Q. We are purchasing a “cookie cutter” home from a builder and would like to know if the kitchen and dining room ought to have the same flooring. Is hardwood useful in the kitchen? two adults and no children will live in the home. The foyer will be ceramic tile, which we will extend past the staircase to the entrance of the dining room. The great room will be carpeted.
— Christina Redhead
A. The decision to extend your ceramic tile into your foyer is a good one, and makes a lot of sense. However, having wood floor in your living/dining, ceramic or wood flooring in the kitchen and carpet in the great room will seem like your house is divided into “stripes” of flooring. consider wood flooring for your living/dining, kitchen and great room for cohesiveness. You can soften the space with area rugs — not only can they add colour but can identify and ground certain spaces within a room.
Wood flooring in the kitchen is no longer a rarity. With the varnish sealants and protection available, you ought to have few problems with wood in the kitchen. If you have doubts, opt for a stone or ceramic, but keep the hardwood in the other two areas. If you are unwavering about a carpeted great room and a hardwood living/dining room, think about a ceramic for the kitchen in a similar colour as the other rooms’ materials. This will allow the materials to visually flow much more easily. The fewer floor material transitions you create in a house, the less chopped up it will feel.