maple or birch or oak for the desk top.....maybe just mdf laminated boards for your shelves from home depot...they have different widths and lengths ready to install! Or one tall billy bookcase from IKEA on the back wall and a couple of floating shelves on the wall where the desk is connected, to the left of the back wall.

Using one continuous floor material is a good choice. It will open up the rooms and look more up to date. Have you looked at bamboo? It wears like iron and is avaliable in a million finishes. For color, I'd suggest you keep to a shade that compliments the furniture (Cherry/Mahogany) but lighter. Another idea would be to introduce something different. Shades of Gray for wood, Honey bamboo, or even cork might be a good choice.

Can we see a larger section. Is the wood naturally this color or was it pickled. Are there any knots in the wood? It reminds me of pine, but with no knots. That would also explain it being soft.

search Indian or Moroccan carved wood end, accent or side table