When I was a kid we lived in a house that was built in the 1940s. The owners at some point had laid carpet over the hardwood flooring. My parents pulled the carpeting up and refinished the hardwood floors, making them simply beautiful. 

It's hard to believe that someone would put crappy shag carpeting over beautiful hardwood flooring, but it was all the rage many years ago. Will the trend swing back toward carpeting or will hardwood floors remain in style?

I think carpeting is better in a bedroom, especially if you live in a colder climate- there's nothing worse than putting your feet down on cold floors first thing in the morning. However, for major living areas I vastly prefer hardwood. People that have nice carpet generally have a rule about wearing shoes in the house- it keeps the carpet nice, but it gets tiresome to take your shoes off as soon as you come in the house, every time you come in the house. I like to wander around with shoes on. I know, I am strange.

What do you think? Hardwood or carpet?