How about something like cork? It's still soft on your feet, but easier to clean, and if it's an entirely different texture/color the wood continuity issue is solved as well? Also it's cheaper than hardwood, but more durable than carpet.

Go wood and then add an area rug. It will be great for resale PLUS better for allergies. A must for bedrooms. And you can change out fun area rugs with your changing styles!

You could put in a more or less dramatically different wood so that you don't have to worry about whether it matches well. I think it's really a personal preference--I would never choose carpet, but prefer wood with area rugs.

carpet is yucks. When you remove this one, you'll see the subfloor is a little lower so the transition might be perfectly fine if you install new hardwood. Hopefully your subfloor is nice and even.
Even if there's a lip, that's better then carpet.

Wood all the way. Carpet is disgusting.

Could you do concrete floors and then get a large area rug so that you have something soft on your feet around the bed? That way you wouldn't have to worry about matching the wood. I have wall to wall carpet in both bedrooms and the living room in our apartment and I hate it.

I greatly prefer carpet in the bedroom. Wood is twice as expensive, plus you have to cover it with a rug. I like the feeling of bare feet on thick carpet.

That said, I've taken up the carpet and I'm installing wood floors in my bedrooms because of pets. Pets and carpets just don't work.

Another vote for wood here. It looks as if the swing area of the door into the bedroom provides a transition space. You might use that as a visually defined transition area between the wood in your bedroom and elsewhere--for example, by laying wood in a pattern or a different direction, using a different stain there, or putting tile or cork in that space. That would clearly separate the wood in your bedroom from the rest of the apartment's wood.

I would go with hardwoods. I would pull up a board or two of the old hardwood and bring it somewhere that can match up an identical (or extremely similar) stain color. Also, try to put it down in the same or similar pattern as the old stuff. Sure the wood would be newer, but if you do it right it will be difficult to tell a drastic difference.

Wood. It's much, much cleaner and you will sleep better as a result. If you feel compelled to put your feet on something soft when you get out of bed, put in a small area rug, preferably the kind you can stick in the washer.

Definitely wood! Since the room begins on the long side of the existing floorboards there should be absolutely no problem creating a seamless transition. And hardwoods are so much cleaner and last forever, as opposed to carpet.

When I bought my house, there was a large burned area on the hardwood floor in one of the bedrooms that was hidden by carpet. I hired a company that does hardwood floors to replace the wood in the burned area and they were able to match the rest of the floor exactly. So I say go with hardwood.

By the way, I wouldn't pull up any of the old hardwood. Have a hardwood floor company come to your house to give you a bid. If they're any good, they'll know how to match the stain.

Wood -- with some beautiful area rugs.

Seems unnecessarily expensive to put down hardwoods only to cover them up with area rugs. Just spend some of that extra money to get some higher quality carpet. As far as resale value, I've seen many high-end homes with carpet in the bedrooms but hardwood in the common areas and hallways.

Newer carpets have good warranties against wear and I think our Dyson can handle keeping it clean. Carpet is less likely to get disgusting when it's in a bedroom and you can take shoes off.

what do you like to feel under your feet?

Go with hardwood. Great resale value, easy to clean, easy on the eyes. I find carpet absolutely disgusting because you can never get it 100% clean and you never know what can get trapped in the pad underneath. *Shudder.*

Screw hardwood. The bed rolls or slides annoyingly from even such innocent activities a dropping into bed at night, sounds are amplified (if you have downstairs neighbors, they'll hate you) and it's cold on your feet in the morning. I like carpet. There's a reason I dropped the cash to get a huge area rug that covers all but a few inches around the edges of the room.

Wood. If anything, I think the transition from hardwood to carpet is more visually appalling than different stains of wood. Either match the stain or go with an obviously different stain to add visual interest.

I like the feel of cold hardwood and cold tile under my feet. I can't understand why anyone would want heated tile in the bathroom.

My bed doesn't roll around on my hardwood floor.

we installed radiant heat under our hardwood floor. warm feet all the time and easy to keep clean.

"The bed rolls or slides annoyingly"
@Tiamat, do you have a hardwood floor or ice?

I put runners on the side of the bed and a bigger rug at the foot. Under the bed gets so dusty, it's easier to clean if it's a solid surface instead of carpeting or a large area rug.

Hands down hardwood.

Hardwood FTW! Carpet stains, holds onto dirt, is bad for allergies, and becomes outdated in a jiffy (remember when dark pink and hunter green carpet was all the rage? Only to be replaced with beige and white only to be replaced with...). Hardwood, whether it matches or not, is timeless. Yes you will want to add rugs to make it cozy but I love how a rich rug looks when the hardwood is peeking out from all around it. So grand!

