I've always seen the carpet tucked into the tile/carpet transition using the same scraping/tucking tool that's used at the baseboards. I guess it's possible to do this poorly and end up with fraying at the carpet edge, but I've had many like this in my homes over the years and none have frayed. This doesn't typically work at vinyl/carpet transitions because there's not enough height on the vinyl side of the transition to tuck the carpet edge in, which is why transition pieces are almost always indicated at vinyl/carpet boundaries. But carpet/tile boundaries can be finished looking and durable without transition pieces or binding the carpet edge. This post was edited by GauchoGordo1993 on Wed, Dec 4, 13 at 19:48

I totally feel your pain! Remodels aren't cheap and it's not easy for everyone to picture what something will look like before its done. I had a similar situation - I just didn't feel that I could afford to redo the tile in the entire house - so I only did part of it. Huge mistake. I "solved" the problem with carpet squares. You can buy just what you need, get pretty creative and install them yourself. I'm sure there are many companies, I used Flor. I recommend getting samples - as it's impossible to accurately assess color from the computer monitor. (Samples are free during promotions and sales are frequent.) I would also suggest that moving the sofa to face away from the kitchen will not only cover up some of the transition, but also define the space in a way to enhance the separation of the rooms.

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.

"Humidity" is the word for moisture in the air. It can mean very high (above 65%) or it can mean low (below 35%). The Bay area has humidity. Every area has a humidity reading. The exterior readings will directly effect the interior readings in your home. A quick google search indicates San Francisco has ranges from a high of 84% down to a low of 59%. Which is to say, "high" no matter how you cook those numbers. The manufacturer of the hardwood will indicate what is needed for a successful installation. It isn't up to the installer nor the homeowner. It is up to the flooring manufacturer. Do you have a link to the installation instructions (which you will want to ensure your installer has read)? Do you know how your floor will be installed? Do you know the width of your plank? Do you have interior humidity readings for your home? Do you know if your home has humidity control (such as a whole home dehumidifier)?