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We are renovating our home and the flooring is all being replaced. The main level is a combination of wood and stone tile and we've planned carpet for the upstairs. We are not sure what to do about the stairs. Do we go with hardwood or carpet?There are many pros and cons to each and your preference and lifestyle will dictate what is more important.From an esthetic perspective, hardwood will offer visual continuity from your main level. And a damp mop on a wood staircase is easier than the vacuuming you'd have to do on carpeted stairs. Although both will show wear over time, the pile of a carpet and underlay will compact and show tread marks generally quicker.

However, carpet absorbs sound, is comfortable to walk on and — probably the most important when dealing with small children or aging adults — less slippery. And there are many resilient fibres available today to combat the compacting issue. Ask before you commit to a particular carpet.Carpet colour can also play a big role in how well a carpet appears to wear. The lighter the colour, the more the tread marks show. Woven carpets such as Berbers can show wear as the top layer of the fibres begin to break and fuzz over time, making cream coloured carpets appear slightly grey.

Regular vacuuming is truly a must for keeping your carpets looking great.The configuration of your staircase may also provide clues as to what options are best. Stairways that curve in one direction generally have heavy wear on the outer track of the stairs, where the tread is the widest. Consider this if you have a stairway in a prominent location.My recommendation is to combine the best of both worlds. Finish the stairway in the wood to keep the elegant continuity of the main level. Add a custom stairway runner to cover the centre portion of the stairs. Ask your carpet provider for samples.

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Now that it's over, we've learned that attendance was up double digits to 45,000 from where it stood at 40,000 for the last couple of years. Granted, attendance is not the sole measure of a show's efficacy but we believe it is a commentary on the global outlook for flooring since this is the global flooring show—where 83% of the attendees and two-thirds of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany to attend. This show also covers both residential and commercial flooring and the only category that isn't well represented is ceramic tile. To add more fanfare to the summit, Domotex held an evening event—complete with band—on the opening night of the show. This took the place of the more traditional German beer party that Domotex has hosted for years in its Stroh house.

Change is usually embraced with a varied sense of enthusiasm and this was the case with Domotex's exhibitor layout changes—some liked it and others didn't. Practically every hall was rearranged this year, initially to accommodate the new Wood Flooring Summit and the higher demand for machine made modern rugs—rug exhibition space grew more than 30%. But once show manager Deutsche Messe started moving things around, it decided to rearrange all the product groups and move similar products adjacent to each other as a convenience to the attendees, resulting in a wholesale shift for practically every exhibitor. This show is held at the largest exhibitor fairgrounds in the world—so large, in fact, that buses run throughout the complex to make it easier to get around.

Another change this year was in the show management leadership. Stephan Kuhne, who has led the show for several years, left Deutsche Messe last summer and the interim leader for this year is Dr. Andreas Gruchow. But starting in April, the new leader for Domotex will be Dr. Jochen K?ckler, who has spent many years in the exhibition field. Domotex shifted the spotlight of this year's show to its Wood Flooring Summit. While none of the big U.S hardwood producers was on hand, many of the European and Asian suppliers had a booth. Amorim, K?hrs, Lamett and Power Dekor were some of the bigger companies with exhibits.

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Developer Jeff LaPour took an early shot at downtown redevelopment, buying the landmark Holsum bread factory on Charleston Boulevard in 2004 and converting it into Holsum Lofts, originally designed as a live-work project.That didn't quite pan out.LaPour's cost of renovation made it unfeasible for the residential component. The market at that time proved to be much stronger for commercial use, so LaPour leased the space to businesses that fit in with the burgeoning Arts District.

Today, Holsum is fully occupied, with a waiting list. Tenants include a design studio, art gallery, dance theater, architectural firm and Lola's Cafe. Many in the development community see it as a perfect example of adaptive reuse of a historic building.Now LaPour wants to transform the dilapidated former Mission Linen warehouse at First Street and Coolidge Avenue into a $5 million mixed-use project in a joint venture with building owner Jim Page.They will add another 10,000 square feet to the 30,000-square-foot building and develop about 50 residential units with a bar, restaurant and small offices.While luxury condominium projects such as The Ogden, Newport Lofts and Juhl have struggled just a few blocks away, LaPour sees good demand for downtown housing - if it's the right product.

"The right kind of unique, vintage building reimagined as urban lofts," he said, standing next to the brick building with broken windows and rusted pipes hanging over the alley. "It's a completely different type of product. It's not new construction that you could find anyplace. It's an old industrial building. It comes with all the cool and interesting architectural elements that you cannot find today - wood truss roof, barrel vault ceilings, big open spaces. Think meatpacking district in New York."The market for downtown housing has changed, he said."It's all there now, no longer a last resort for many, as it has been known," LaPour said.

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