Sample of tile and hardwood at transition/room dividing point.

That will look great. Your installer should put a saddle where the tile and wood meet. Love your colors!

Great choice there. No, tile and wood make for great alternatives to using a wall to separate spaces.
Other choices - wood porcelain tiles are great - http://tiledaily.com/category/porcelain/wood-porcelain/
Sleek grey creates a great look as well to contrast with wood floors - http://tiledaily.com/2012/03/08/urban-matte-porcelain-series-grey/
http://tiledaily.com/2011/12/27/cement-porcelain-tile-grey/
Here's a great example of dark wood and white tile -
http://tiledaily.com/2012/08/08/featured-kitchen-san-dimas-ca/

I will be refinishing these white cabinets in a warm antique yellow. The counter is currently a berry bugandy color, but refinishing to either chocolate stone or cream stone color but haven't decided firm on the countertop.

Aspenglow, thank you for that info, I'm going to check into that. Eventually I would also switch to stainless steel appliances....one at a time as the current ones die off lol.

Krisgal94, as in the photo, the way the would lays is how the entire top floor of our home will lay in that same direction for an even flow room to room. Otherwise there are too many angles.

I believe we will go with tile in the kitchen and Acacia wood in the dining area, simply because of that back entrance that comes into the kitchen (not a good design plan), but I have to work with it the way it is. Snow and dirt at that entrance may grind into the hardwood at that area and leave wet stains. My reality is that not everyone in my home cares to clean up a little water or dirt at the entrance. This tile we are using is Alterna, a very durable hard vinyl tile that will be grouted as well. Very durable and warmer on the feet than say porcelain or ceramic.

I would put all wood in both rooms and put a rug by the door. It will make the spaces look bigger and together. OR put all tile throughout both rooms. It will expand the space with either all tile or all wood.

Someone suggested a"saddle", no, this is not the way to go. In actuality the piece is called a transition strip. Most commonly used when one floor covering is not as high as the one it needs to meet. This usually happens when plywood needs to be laid under one covering to make the floors even and someone skips the step. This step is skipped when someone either doesn't know better or doesn't want to pay the extra cost associated with it. Transition strips are awful !!!!!! do the job right or don't do it at all. Now on to your question, doing 2 different floor coverings in your kitchen is mistake choose one or the other. Your family can get "whipped into shape" ( oh geeze can we even say whipped anymore) and more than likely will do it on there own because the change will be so dramatic and beautiful. They'll have a new appreciation for the floors and the entire house.

I think you are being quite practical to realize that wood floors don't do well at entrances where they can get covered with water and dirt. It isn't realistic to expect that kids will embrace the new look so much that they morph into clean freaks whenever they step onto the new floor. If you want to have a more relaxed family life, go for a more forgiving surface

I don't believe that you need the same flooring in an entry as in the rest of the house. I believe that transitions between types of flooring can add a visual separation and define spaces without resorting to walls. Traditionally, entry areas have often had a different flooring before moving into the main area of the house. I don't have any photos yet, but we recently did a mudroom and half bath in tile and then the adjoining kitchen in a natural maple. We used a single piece of maple set at a right angle to the wood flooring where the groove in the long piece is used to mate with the tongues on the ends of the flooring to make a even, tight edge. Then, we made sure to have enough thinset under the tiles to make a flush surface to the transitiion strip. A good installer will be able to put a slight bevel on the transition strip to make up for a small height difference. Additionally, doing the wood first allows the tile to be grouted into the strip for a seamless transition.

Yes, we have a saddle for the height reason you mentioned. We weren't willing to put the money into fixing it so we didn't need a saddle. To be honest, I love the saddle. I personally don't like the look of the wood and tile together without that tranisition piece. BTW, I love your hardwood choice here! And I totally agree with having tile in the kitchen,esp at the entrance. We are in the process of buying a new house now and it has all hardwood throughout. The floors are beautiful, but eventually I will want to put tile in the breezeway off the kitchen.

I love tile. No stress with water crazy scratches. Consider the wood look porcelain tile. Great option for your whole kitchen and dining room. It will make your area feel larger and less cluttered using one