P.S How old is the house and how new are the floors? You might pull up the carpet only to find lovely floors underneath hidden away from the previous carpet loving owner.

After about a decade of carpeted bedrooms in apartments (that I wasn't allowed to change) prior to moving into my hardwoods-everywhere house in 2009, I can safely say that I am NEVER voluntarily living with wall-to-wall carpet anywhere in my home again. I had near-daily horrible sinus headaches in my apartment from all the carpet-borne dust -- which I don't get anymore, even with four indoor cats sharing the space (I do sweep a lot, but it's MUCH easier to control the ambient dust-load now).

As for "foot feel", I much prefer the cleanliness of hardwood, no matter how cold (socks are always an option), to the grossness of carpet. Brand NEW carpet doesn't necessarily feel gross, but it will eventually both feel and BE gross. You can't ever really get it clean, and eventually the padding underneath disintegrates and becomes disgusting. And as far as resale value goes, I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I passed over *quite* a few of them due to the horrible stained musty-dusty carpeting in the bedrooms in particular...it was just depressing and awful to look at. Ugh. Even a rug that covers the whole floor is better than carpet, because at least you can remove the rug to actually clean once in a while.

Hardwood all the way! Match the closest color to your existing wood. Lay the wood perpendicular to the wood in the hallway.

Stain the "threshhold" area (like 2-3 boards, or add one wider board?) in a purposefully darker color. Your eye won't see the difference between the bedroom and hallway next to the darker threshhold.

like this, but pretend it's wood:
http://ofb.net/~ania/life/mastermart/pics/20100220-_DSC0760.jpg

It's around 10F degrees outside, not counting the windchill. Tonight I'm voting for carpet.

I am a big fan of hardwood flooring and putting it everywhere. HOWEVER....in this case I would vote for carpet.
1) you cant match the stain, or the wood. Unless it is from the same BATCH it wont match.
2) Dark or mismatched wood would look out of place
3) A bedroom should be warm, romantic, etc. Not cool..unless you live in florida

I would splurge for a high quality cream 100% wool Berber. Clean it professionally once a year; have a fabric protector applied each time and it should last 20+ years.

I grew up with a house that was pretty much had carpet in all the bedrooms. And when my husband and I purchased and renovated our home we put in hardwood floors in all the bedrooms and I don't regret it at all because it's easier to clean and you can see dust. Carpet tends to attract a lot of dust and over time it gets stretched out and worn looking. In my opinion I say you can't go wrong with hardwood floors and if expense is an issue you can always look into engineered hardwood or bamboo flooring. I'd just make sure you have a nice thick underlayer. And if you still want that soft feeling you can add an area rug.

I'm pondering the exact same thing right now, and once we're ready, we're leaning towards carpet. We've had hardwood for a year and while I love the look, the cleanability and the classic nature. BUT, if yours is at all creaky like ours, I'm hoping carpet will tone that down a bit, and we have hardwood EVERYWHERE else in our house, i just really want a little softness under my feet at times. And really.... it's not like you eat every meal in the bedroom, it's not going to get that dirty. I just really don't understand getting brand new hardwood and THEN a huge rug to cover it all up... defeats the purpose. While carpet is often looked down upon for allergies and dust, at least it keeps it out of the air right? (a decent vacuum should do the trick of taking these away but don't go rub your face in the carpet!). Hardwood IS easy to clean, but does require it to be done OFTEN. Also know that carpet has come a LONG way, you can buy carpet that's been treated with Stain Master and an undercushion that is 'antimicrobial'. Good luck... in the end remember that they both have ups and downs and whatever you want under your feet in the morning will be your best option. Oh as for matching... I if you try to match, it'd probably come close, but never be the same.

Definitely hardwood.

But since it is an apartment, I would try to mitigate noise with area rugs, curtains and other textiles.

Hardwood. Doorway makes a pretty natural barrier. Unless you are for some reason fond of carpet, then go with what you like. You don't need area rugs if you don't feel like it. It could just be decorative, and carpets can benefit from area rugs in the same way as hardwood. Or maybe just have a rug for colder weather?

A couple of things to consider: the off-gassing of new carpeting can be terrible. I know that I suffer with headaches. Being forced to sleep for 8 hours a night in a room which is off-gassing would be torture. Also, beware chemical treatments like stainmaster: they create indoor air pollution, and should be investigated for health dangers.

Area rugs, on the other hand, can be easily washed, especially in summer and don't contribute to indoor air pollution or allergies.

We've added wood to several rooms in several houses and have had no problem matching. Talk to some good (not necessarily expensive...check Yelp) hardwood flooring people. But it is pricier than carpet.

