I like the idea of hardwood flooring and as previously said you can add nice rugs for comfort and texture, they can be changed out at any time for a different look or fashion, I found light carpet shows all spills and marks and as also previously said here dark colours show lint, animal fur and anything lighter like fluff ...I do think hardwood floors in the long run keep you from having to re-do carpet especially as you have no idea how the renters will treat your investment. I also find myself having hardwood flooring with rugs it is all so easy to keep clean.

More Carpet pics. Only my only 2 favorite options are shown in the photos. As you can see different spaces = different shades visible. I should add that our staircase and upper floor will be carpeted. Ground floor is mostly tile - only a kids/multi-purpose room and bedroom will be carpeted. These rooms sit next to tiled spaces.

I'd avoid a light overall colour - we inherited a fairly new pure wool in a light beige and it's a nightmare to keep looking good. I'd give anything for my old house's slightly mottled berber, but I'm not sure that would suit the style of your house/room. I'd go for something that you like and which would go well with the type and colours of your bed linen. Don't go too dark either - I also lived with dark grey in a bedroom and it showed every minute light fluff from clothing (not to mention the white underbelly fur of the cat we acquired.)

I agree with Jan -- a lot is personal , and your lifestyles . You say neutral colours , so a wheat type colour for the carpet is a good middle of the road choice , but maybe not practical with kids who like crayons and facepainting and stripping down motorbikes haha . So in that case , maybe a burgundy or mid blue or similar 'solid' colour may suit better ( burgundy may tie in more with the exterior tones ) , but is still sort of neutral , but what about furniture and linen and artwork -- if you have royal blue or fluro green drawers and a brown chair and sunshine yellow duvet/dooner cover , and the room is for someone older than 4 , then burgundy carpet mightn't be the go haha . The existing wall colour works with most things , you can add artwork or posters or sports or academic certificates -- maybe back to front , but I'd sort out everything else ( carpet , furniture , etc ) before deciding on a wall colour , unless sticking to the existing or similar colour .