HI Emily Carpeting bedrooms is only dictated by your budget. The only variable is the price of the carpet, all other costs (installation, smoothedge, underlay) will be the same no matter what you choose. When you say remove wooden floors....do you know what is already installed? If you are only wanting to take the wood from the bedrooms but leave it in hallways etc, then the cost to remove wood planks (laminate?) may be around $20 per m2... A lot depends on how the timber was installed, so I think it's best to get in a professional and get a free quote. Good luck.

Hello Marcelle, I am an interior designer . I can tell you a simple inexpensive way to change the look of your kitchen. Looking at the photo you sent the different cabinet heights , and all the objects on the stove wall are very busy . Your modern house is wanting a cleaner , simple look. I would lower the small cabinets so that the top is at the same height as the others in the room. And put doors on , that will hide the clutter. Next I would do a tile backsplash above the stove , up to the same height. The whole kitchen will be pulled together by the continuous top line. There is a small light wood cabinet with baskets in the foreground . I would paint it white , or the same dark accent color of the cabinets you have. I don't think you would need to change the beams then , they would add interest and drama once everything else was subdued. Lisa

Teal sounds beautiful for your splashback, I love vibrant and bright colours in the kitchen - you never see them enough! I think your worries are right as well, dark carpet and a dark bench would be too much darkness - a lighter benchtop would work well with the other colours! Marble is a classic for benchtops, but depending on how you did the wood, it wouldn't look fake at all! What did you decide on doing?

Beauty and practicality; Mmmmmm ..... When it is something that you love .... real wooden floors. Now vinyl just gets dirty , Ply looses it functionality, real wood however gains a patina. You want that. People pay thousands of dollars for that. Go with the most genuine example that you can afford of what you love. Factor in your budget and add to it, an area at a time and be pleased that your life gives character to it every day. By analogy; A mahogany french polished table will just give you a nervous break down every time someone doesn't use a coaster ... a hardwood table can be replenished over and over with hard wearing protective surface .... which you can repair. If you love it, if it adds genuine warmth and character, you won't mind maintenance. You won't be saying ...." look at this floor , isn't it amazing? It looks just like the real thing?"