I have birch hardwood flooring in the family, dining and kitchen areas. The size of the hardwood floor is approx 2.5" in width with various lengths. The rest of the house including the living room are carpeted. I want to replace the carpeting and install hardwood in the rest of the house but leave only the three bedrooms carpeted. Can I use a different hardwood species or should I leave it and replace the carpeted area the same? I like to use a darker color but I don't know if it would look right. Any suggestions?