Personally, I would have a difficult time justifying the removal of hardwood flooring that could be salvaged. Isn't that the novelty/value of having hardwood? If you were to savage it, and still add hardwood to the other areas, I would either stain the old to match, or go with a definate contrast. I've always been comfortable with mixing different woods/stains. Someone once told me that woods didn't have to match, God didn't make every tree in the forrest the same, different colors and shades are okay. And personaly, I like having carpet is some areas of the house, especially the bedrooms and the living room. It makes the room more cohesive? Go green, save the hardwood!

I'm not sure I understand the question. Do you want basic mouldings now that will be ripped out later when you start adding details? If so, then I'd go with the cheapest option available and I suspect that actual moulding will be cheaper than using 1x lumber. Or are you saying you want good quality but "essential" moulding now (baseboard and door/window casing) and then add things like crown and chair at a later date? I don't like MDF moulding because I find it difficult to cope and I don't think nails have the same holding power. But since you're not installing it... When sanded, primed, and two top coats, finger jointed pine should look just fine. Poplar is another option, it's a softer hardwood that takes paint very well.

Your question is the thing we struggled with the most when picking things for our house. I wanted wood grain cabinets but felt like having a different color wood floor would be ideal to stay away from what we perceived as the "log cabin" look. We decided on a natural hickory color for the floor and medium brown for the cabinets with white quartz counter tops. It looks right in my head but my wife and I are both still anxious to see what it will actually look like. Everyone else has said to hire a pro. Our builders have a interior designer that goes over the selections with each buyer. The trouble is our "style" didn't match hers. We are confident enough in our choices but we would have never hired out that work to another designer. From a cost side but also I don't feel confident enough that they would be able to help me get the look I was after more than I was anyway. I don't know if that makes sense at all but there was a lot of doubt and second guessing. There still is. I think you just have to think about it long and hard try to be sure of yourself. In the end, styles will change and you'll repaint and change carpet and whatnot. Good luck.

I rarely like mirrors in DRs but then I also do not like that style of table and certainly not with the bottom buffet I also don't like wreaths on walls inside.Or lighting that lights the ceiling instead of the table Maybe just post some pics of the actual space .