I moved into my 1st home December 2010. I ripped out brand new carpet in all of the rooms in July 2011 and my dad and I refinished the original hardwood floors ourselves. I would NEVER have carpet again. Hardwood floors all the way! :-)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Carpet is evil! Would you permanently install clothing on your body? No, because clothes get dirty and smelly and need washing. You can't wash carpeting. Your cat will barf on it (as my cat does at least once a year), your puppy will pee on it, dust and dust mites settle deep down, your foot sweat gets wiped all over it when you're barefoot and heavy traffic areas are matted down within 2 years. New carpeting makes your house smell like gluey fumes (I wonder why). Go with wood and put some smaller rugs down where needed. And wear slippers if your feet are cold.

I think the transition between woods will be okay if you don't try to match them. Go with something different from what's in the hallway and decorate that room around it so it feels like it fits. I'm a much bigger fan of fake hardwood than carpeting any day and you could even install it yourself to save money.

Hardwood, hardwood, hardwood. I had several relatives who owned and ran a family carpet cleaning business together...all of their homes had hardwood floors because carpet is a filth magnet.

It's unhealthy, too. I have asthma and the ONE time in my life when I could breathe easily at night was when I stayed in a friend's carpet-free guest room for two weeks.

Don't listen to the germophobes, Anne. Go with the carpet. It will be cheaper and quicker to install. It will be soft and warm underfoot when you get up on a cold morning. It will be quieter if you or your partner get up in the night to get a glass of water. It won't get scratched by small movements of the bed. And you won't see a lot of it as most of it will be covered by the bed and other furniture, so it doesn't need to be a feature.

@stiletto
I had several relatives who owned and ran a family carpet cleaning business together...all of their homes had hardwood floors because carpet is a filth magnet.

XDDDDD

Hardwoods, preferably reclaimed hardwood floors. Going reclaimed will probably give you a very good chance of blending (if not matching) the existing floors.

- sisal carpeting
- cork (both are warm and feel nice walking on with bare feet)
- white or black hardwoods with a rug

Wood!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I wasn't sure if this was mentioned, and you probably have already checked but have you looked under the carpet to see if there is already hardwood matching the rest of the house. In the last 5 months we had our oak floors refinished, and there was really old dirty cream vinyl tile on our hallway floor and the kitchen. Since we were already going through with the refinish we thought we'd check to see if there was oak flooring, and sure enough they had covered the original hardwood floors in that hallway and kitchen. And despite the glue and tile, when we had them rip the tiles out and refinish all the floors looked consistant and beautiful. You'd be surprised what professionals can do. And they only did this for $1300. If none of this is the case, than you might be able to match the other flooring in the house. I'm sure there are newer options similar, or you can try salvage places and get a good deal on planks of the same period as your house. In the long run, resale will better with the hardwood. And there are cheap area rugs out there.

Wood for resale and for your health (the less dust in your bedroom the better sleep you'll get - especially if you have pets). If you want something cushy as you get out of bed you can always add an area rug - or - leave your slippers right next to the bed (what I do).

Wow, I can't imagine what makes so many of you people hate carpeting so much!

We have our upper floor and basement level totally carpeted -- hardwood in the living and dining rooms and connecting hall, vinyl sheet or tile in the wet rooms. I think it's the perfect combination. We bought eco-friendly carpeting and weekly vacuuming maintains it nicely, with occasional spot cleaning (we have cats, and yes, they do barf sometimes) and every few years an overall shampoo. It's not "icky", it's warm and inviting and comfortable underfoot AND to sit on! It helps acoustically (I hate spaces that echo!) and adds a textural variation.

Maybe you guys are all renters who have lived with abused carpets. I have always lived with carpeting and even in my past rentals, they were mostly well-taken-care-of and pleasant. (Although I DO recall and orange sculptured pile with large burn holes...)

Foot sweat! hahaah..omg..well..FEMALESTUDENTOFBUILDINGS. what a picture you painted...eeeeeeeeeeeeeessshh footsweat wiped all over' . To me carpet is a horror of filth and mites and odors...and the 'off gases' for sure. Wood or the other newer kinds ,cork, et..are easily washed as much as you like, until the rinse water is clear as you like..easily dust mopped as well for dust..pet hair..etc..no floating around fibers...My apt. is all wooden floors, even the kitchen..and wonderful to keep clean and fresh..luckily for surrounding tenants, I am very quiet..with my kicking off any shoes when I come in and do NOT pound around..etc..as that would be nightmarish to others...I 'kick' my shoes off quietly and softly.;)