Well, the wood floors in your inspiration kitchen are what really warm it up. Those tiles just don't have anywhere near the same effect of a warm natural material. I'd ditch the marble before I'd ditch the wood floors if I were over budget. Go with a white laminate counter in a subtle pattern in the meantime and replace it somewhere down the road when your budget recovers. Or, you might not even replace it. Marble is for people who like patina. Stains. Scratches. Lived in and looks it. If that IS what you like, then by all means go for it at a later time when your budget allows. But don't make the mistake of sticking with a budget buster from the beginning, because there will be a lot more unexpected things to bust your budget as the remodel progresses. If you're over budget now, things will only get worse. Pick your battles. Or, reassess the project with an eye to downgrading some of the components to lesser expensive ones. Like maybe a different cabinet line. Different appliances. Different counter. You're using the picture to inspire you, not intimidate you into copying it slavishly at your detriment.

I agree with the above. The inspiration photo features warm and welcoming wood floors. It also shows a high end white marble counter top and very nice cabinets. Inset doors on the uppers. The warmth in the photo comes primarily from the wood and also through color in the glass front cabinets and the lovely window. Overall, there is an effect of luxury cottage combined. It's a really inspirational photo, and I love the backsplash which features slightly textured white subways.

I think the cold hard stone floor is going pretty far from the feel of the photo. I'm not sure what cabinets you are using, but the glass in these is a key feature. The white cabinets, glass fronts, and white marble working against the wood floor are what create the cottage feel. I'm not sure you'd get this nice effect with a different stone. With the state of the economy, I agree that maybe you should consider a laminate counter top- some simulate the same pale marble and they'd be a lot more durable! In a couple of years you can upgrade to the real thing. Be careful with your cabinet choices, and how you finish the edges etc, this will either make it all look cheap, or make it click into place.

good luck! put on the brakes fast, kitchens only get more and more expensive!

If you have a real issue with wood per-se, you might look into marmoleum. We did a modern take on a 20's kitchen. Our home has a lot of old white wood cabinetry but we couldn't afford the extra $20K that inset wood would cost for the kitchen remodel. We carefully chose overlay framed cabinets, and made custom designed uppers that really mimic our kitchen nook originals. We added very simple white Korbels under our upper cabinets and it completed a cottage feel. We splurged on counter tops- soapstone. It's perfect for us. We also did a checkerboard marmoleum click floor. We are ultra happy with it. We have the cottage feel, but modern amenities. Marmoleum is very warm and comfortable and gives some of the atmosphere of wood. There are no grout lines to collect grunge, and it's comfortable to stand on for hours.

You can try to collect a set of maybe 6 inspirational kitchens. Find the details that crystallize "the look" in each. Then make it yours.

yes, i agree as well. besides being "cold" the tile really has nothing in common at all with the marble. i have a question though: how much is the tile you planned for? wood flooring in our area has gone down substantially. it might help to shop around if you haven't already. good luck!

Key word is inspiration. I don't see the Shaker door as being a problem and the doors in picture all look like partial overlay to me. Candidly I find this room a little stark and cold. I agree if your keeping the rest the same the loss of the wood might really compromise the look. I would think about restricting the use of the marble to the island or perimeter and adding butcher block at counter height. I have not shopped for wood floors but some laminates have real wood top layers that can be refinished. I have seen both Mike Holmes and Candice Olsen use vinyl tile products that come in plank form. They may not be dramatically less in terms of cost than your tile but they should save you a bundle on installation and create the right base to create the look you want.

Obviously real warmth and beauty of a kitchen is usually the result of the people and activities that take place there not the countertops. Focus on the layout and making sure it is a space you will enjoy working in and maybe consider playing with the elements of your inspiration a little bit. If you are already throwing the budget out you are probably laying the ground work for dramatic cost over runs that may mediate your enoyment of the space down the line.

couldn't agree more... the floors are a major part of the overall look of your inspiration kitchen. I think you could go with uba tuba, or some other cheap granite and be closer to your look than if you put the tile floors in.

I think another big factor in the inspiration room, is the light spilling in from the bank of windows.

Maybe you could do the calcutta gold on your island or some small section and go with a less $$$ for the bulk of the kitchen.

Perhaps you can price shop on the wood flooring. I wouldn't think it has to be that much more than the tile you are considering. When I was looking the material and installation costs for wood vs. tile were in the same ballpark.

