No need for transition strip between tile & carpet. In fact it generally looks more finished without a transition. The only reason to add a transition strip would be to smooth out the transition if there there was a significant height difference between the two. For example, if the tile was taller than the carpet, then you might want a transition strip/ramp to minimize the obstacle and thereby minimize the risk of hitting your feet as you describe. Best case is same level without transition strip.

Best case scenario if you don't want a traditional metal transition piece, is to have the carpet edge bound there to keep it from fraying and be careful about how you vaccuum. And finish the edge of the tile off with a Schluter strip so it doesn't chip. Transition strips aren't just cosmetic transitions between materials. They actually serve a purpose: to protect the edges of those materials.

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