crappy subfloor and I explained that the contractor says the labor will be expensive (especially versus the laminate labor) because removing the existing treads snd landings is labor intensive (due in part to nails versus screws and irregular nailing pattern). The sales guy asked why they are doing all that removal, and he explained how they hanfle my situation: ———- [sorry pictures are split up. 3rd is at bottom) Cut off part of the 2x12 tread to remove the overhanging part. Do the cutting IN PLACE. The 2 x 12 is now flush with riser — no overhang.. Install the new tread on top of the old. It will overhang. install the new riser to cover the front edge of the old tread where you cut it off. NOTE: It does mean that the first step is taller by 1-1/16” and the top step to the landing is shorter. All the intermediate steps will have the same height as before. ————— Any thoughts? My contractor thinks it will cause a trip hazard (which is what I said of the laminate stairnose lip at the 2nd floor.) But we are both afraid of what we’ll find under the treads and landings.