You don't say where you live. If it were appropriate, warmth could be achieved with an earthy clay tile or brick. It would be a different look but could offer some of the same rural casualness. I also agree with Mamadadapaige that an inexpensive wood floor, for instance 4-6" yellow pine, probably wouldn't cost more/much more, than tile.

We live in North Florida..so the cold tile/Marble does not bother us.

The Tile I picked is $3.oo a Sq foot (the contractor included installation in budget). The wood installed is $11.

I am doing oak stained wood in the rest of the living areas. I was trying to match the wood and the tile colors so it would flow. Currently I have an engineered pecan on the floors but it is discontinued and I need more for the new areas of the house besides the fact that It is not looking too good since the house has been open.

The Large Slab of Marble is not the one I am going with...there were others that had more beige that match the tile. I just could not get the camera the right position.

Originally I was going to go with black absoulute. Thought that was too pricey then ..I looked at uba tuba. My designer kept steering me away from Marble to granite..but I have not found any granite I LOVE. I Love the Calcutta Gold. (I was using my "pin" money to make up the difference in budget for the marble)

I am meeting with my designer today and will figure out if I could do wood floors. Don't think it will fly.

Would you consider a lighter colored granite like Giallo ornamental? Check out the FKB under that catagory. It is used with white cabinets and a wood floor. I priced GO granite for my bathroom and was very surprised how resonable it was. It was much more resonable that the corian I was looking at and I'm sure cheaper and easier than marble. Just a thought.

The cabinets in that picture look an awful lot like an Ikea style called Lidingo - which could save you a lot of money.

The wood floor is pretty important to the feeling of the picture. You can find a laminate that looks almost exactly like the real thing for about the same price as you are spending on the tile.

A key component of your model kitchen is the amount of glass in the picture - the windows and the cupboards. You need to maintain that if you want to capture the ambiance.

You can save money by using Ikea butcher block for the island and using the marble/granite on the perimeter. If you were to do a slightly darker laminate on the floor than the hardwood in the picture, the butcher block island would look pretty fantastic.

>The cabinets in that picture look an awful lot like an Ikea style called Lidingo - which could save you a lot of money.

I had the same thought.

Thanks everyone..I just got back from the decorator. I picked all my windows for the house..the plumbing..deciding on doors for rooms..But we ran out of time for the kitchen.

I did decide to to some glass upper cabinets. And started looking at knobs. But I am still on hold until the cabinet maker returns from vacation.

Please continue to chime in your thoughts and I will get more photos up.

I looked up the wood floor cost again. It is $9 for 2.25 inch and $12.5 for wider...I think it was 5 inch not sure.

You're not comparing apples to apples for the wood floor vs. tile if the contractor included tile installation in his bid. You'd have to find out how much he allocated for that to decide if the wood is really that much more expensive. Personally, I don't like that tile with the marble. It looks like too rustic of a tile for marble.

I didn't pay 9 for my tiger wood and it's a great deal more expensive than the wood you see in that picture. A gorgeous golden oak (less than 3 sq ft) would give you the look of that picture on a budget price. I think those floors might be maple or ash, but the oak would do it, for much less.

I'm doing a budget remodel and we're using 3" golden oak throughout the house. It's actually a very inexpensive floor. I'd let go of a marble before I'd ever skimp on a floor...but that's just me.

if you can't get the wood floors, look for a darker tile. i have wood floors in my kitchen and put a very dark tile in my mudroom. it flows nicely with wood floor and it gives a much warmer look than the light tile. i'll try to take a picture tonight and send it over to you so you can see dark tile floors.....

so i am getting pretty good at this technology stuff!!!! i just snapped a few pics of my dark tile floor for you, just for comparison....

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the one photo shows the tile in the mudroom next to the hardwoods in the kitchen.....

GGLKS Opps can you try

Here is another photo of the tile and calcutta marble.Not sure if the color looks different than the other photos.

sorry!!!! do these work???

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i think if you have white/cream cabinets and calcutta gold counters, the tile you have will look white on white on white. darker would look warmer. my color may not go with all of your other choices, but it can show you what a darker tile floor can look like.....

Thanks so much. Yes your floors flow very well!
I am putting my thinking cap on..and getting out my calculator...

I live in Fairfield County CT which is almost as expensive as you can get, and had 3.25" Brazilian cherry installed through my entire house last year. The finished price was about $8.50 sq ft. It was finished with 3 coats of clear poly; no stain was used because BC darkens naturally. Over the course of the 6 months I was looking, the price went up and down quite a bit because the wood was imported, so be sure you keep checking prices, as they may change.