There are some great articles to help you here on Houzz if you search Stories then Rugs. Based on your room photos you might choose a more classic rug with subtle colour as your furnishings and walls are mostly white & cream.Then you can add colour in cushions etc or a blue chair. Is the light fitting staying or do you want to update to more contemporary style? Do you have art to hang in your room because this will lift it's mood and guide you on colour choices, the rug will dominate if you choose turquoise. Round shaggy is more contemporary and will make a statement so maybe think about some art to complement the room. I have added the following photo to illustrate the power of colour on white interiors & furniture.... Alternatively a traditional persian pattern with muted navy/red/cream tones never dates or if you love turquoise one of the patchwork styles that marry traditional and modern.

We did floating oak floors, looks great and have just realised needs more rugs for winter. So the boys plus a large rug could work for all concerned. Noise is hard to relate to without 3 boys running around here. You can get acoustic underlay but for the extra I would get rugs in the critical flow areas if you prefer the look of timber over carpet. Lastly, carpet is relatively cheap and helps to eliminate noise and most likely replaced when they are older/leave home. Then you can have timber floors, or make other choices to suit.

Tania, you initially asked about whether to use carpet or vinyl in your entryway. That's a good question. It probably isnt practical to extend carpet to entry. It does seem to be more practical (as far as wet, dirty or muddy shoes/feet) to have an easy-to-clean and damage resistant floor there, such as vinyl. If I was in your shoes, I would use the same flooring as kitchen (in this case vinyl) and extend it out along the line with where old wall was and finishing at the corner where the opposite walls meet (see your 2nd photo where there's a picture or something leaning up against the wall). I can't tell what is beyond that wall; is there another hallway? By extending the kitchen flooring out to include your entry, it seems more practical to me. It also creates an invisible boundary between the entryway and the living room. I hope this makes sense. Please keep us updated of your plans. Best wishes!

A long lounge with chaise at one end of it would work well. Rug should sit under the front legs of couch and have some clearance to wall tv is on to show some floor. Wider than the couch. Go couch shopping and add it to you r plan to see how it fits.