You have tile now? You do realize all that tile needs to be removed before doing new tile? It needs to go under appliances just like the old tile did . I think you went about this a bit backwards but now in the middle you just need to get the floors decided and installed. This new tile will need to go everywhere you have the white tile now so make sure whatever you choose works everywhere. Open shelving above a fridge is useless and collects dust and yuck like crazy. As for flooring how gutsy are you . I think cement tile in a pattern might be awesome but it is statement for sure. have you thought about vinyl tile look instead of real tile IMO real tile is hard on feet , legs backs I never like it in a kitchen .This is vinyl that looks like cement tile idea.

You might consider a large rectangular stone-look tile in a medium brown which would flow better with your brown hardwood floors and make the transitions less stark.

Thanks everyone for your comments!

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Yes we know the old tile will have to be removed, along with the subfloor. I think at some point previous owners might have put tile over the hardwood, which is really unfortunate because we really like the hardwood we have:

Ripping up the tile will definitely destroy whatever is underneath. Our appliances are pretty easy to push around so not too concerned about that (dishwasher is new and a bit of pain to disconnect, but we moved it temporarily when we were painting the cabinets). We want to order new appliances soon, but I know the supply chain is all screwed up so it might be a while until those show up, hoping the new floor will be in well before that. I was thinking a shelf above the fridge would be a good place for just a plant and maybe cookbooks, I just think it would look odd without anything above it... We are pretty set on tile, we just have not picked one out yet. I don't think a pattern would work in our house, but I do really like it other kitchens I've seen! I really liked the small white tiles with black border in the picture below, but I've been convinced cleaning the grout would be a nightmare...

@calidesign Completely agree, we are leaning towards a 12x24 tile in some kind of warm earthy color, its just a matter of narrowing it down to a specific one...

@Beth H. : Thanks for so many suggestions! I agree, we are staying away from 3x6 subway tile. I think a narrower, 2x8 or 2x10 is the way to go for us. We had our eyes on one very similar to the Cloe tile, and I was thinking white but now you have me considering more blue... And I do like the chevron and herringbone patterns, I just dont think we have enough wall space to really appreciate it... Idk about blue floor tile, that might be too much for our kitchen. I'll check out tilebar, I'm really liking those concrete-esque examples! For such a narrow space, do you think 24x24 would be too big? I feel like we could only fit like 2.5 tiles between the cabinets and that might look weird... Thats why were thinking 12x24.

I would suggest painting the toe kick panel blue to match the base cabinets. This detail finishes the base cabinets off to the floor rather than appear to be floating. I would not match tones with the the hardwood. Either bring that hardwood into the kitchen or do something like the Marbella Greige, 24x24 Beth suggested. This will hide a lot of dirt and no 24 x 24 is never too big just less grout lines. Much more modern than the 12x24. It better mimics homes with real concrete slab floors.

@Woodhaven Renovations Thanks for the advice, we would love to bring in hardwood, but the rest of the hardwood downstairs goes perpendicular to the longer length of the kitchen (if that makes sense... you can see what I mean in the picture I posted in my other comment). I had originally not considered 24x24 but I see what you mean about less grout lines and that does sound very appealing... That's starting to make a lot sense to me. As for the toe kick, when we replace the floor we anticipate we will replace the toe kick as well so we didn't bother painting it for now. The new one will match the blue cabinets for sure. But I appreciate the suggestion!

We got a sample tile of this from the tile place down the road and we really like this color and style. It seems really similar to the greige examples from @Beth H. 's comment. Still on the fence about 12x24 vs 24x24, it's available in both (and 24x48, but that seems like too much). If rectangle, would it go long ways with the long side of the room or against it to make it seem wider? If square, would they be staggered or stacked as we have it now? I haven't found a consensus yet online, rectangle vs square. Can someone help with the pros and cons of each?

thanks!
Thanks in advance

I'd choose the rectangle, in a staggered pattern. Imo it will help to reduce the lines through all the shorter areas like the hallway and the smaller areas of the kitchen. Use grout that matches the tile. Check the color against your hardwood, and also with the warm white paint color you have in several places to be sure it's not too gray.

@BethH are you saying that Portmore is similar to Cloe? I am wanting Cloe in white for my kitchen but it’s on back order and I really don’t prefer to wait a few months.

you could order some samples from Tilebar and compare them if you have any cloe on hand, but I'd say they're similar. colors are a more saturated though.

@BethH thank you!