Carolyn,I second to what you suggest. Choosing the colour for open floor plans can be tough,but I really appreciate your idea that neutral colour work best for open concept areas.A small room can seem larger with light colours; a large room will shrink with a darker shade on the walls.Having a helpful guide like this one will ensure that you can find a design without getting overwhelmed or going over budget.Thanks for sharing.

Hi Julie, Hope your grandson is doing well! Have you decided what kind of flooring to go with? Are you hoping to reduce allergens?

I finally decided after much research from my contractor to put Luxury Vinyl Planks over the tile. That was really my only option. Could not do solid plank hardwood because the floors would be too uneven even after being ground down. My contractor used a machine to grind over the top of the tiles to make them as level as possible, then he used a leveler material. They were still not completely level but it was as level as possible without tearing them out. As a homeowner and a realtor, this choice of flooring is a nightmare. Almost everyone wants to change flooring at some point and this tile is extremely difficult to change. I would NEVER put them in a house voluntarily unless you live in an area where there are vendors who know how to care for them. Even then, you are very committed and it’s very difficult to remove or cover.

Well, what are you really asking/telling us? Are you really telling us that you can only afford vinyl and you want us to tell you it's okay? Well Nautalee, please only get what you can afford, and feeding and clothing your family and paying the utility bills is more important than the flooring. So in that vein, if you can only afford to replace floors in bad condition with vinyl, than that's what you have to do, and you can still join the sorority. Is that what you wanted to hear? :) If you want to know what looks looks good, and what material is best suited for what purpose, then that is another story altogether. Living rooms are great places for wood. Some countries and some parts of the US use tile even in the living room because of the excess humidity or extreme heat or that people will be entering the living room with wet feet and dripping bathing suits coming in from the pool. Bathrooms are great places for tile. Tile stands up to water. Hundreds of years of water. Thousands, actually. A lot of people have wood in their kitchen. I also know a lot of people with wood in their kitchen that have had leaks from their refrigerator or dishwasher, or ice maker or garbage disposal ( in-sink-erator) or are messy cooks and drop things and have seriously damaged their wood floors and have paid beaucoup bucks for repairs. Tile can work in a kitchen, and you can always get a gel mat for in front of the sink and range top. to cushion your feet. You can always get linoleum (the real linoleum, not vinyl) which I love for kitchens, it washes well and is soft on your feet, and your good china isn't destroyed when you drop it the way it would be dropping it on tile. There are plenty of nice, nice homes that have linoleum in the kitchen and wood in the living room. Of course, there is usually the dining room in between, and that has wood as well. You might want to think about that marble counter top in the kitchen. Do you use a lot of tomato sauce? Beets? Red wine? Lemon juice? How quickly do your children and husband wipe up their spills?