I would continue with the hardwood into the kitchen. I like rooms that flow into the next one. You can always use rugs in your kitchen to break up the cabinets from the floor.

I would also continue with the wood for the same reasons. Also the thought of standing on tile makes my feet and ankles sore. I know that that is not always the case but we lived in a house with tile in the kitchen for 6 months during our renos and I had to buy mats and proper shoes because my feet and ankles were so sore from standing on the tile.

Wood. More consistency, more comfortable to stand on. Brazilian cherry is beautiful.

Wood! I don't mind tile but since it's going to be one big room, I'd keep it all the same.

So, you all think it's better to have the cabs and floors the exact same color than to have tile and wood in the one big room? I was expecting some differing opinions, but so far, unanimous!

I vote for the wood, too.

Wood.

While I prefer the wood, and don't think tile is a good choice to stand on for any length of time, I currently have cabinet and floors that are the same wood and hue and I can't stand it. Is it too late to change the cabinet color?

We had the same dilemma and I am going to do cork in a similar color (slightly darker) as the wood. The similar color flows (hopefully) with the wood, but I didn't have to worry about refinishing floors in the whole rest of my first floor. I also like that the cork is easy on the feet, and the floating floor is easy to install ourselves. We are starting demo tomorrow. EEK!

gharborwa--

Do you have pics of your space that I can see? I'm worried I'll have similar regrets.

Wood.

Wood, always, especially in a great room set up. But, like a previous post above, I'd change up the cabs.

Wood - we are in the finishing process of our kitchen remodel and ended up continuing the wood flooring into the kitchen from the rest of the house. I agree with Peach you can easily use some rugs to break it up.

I'd roll with the wood.

As far as the cabs matching the floor that could work very well- depending on the style of the home. To me, having the cabs and the floor match completely would be great in an international post modern style space. It depends on what look you're going for.

Changing the cabinets is not doable at this point. We have discussed the possibility of doing a black island to break it up, though. Of course, that makes the room pretty dark. If we can't change the cabs, do you all still say yes to the wood?

I would love to see a photo, but I'll vote for wood.... the Brazilian Cherry sounds lovely. Maybe do a light wall color to brighten it up.

Here's a picture. Sorry the quality isn't so great.

If you did tile or something else, how wide is the seam where they'd meet?

We have the same scenario and opted for tile in the kitchen with a very seamless meshing together of the two floors. I am a messy cook and didn't want wood where I work. There are miles of wooden floors and I didn't need even more.

Joy--

It will go across the entire room...about 20 feet.

Chinchette--That actually looks great. Gorgeous room! Is there another seam on the other side of the island? Do you have a picture looking at the kitchen so I could see how the entirety of the wood and tile floors meet each other? Thanks!

It is clear to me that you really have great qualms about doing wood in the kitchen in which case you should go with your gut feeling and use tile. I have seen many houses that have wood and tile floors that come together in an open kitchen layout and it looks great. Really it depends on the tile you pick. The tile that chinchette used looks fantastic.

The truth is I would go with wood without any hesitation were it not for the fact that ours matches the cabs so exactly. I love the look of wood, I think it's so warm, and in fact had it in our last house. Tile is colder and harder, but can also look nice. But the whole "wall of wood" thought just worries me a lot. I read something on a prior thread where someone compared using similarly colored floors and cabinets to the feeling of being in a womb (and I don't think in a good way!)Clearly, GWers as a group tend to lean toward wood, but they also admonish against the matchy-matchy thing. Hence my conflict. I feel like I'm having to choose the lesser of two evils. But, like I said to a friend, I have to take this all into perspective. If this is my biggest problem in life, then life isn't too bad.

How long has the current wood been there? Is there a chance you put new in only to find out it doesn't match exactly? Could you remove some of the current wood, or just add a little more to make a better spot for the tile and wood to come together?

