Decorating advice please!

[PrincessKitty1]

DH and I just visited 3 tile stores and brought home 7 different tiles for our kitchen floor. Now my brain hurts! I freely admit I'm not much of a decorator. Our kitchen is black and white, circa 1970--we will not be remodeling, so that's the color scheme I need to work with.

The kitchen abuts the dining room and there is an opening (no door) between them so you can see into the kitchen from the dining room, and the dining room carpet, which is ivory, abuts the kitchen floor. Would it be too much of a contrast to have black marbled tile (it's marbled with white) next to the ivory carpet? Or should we stick to the white marbled tile (it's marbled with gray/black) next to the ivory carpet?

I have a really, really hard time picturing what the floor will look like with ANY color tile. We really like the black tile but, since we can't really picture it, we're afraid there will be too much contrast (light floor/dark floor) with the carpeting and that it will look weird.

We're going to be in this house at least until we retire (15 years) so resale value is not an issue. Aesthetics is the issue! Any opinions? Thanks!

 

[englishteacha]

If you like the black, go with the black. If the contrast is too much, put a throw rug in the doorway!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

If you like the black, go with the black. If the contrast is too much, put a throw rug in the doorway!

Thank you! My brain is so fried with contemplating the tile, "throw rug" never entered my consciousness. I like that idea.

Now that I've been looking at the tile a little longer, when I set the white-marbled tile next to the ivory carpet, they don't look very good together--the white of the tile (it's VERY white) makes the ivory carpet look yellowed. Same with the gray-marbled tile--that looks awful against the carpet.

Sigh. They make it look so easy on HGTV!

 

[Smileybug]

Okay, you said the black tile was marbled with white. But have you thought about a solid black tile? That would look good with your carpet. And for added color in the kitchen use some throw rugs as englishteacha suggested.

 

[pixiewings71]

I think the black and white combo will look really great together. It sounds like it's maybe a big difference so it might take some time to get used to, trust me tho, after it's done you'll like it.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Thanks you guys! You're helping me to trust my own judgment here. DH and I both IMMEDIATELY loved the look of the black marbled tile when we laid it down on our floor next to our cabinets and wallpaper. I think we'll get used to it next to the carpet--and since we'll be replacing the carpet next, I will bring the tile along and pick a more grayed tone of ivory rather that a yellowed tone (it's amazing how many shades of "ivory" there are!).

Smileybug, we did see some solid black tile, but we didn't really like it. It was matte finished, like slate, and just looked a little dreary to us. The tile we are thinking about using is shiny and looks like black marble with white veins, although it's porcelain.

 

[momxx5]

Last year we needed to replace our kitchen flooring. I really wanted to do Armstrong flooring but there are WAY too many choices. Then I thought about doing hardwood....I had no idea there were that many choices. I did not want ceramic tile, but I did find laminate tile with a limited selection.

I think I had about 6 choices and most were obviously not going to work.

I LOVE our floor. People are really surprised when they see that its not real ceramic tile.

Good luck.

 

[Karenj2]

The black tile sounds interesting... We have dark cherry flooring in our kitchen with light tan rugs everywhere else in the 1st floor. I've never thought it was too jarring...

BTW - if you want to bring in some color to your kitchen, you could do a french country style (think b&W with golds/reds and blues - usually roosters too.)

I'd love to see pictures!!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

The black tile sounds interesting... We have dark cherry flooring in our kitchen with light tan rugs everywhere else in the 1st floor. I've never thought it was too jarring...

BTW - if you want to bring in some color to your kitchen, you could do a french country style (think b&W with golds/reds and blues - usually roosters too.)

I'd love to see pictures!!

That's an interesting idea--French country would fit with our cottage-y decor. The people before us put down red glue-down carpet so that's what we're finally getting rid of.

I'll take some photos once it's tiled! Mind you, this is a very old kitchen with laminate cabinets and it's nothin' fancy--but I do think it will look cool when we're done. (Maybe we'll think about new countertops???)

 

[perriwinkleblue]

I think black would look good but just one thing regarding shiny tile - make sure it's not slippery when it's wet. Especially in a kitchen, you don't want to get the floor in only to find out it's slippery.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

When you say "marbled tile" do you mean slick marble tile?

I have to agree with the slippery issue. If it is marble, I would not put it in the kitchen.

 

[Mamu]

Sounds to me if you need another color to brighten things up a little. I'm not saying a bold color, (I do think a strong color would work wonders here) or maybe something blended with the black or an accent colors. Other then black and white is there another color in the room? I think any color on the color wheel would be a great addition to the black and White.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think the black tile with the white marbelling sounds like it would look great in your kitchen.

If it's ceramic, I would echo a PP's caution of making sure it is not completely smooth and therefore slippery. Many cermaic tiles have a rougher finish to them, and by rougher I don't mean like sandpaper but more like a natural stone look, areas of the surface which are uneven, which might be better for a kitchen.

I also like your idea of going with a grayer color carpet in the dining room once you replace that.

I also like a PP's suggestion of adding another color to the kitchen...perhaps red would make the black and white "pop" more?

 

[Boston Tea Party]

If you are thinking of having a dark grout, do yourself a favor and google "effloresence" <--- think that's correct spelling; if not, google will correct.

We just had a slate floor installed and are dealing with it.

 

[mouseears4life]

Part of successful decorating is also utilization and effectiveness. Do you have children? Is this a high traffic area?

