Hardwood, no question. The happiest day of my home decorating life in this house was the one last summer in which my son ripped out the LAST of the wall-to-wall carpet, in his bedroom, and laid hardwood. Now I have wood in the foyer, LR, DR, hall and all 3 bedrooms. As many others have pointed out it is far easier to keep clean, and I love the clean spare appearance of the wood floors. My son also ran the flooring directly through the hallway and into the bedrooms so there are no thresholds and it makes the space look larger. Someday when I do a full remodel of my kitchen I'll continue the same wood flooring into there and the back contiguous hall. A few months ago as a stopgap we pulled up the horrible homeade vinyl floor in there and laid a laminate floor that looks similar to the wood, just a lot less expensive. My goal is that the only non-hardwood flooring in my house will be tile in our florida room, which is a separate (added-on before we bought the house) space. Hardwood rules! Ann

We just went through this thought process and actually decided to forego the new carpeting. We wanted to put in something stain resistant and attractive and the cost was looking upwards of $6k. I work with many young professionals and the feedback I got from them was "no carpet." Apparently the hardwoods/laminates are really preferred among this set. If you're still staying w/ carpet, and if you go down the road of seeking something that is soft, stain/wear resistant, and attractive, then I would recommend looking into the carpets made w/ Dupont Sorona techonology. Mohawk has the exclusive line right now and IMHO it is noticeably softer than the Stainmaster options we felt; it is also made from corn so it is "green." However, if you're only carpeting for show then maybe you don't want to go that route...? Sorry - can't help w/ color. Certainly no one told me that light colors are "out" when we were pondering these issues. Multi-colored friezes were definitely pushed by the carpet places but frankly my young professional friends were not fans (!).

I had a very similar looking room with a very similar looking carpet and even the tile at the entry way. A rug would work over the wall to wall carpeting. DO NOT get a cheap polyester one, get a good natural fiber one. I got a great deal on a wool Persian style rug, but a woven wool or heavy cotton one would work too. Not sure about something like sisal, those were out of my price range. Otherwise a cheap olefin/polypro. one like they sell in discount stores will curl on the ends and really, really not stay put and eventually set itself in a non-flat shape you won't be able to hang/stretch back out. I started with one like that, hated it. Have a small area one like that now over our carpet, hate it again. As it is, prepare for constant rug creep no matter what, even if you get a rubbery under pad. Even if you try tacking it down. Best bet is high-end heavy carpet and just readjust every once and a while.

Hi Kate, We live in NYC area, go to several open houses a month, many are multi million dollar properties. On this end the answer is "no." Grey is very popular here and sends a mental note to perspective buyers that the property has been updated. Anything that is beige screams "builder" and all white walls translates to "landlord-rental paint" Currently, buyers here shudder at anything in the orangy-red colors. I've heard countless people mumble at open houses "we'd have to redo the floors" when presented with outdated, bright orangey colored wood floors. White kitchens and subway tile is received with relief and enthusiasm. Having said that, "grey" comes in so many different shades that it's easy for everyone to find one they like. Agree with everyone above though, find what you like and go with it! We have lots of grey in our home and love it, but our grey is in paint only and at that, on accent walls. I could easily have it changed in a heartbeat.