You're right though.. your kitchen will be gorgeous and your family will be happy and healthy regardless of what is on the floor!

another vote for wood. my place is much smaller and i extended the wood from diningroom into kitchen and it looks lovely, so glad i did!

I have had two homes with tile kitchens and currently have wood. When a glass drops on wood it doesn't shatter into 1000 tiny shards. Tile leaves no room for error. If I lived somewhere hot, though, I would prefer cool tile. Wood is more cozy. I have Brazilian Cherry in my living room and love it. I adore your cabinet doors. They really compliment your hardwood. As long as your wall color isnt warm and you use a light backslash, there should be ample contrast. Do you have any tile samples that you are contemplating?

As you probably know, Braz Cherry darkens with age. In your photo, is that a new floor or an aged one? And are your cabs actually Braz Cherry, which is usually Jatoba, or another wood stained to look like BC?

My cabinet guy tells me my (currently being fabricated) domestic cherry cabs (that will be reddened and darkened to fall into the BC family) will not darken as much as my new BC floor (which will be next to 9 year old BC floor...I'll just be patient for the coloring to catch up.) I changed my mind from tile to wood in kitchenfamily for many reasons...the most surprising one being that the wood will cost less.

So...maybe they won't "match" in a couple of years? (Does this makes any sense...?)

My tile floors are dark and so are my cabinets. I think you are okay if you have a light colored wall and counters. I was also worried about the sea of wood, but the placement of the SS appliances broke that up, as well as class fronts on the uppers. My friend did the same floor with dark cabinets but she continued the wood floor into the kitchen area. That looks very nice also. But her kitchen area is pretty small, and the great room is HUGE.

We did not need to use a trim piece between the two floors. We left about an 8th of an inch for expansion. The tile floor is on a mud bed and there is a three inch piece of tile on the edge that slopes down slightly to meet the wood floor. That was a bit of a hassle when the island went in, causing a carpenter headache.

Joy--The floors in the picture are about 5 years old. The new floors will be lighter at first, but will reach that same color in probably only a few months. We shouldn't have a problem feathering in the new wood and creating a new transition.

Ptamom--thanks for the compliment on the cabinets. And I know exactly what you're saying about stuff shattering on tile. That's definitely a drawback. We haven't chosen a backsplash yet, but would gravitate toward lighter if we choose the wood floor.

ca_mom--the cabs aren't Brazilian cherry and the floors are at their aged color, so unfortunately that's how they will look together 5 years from now. But, yes, the wood is a bit cheaper and the installation is a lot cheaper than tile. That's a bonus!

Chinchette--Thanks for the alternate view. It's such a nice space (love your ceramic gecko!), and it's nice to see how well it works with the wood and tile right next to each other. I was speaking to the associate at the tile store yesterday and she too said to NOT put any type of threshold/transition strip between the two. Now that I see yours, it makes sense!

So put your hands over the tile in my picture and imagine that the wood stretches into the kitchen side. Its also a good look, and you brighten it up with accessories or lighter walls, etc.

chinchette-- What type and size tile do you have? It looks a lot like the concrete connection we've looked at.

I vote for tile.

Its a personal choice but I've always leaned towards tile floors with wood cabinets and wood floors in kitchens with painted cabinets. I like the contrast if creates. Good luck in your decision!

I love my tile floors. I have both painted and wood cabinets. The tile butts wood going into the adjoining rooms (hall and dining room), which I'm fine with. Our tile is Florida Tile Pietra Art Chiseled Edge Travertine in a modular pattern, color Picasso. I love it because it ALWAYS LOOKS CLEAN. I haven't had any issues with it being hard on my feet. I wanted a farm kitchen look. Will the monochrome cabinets and floors in Brazilian Cherry look modern, dressy? What feeling are you going for?

Have you considered a lighter colored island instead of a black island to lighten it up? Maybe a light painted island with light counters?

It's a shame that GW doesn't archive threads. There have been a lot of prior discussions on this topic. I know there are many travertine lovers out there with beautiful kitchens.