I have a townhome I am trying to get ready to re-rent. I need to cut costs somewhere because I am having to make a lot of repairs, updates, etc. but I want something that resists stains, and generally holds up to tenant abuse. I have been advised that a tight weave Berber would be my best bet for the living room, stairs and bedrooms. And I was planning to use porcelain tile in the breakfast room, laundry, kitchen, bathrooms. I don't want to have to do this again in 2, 3 or 6 years. Am I making the right choices? Now I have a bigger problem as well. This townhouse is about 30 years old. The entry way is red brick, and it butts up against the living room on one side (carpet). I was going to have it torn out and replaced with the tile but every carpet/tile place tells me that will cost me a lot to tear out the brick, depending on whether it is a full brick or half brick and what is under it. Since I don't know the answers to these questions (don't know if there is a way to tell, do you?), I just had a thought (strange as that may be)! I know they stain concrete and paint concrete. Could I do something like that right over the brick?? What would this entail? Its about a 6x6 area. Any experts out there? or "been there, done thats"? [Its not flat. You know, the grout lines (mortar) aren't level with the brick.] Need some answers pretty quick. Have to get this thing on the market PDQ. Thanks.

Thank you everyone! PK I used to have that exact set up with a love seat and two chairs. I got rid of all of it because they looked dated. CP if I did use the bench how would I situate it in front of the fireplace? Sorry I am good with colors usually but not interior design. lascatx-thank you. Once everything is ready to go I will be planting flowers in the barrel by the front porch, having a hanging flower planter on the hook by the porch and spruce that all up. We have a nice porch wicker set that we ordered all new cushions for. Everything in this house should look brand new by the time we are done.

Are you talking about that upper narrow wall straight ahead in the second pic or the wall one faces from the door (where the little pictures are)? Either way, that would be a great spot to show a little humour with art. I would take down those 4 frames and put something up that’s a little out of the box and makes you happy when you look at it. The pieces you hang should be fairly large though. We have a regular here who was looking for something to put in her hall and she went with a large color picture of a cow. It was cute and unexpected. Of course the art doesn’t have to be a cow but I think I would definetly do something fun. There were a couple she was looking at and I don’t know which one she ended up going with, but these were the contenders. The first one is called the barnyard selfie, and the one below is Betsy. Betsy was pretty popular in the thread.

Your home looks lovely and those floors are incredible. You must be in the northeast. The trick with this space is the scaling of the furniture. That's why I love telephone tables. Here is one I found on craigslist with perfect dimensions 29"wide x 19"deep x 32"high. These are great little pieces and enormously practical. With that being 19"deep, you have 45" side to side to work in the console. Go for something 10" deep and as long as you feel is the right length. Console bases can be made from anything and tops in wood/glass/stone. In your space, consider a mirror as large as possible to open it up. Carefully curating everything is the key for a well designed small space. I posted this pic to show you that even with many items in an entrance, it works and still looks open. I personally like classic contemporary, but layering interesting items looks welcoming and exciting.