I would probably pick the flooring first because that might be the largest expense and your decision there will affect the finish you choose for your cabinetry.

there is so little info. how about one of those light gray wood like an ikea floor? then make it all open to the porches, etc.

There's really no info to give, since we are replacing flooring, kitchen, bathrooms and painting - that's my dilemma... not knowing where to start! Picking flooring first seems to make sense but it's really overwhelming the number of types, colors and finishes available.

but something that we feel so unqualified to speak on. pros could give you quality, i can assure you that research is most important. maybe hold ikea up as an exhibit, i have heard they have good laminates.

IKEA no longer sells flooring in the USA. We will be looking at flooring obviously but I was hoping for some advice on where to start with a blank slate decorating and in decor/appearance I know I will get plenty of (completely conflicting) advice from flooring row on the types of floors to use - I'm thinking about appearance now. Sounds like flooring it is because it's the hardest to change in future, but again it's pretty overwhelming with everything available.

Since pictures speak a thousand words you can see the kitchen in my kitchen layout thread.

darn did not know that about ikea. i did some very reasonable laminate from a close out. have you tried this years comparisons from the consumers reports? i am sure ywe have a lot of queries?

I have no shortage of flooring options - quite the opposite! I'm looking for advice on how to start defining a look for a whole house makeover.

When we bought our carpeting I asked the owner about bamboo flooring since that seemed like an eco-friendly and fairly economic way to go. He didn't have anything very positive to say, something about it swelling and shrinking, and being difficult to install and maintain. You might want to check into that. You might want to determine a price range and then go to a flooring place and find out what options are within your budget, and have a look at samples and see what colors appeal to you. Darker colors will show dirt much more easily, and may not be what you want with a "beachy" theme anyway. Figuring out what colors you really love (have a look in your closet) and looking at lots of rooms on-line of different types should help. Houzz has a section on decor where you can see rooms according to what style you like which should be helpful.

We have ash floors from Lumber Liquidators and love them! They are clean looking, go with anything and lighten up the room.

see! my floors came from ollies, no probs at all.