In addition to what you mentioned, there are transition metal extrusions and profiles by the Schluter company that the tile installer may be able to use to make for a clean and neat transition. I agree that T molding is not pleasing to look at. Note that some of these may be installed 'after' the lower flooring is in, which in your case would be the wood...but that is not necessarily so. The two installers need to engineer this transition for you. If this were a new build with clear and definite architect's plans for the transition, this would already have been done. Each installer would know what the plan calls for. Since that doesn't seem to be the case here, then you must do the designing for them and tell them what you want to use and how you want it done. This will also help decide what gets installed first and how and when the transition gets installed. Lots of ways to give you what you want. Try not to 'settle' for something you don't. As Mick Jagger and Keith Richards say, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need!" And what you need may be very close to what you want. Give Schluter a look... Here is a link that might be useful: Schulter Profiles

I did my wood to tile transition without strips (in order to make my place more handicap-friendly.) They just have to make the top surface of the tile and the top surface of the wood be the same height, I think I have about 1/8th inch difference at most between kitchen and living space, no difference between hallway and bath, and 1/8th difference at most between master and master bath. Back at my old home, I had a transistion strip between the dining area and the kitchen - it made it horrible to move from the linoleum of the kitchen back out to the wood of the dining area when I had a broken ankle and was on wheels. Plus the strips really do look ugly. (PS< the wood transition strips look fine, but mine were metal strips... but neither are necessary.) Others have pointed out you can have hardwood throughout, I just simply didn't want to do that. (Actually, my wood floors are broad beam pine, which is soft, anyway.) My build is semi-open, so I had the option in the kitchen to do tile, and so I did.

Thanks for the input - I see what you’re saying. If not crown molding, what other options are there to finish the seam between the tiles and the ceiling that you think would fit? I really feel like it looks unfinished with just grouting..

I have only one door where flooring meets tile, and the transition strip T molding is directly under the door so when the door is closed the transition piece is not visible. Hope this helps!