Flooring Flummox

And the basement planning continues. Last we left it, we were still tweaking the layout plan. Now we're stuck thinking about the floors. You see, HandyMan wants the basement to be warm and comfy, a place to escape to, maybe relax and watch a movie, and to him that means carpet underfoot. Normally, I'd agree with him... if I didn't also want the basement to be a place where Chloe and I can create and make crafts and do some sewing and draw and paint and throw glitter around, so to me that means laminate underfoot.

Which leaves us here:

We're at an impasse. We briefly considered doing a portion of the room in carpet and a portion in laminate, but the basement is not that big to begin with so different flooring would make it look too choppy and small. Part of the dilemma is the stairs leading to the basement. They are currently covered in vinyl and beneath that we know there is only construction grade plywood. There is no refinishing and painting those babies; they would either have to be completely covered in some material or refaced (and that seems an expensive option, but I admit we haven't really looked into the cost of refacing).

If we were to do it entirely in laminate (or vinyl flooring like the Traffic Allure product which I've heard great things about from my friends Arren and Lisa), what do we do on the stairs? We've read that laminate on stairs is super slippery (and how do you deal with the nosing?).

If we were to do it entirely in carpet, then lost sewing pins or paint spills would be a hazard. Decisions, decisions. Weigh in folks - carpet or laminate? What do you have in your basement??