Thanks to everyone for their concern. They are measuring today. Plumber thought it would be okay but he hadn't actually measured. I'll feel more secure when they have actual numbers. Luckily the toilet and tub are on site so they can measure. I remember from our previous remodel being worried about the inspectors catching that the toilet was too close to the tub, but no one seems to think it's a problem here (inspectors have been in and out twice and never mentioned it, so I think it must be different here). Anne, thanks! I love how it's coming along. How long did it take you to do that pattern? I love it and have easy access to dal tile, but I'm worried about committing the time to doing the design myself. I'm already doing the builtins and a bunch of other small projects. Lundy, I took a look and there are a couple of possibilities there - don't love them as much the swirly one, but definitely doable. There is so much beautiful tile on your site.. If I had more time, I'm sure I would eventually find something in the imperfects that would work.

Whatever you do, don't do tile! I am a fairly active older person in pretty good shape (yoga, walking, etc) and if I spend more than an hour in the kitchen standing on tile my body starts to hurt! This started happening last year and I realize it's because of the tile (on slab) I am standing on. If I could do it over again, I would either do engineered wood like the rest of the house or Marmoleum, which I have a "thing" for. The hardwood I have in the other room has grooves but they do serve a purpose which is if you get grains of sand for example they go into the groove and prevent abrasion of the planks themselves. It's like a little "collection area" for dirt. The dirt vacuums out quite easily. The engineered hardwood I have is Mirage and it has held up well over the past 7 years. There are nicks and scratches from use, but that is the beauty of hardwood. If you buy good quality hardwood floors, they have a couple of sandings in them and I believe they can have many many screenings.

I was on what felt like my death bed last week (ok a bit hyperbolic!) so caught up just now and the floor looks great! I like it a lot and think you made the right call. I like the idea of a painted island, creamy white would be nice but don't rule out color. As for the appliances not matching if you do a white island, that problem goes away with color for the island. You may need/want to replace your appliances sooner than later but I would not let the island bully me into that even if you go with a white. It might not be ideal but you can change the appliances at a later point.

I just started doing my research on engineered floors and to get the more durable brands you have to be in the $9/sq.ft.+ range for materials alone. I have dogs so I'm looking for a wood floor that will allow scratches to blend in. From my visit to a local supplier, the engineered floors with a wire brushed and matte finish are supposed to be better for that.