Wall to wall carpet or hardwood?

In my opinion, hardwood is more practical and healthier than carpet. You can dust it up easily and in a bedroom you will rarely need to scrub. An area rug can be rolled up, taken outside and beaten clean; or replaced according to your whims.

A matter of personal preference. I personally hate carpet. The carpet will be the cheaper option. Practical??? The hard surface flooring, either actual wood (the most expensive) or engineered wood or laminate. There is always a path from either wear or dirt on carpet. There have been great improvement in both laminate floors and inexpensive area rugs in the last few years.

In many ways wood floor and area rug is more practical. It is easier to clean, does not need shampooed twice a year, rugs wear out and need replacing, stain more easily, and contribute more to allergies. Cost wise, maintenance wise, time wise, and health wise, wood floors are better.

Most people are now going for the wood floors. If your floor is really cold in the winter time then I would stick to the carpet. Both, to me, are easy to keep clean. A wood floor requires more dusting because you can see it on dark floors.

wood- that way you can easily change the look with area rugs.

Hard surface with an area rug is a tried and true classic that beats wall to wall carpet any and every day. It's cleaner and easier to care for than carpet, carpet needs to be replaced more often (every 10 years at least) due to wear and cleaned more often because it holds the dirt vs. hard surface which will last at least 30 years making it more practical environmentally and economically. Hard surfaces don't stain like carpet. My best advice in choosing a hard surface is to avoid a trend color or pattern. No golden oak or chevrons, keep it classic.