For asthetic purposes I would suggest the black marbled tile. It will blend easily with the carpet that it ties into. That said, it will also show dust VERY easily and quickly, so you will forever be mopping/sweeping that floor. Are you planning to tile this with the standard 1/4 inch spacing between tiles, meaning that the grout will be a part of the overall look? If so you need to decide if you want white or black grout. It will have a huge difference on the overall effect.

Another thing to consider is safety. Marble tiles are often slick, so you will likely want a small throw rug in front of your sink and/or oven area, or perhaps a runner, depending on how your kitchen is set up. Also question whoever is installing your tile about what products should be used to clean it without scratching/dulling the surface, and whether or not you should seal the grout so it doesn't discolor over time from cleaners and sunlight.

If it is all in black and white, you could really bring some french country into the look and "modernize" it without it being too edgy with a black on white French Toile fabric for the curtains over your sink (if there's a window over your sink like most kitchens). If you have any sewing ability you can make some simple curtains and possibly some coordinating decorative towels to hang, and trivets/hot pads, etc. You could bring the fabric into the dining area with placemats, napkins, a table runner, etc. very easily.

yeah...i decorate houses for people but i prefer practical not extravagant. PM me if you need more help

 

[mouseears4life]

Sounds to me if you need another color to brighten things up a little. I'm not saying a bold color, (I do think a strong color would work wonders here) or maybe something blended with the black or an accent colors. Other then black and white is there another color in the room? I think any color on the color wheel would be a great addition to the black and White.

If you want to bring another color into the mix I would do so with small accents here and there like a canister set on the counter, etc. Red or yellow would be my suggestions. You could carry that into the dining area with a centerpiece on the table, or napkin rings, or even a charger plate.

ETA: remember with porcelain tile, if you drop something on the tile you are at a higher risk of breaking the item, the tile, or both so id keep a few extra tiles on hand.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Let's talk a little bit more about shiny, smooth tile. This tile is very shiny and only lightly textured. When we talked to a tile installer about 6 years ago (we ended up not having the tiling done then because my parents were living with us and it would have been too complicated trying to keep my dad, who had Alzheimers, out of the kitchen), he said we should not get smooth tile in the kitchen due to its slipperiness.

BUT a friend of mine just had her entire bottom floor--kitchen, dining, living, family rooms--tiled with a fairly smooth, shiny tile and it does not feel slippery to us at all. Plus, it's just the two of us, no kids, and we never spill water on the floors. Do we really need to worry about it being slippery? Plus, we never wear shoes indoors (light carpeting!) so I don't think slipperiness will be an issue, but I'd like to hear if anybody else has had a problem with it.

We are now wondering if we should take home a sample of the dark green marbled tile (they also had a dark blue but I didn't care for it), because as a poster mentioned, the black tile may make the room TOO black-and-white. DH thinks a brick red would be pretty too but we did not see ANYTHING like that at the 3 tile stores we visited.

In fact most tile was some variation on beiges/browns, since that's the current decorating trend, and we eliminated most of the tile with a quick glance.

Here's a couple of photos. The top one is a shot of our wallpaper and upper cabinets and the ceiling (painted wood). We think the wallpaper is cool and won't be changing it (it's basically black-and-white silhouettes of wildflowers and we both love it ). You can see a bookshelf in the background, which is in the dining room.The second picture is the black "marble" tile

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That is up to you.

We are always getting water on the floor as well as the dogs. So it just would not fit us personally.

Marble tile is like ice if there is water on it.

I prefer stone tile. As far as black, it is pretty no doubt. Do not ever do gray. Gray never matches anything, ever except red. I learned that in our 2nd house when we did builder gray carpet.

The only issue I have with black is that it shows every dust piece. I have black granite countertops and I hate it.

The great thing about picking a black floor is that when you do take off that wallpaper later you can paint the kitchen for a very contemporary look.

 

[mouseears4life]

Ok after seeing pics...Definitely like the black marbled tile.

I'd scratch the idea of the french toile fabrics-it would be too busy with that wallpaper. If you want to bring a fabric into it I would suggest a striped fabric, horizontal stripes, perhaps of varied width, or if uniform, then at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Anything smaller will look distracting. I'd also perhaps add some white handles to your cabinets, or if you want to bring that accent color in, that would be a great place to do it.

I have porcelain tile in my entryway, bathrooms, and kitchen. I didn't choose it, it was there when I moved in 2 years ago, and it will be one of the first things I rip out when time permits. It is ugly (off white) and not installed properly but I digress....

It is not overly slick, and we are on it ALL the TIME, shoes or no shoes. I have had one or two times a kid has slipped on it if they've come out of the bathroom with wet bare feet, which I've preached at them not to do. I do, however, have to constantly sweep it ( but then again with animals and children I think that is inevitable no matter what flooring I have). The installer did NOT seal it, however, and it caused some discoloration in the grout as well as some cleaners make the floor feel sticky after it has been mopped. I have a 4 step process to mop it now so it doesn't have a filmy residue afterwards. I sweep it, then mop it with hot water and pinesol, then with just hot water, then I swiffer it to help it dry faster. Annoying to say the least, but it's a necessary evil. I think had it been properly sealed that would not be the case though. Porcelain is a porous surface so it does absorb some moisture.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think from an aeasthetic standpoint the tile goes great with the "look" in your kitchen.

Think long and hard about the black vs. white grout...my initial "sense" upon seeing your photos is that black grout would be the way to go. But I'm no professional decorator either, although I think I've done OK with my own home.

As far as the slippery factor...well, it's up to you to decide really. I remember my late in-laws had a smooth ceramic tile in their kitchen and every drop of water that spilled made it like an ice skating rink. I was forever worrying that one of them was going to slip and break a hip.