hello! we are building a new home. i am trying to decide if we should do hardwood or tile in the kitchen. here is a link to the house: http://www.winchesterhomes.com/brambleton_charleston/th...he%20Spencer&vtid=81
as you can see, the kitchen and family room are sort of one large room. we are doing hardwood in the family room. (cherry color) my first thought was to do tile in the kitchen to make it it's "own" room. i was going to do an arch with the tile, behind where the stools go, which would seperate the tile and the hardwood. the tile i like is going to be about $5000. the hardwood i picked is a level 1, so no charge. (hardwood was included in the base price) here is the tile i like: http://www.daltileproducts.com/series.cfm?series=52 in oro or bruno. originally, thinking to do it in a hopscotch pattern. the look i am going for in my kitchen is "tuscan." here is what we picked so far: cabinets look like the ones in the model-link above; aristokraft maple with cocoa glaze. granite-tan/chestnut brown: http://www.stone-network.com/india/granite/tan_brown.html
so, two questions....
1) should i do tile or hardwood? my feeling is that tile would give more of that tuscan feel.
2) if i do tile, do you think this tile would look ok? i also like travatta chocolate mousse: http://www.daltileproducts.com/series.cfm?series=122&
3) i don't want to be matchy-matchy. i want some variety between cabinets, floors and granite, however, i want it to all blend together.
THANKS!!!!

tile......too much wood already.......break it up and add another texture!

Wood, wood, wood - wood all the way!

I am going through the exact same thing. My vote (and decision) is CERAMIC TILE - It has nothing to do with the over-flow of wood and everything to do with the durability of tile in a high traffic area like a kitchen. Wood is more porous and prone to scratches. It will also fade over time. It will scratch and absorb everything. I hope this was constructive and helpful. Congrats on your new home.