Personally I like the idea of the pattern in a heritage home, as plain cream carpet can look bland. However if you are going for a light cream colour then definately the solution dyed nylon, so easy to clean and nearly every stain can be removed! But if you are installing a light colour also invest in a carpet shampoo machine, as regular use will keep the solution dyed nylon carpet looking like new even after years of use. I have both SDN and wool mix carpets in my house, the SDN I have had for over 7 years and the wool 2 years - the wool never again! Everything stains it unless you get to the stain the minute it happens (literally)

But.... even thought the light carpet will make the room look larger I have to say that your burgundy carpet provides depth and colour to an otherwise neutral room and I think that you will find when the cream carpet goes down you will need a coloured rug anyway to bring some character and colour back into the room or it will look too washed out

Don't really like any of them. I'd prefer texture through some sort of fleck in carpet and variation in weave.

Just a different viewpoint -- what is the burgundy carpet like ? It appears it is at least 30 years old , and while I assume it is near or at the point of replacement , it looks okay in the lower picture .

Anyway , my thought was that the colour actually suits the era ( moreso than a cream would in any texture , as well as the maintenance aspect ) but it doesn't quite gel with the light mint green tinge of the walls IMO .

So slightly leftfield , but have you considered burgundy again ( its stood the test of time , as a carpet and as a colour haha ) or a mid red or similar , but paint or ( my preference ) really embrace the style , and have say cream with a gold stripe wallpaper and burgundy carpet ; or mid red carpet and burgundy and gold wallpaper or similar ? If 'simply' painting , a cream would be the obvious choice , or maybe even a burgundy feature wall too ?

One other thought too , especially if you are considering selling at some future time -- potential purchasers may not like patterned/textured carpet , but most people will at least tolerate a plainer carpet , so one possibility would be a plain carpet teamed with textured rugs ( or one larger one ) . Not only will you get the texture aspect , but if you did a cream or wheat or burgundy carpet , but had rugs in a complimentary charcoal or green or white or red , it would protect a lighter colour more , you can change rugs easier too , especially if you or a purchaser wanted to change tones or even stained areas .

Thanks everyone for your comments. Littlethommo & Caroline, Good points about going with SDN - I have pets, so stain removal / having a carpet cleaner is a consideration. I might be over reacting with going from what I think is too dark (Burgundy) to maybe too light. I have a black dog and at times & depending on what room I am in, only know he is following me because I can see his pink tongue.... Might need to think about going slightly darker for practicality. Or adding additional colour so it is not too bland.

CP - not very fussed about textured carpet, but thanks anyway.

Pottsy99, the current carpet is actually in very good condition given the age. Just that I it has been there forever, I feel like it needs to be replaced. But thanks for proving food for thought about considering a darker tone. Walls have been mint green forever, happy to update if it it enhances the room.

Check out bamboo carpet. Really soft. Clean with water.

The darker colour is certainly more practical, especially if you have pets. As mentioned in my earlier comment I have had light coloured SDN and when we did our renovation I used it again in the bedrooms because its so easy to clean and comes up looking like new each time I shampoo it....but I chose hardwood flooring with rugs instead for the living areas because even though its easy clean a light carpet will drive you insane with every mark and in a highly used room like a lounge room unless its cleaned regularly it will look dirty pretty quickly - especially if you dont have a rug over the middle and high traffic areas. So unless you are committed to regular cleaning it would probably be best to go for the darker shade.

I’m not a carpet fan (I’d love to know what’s under the maroon) but if the existing carpet is in good condition as you’ve mentioned consider having it cleaned and then add rugs throughout for an update. These rugs are less than $500 depending on size. Plenty of colours and different styles available. These are from Lost Design Society. The patterns would give the room a lift.

Thanks all. I think my preference is still the lighter one but agree, darker will be more practical so that will will probably go with that.

Although will also consider rugs over the current carpet. Unfortunately the wood beneath the carpet is planks and not very exciting, otherwise I would consider polishing the timber.