Hands down porcelain tile! 24 x 24 tiles with very little grout line? Smaller rectangles?

Gray?

Area rug for warmth in winter months if desired.

Would love to see your entire space - LOVE the natural walnut door panel

Thanks for the comments! Would you do infloor heat w the slate or porcelain tile? Some people say its "hard on your feet". Thoughts?

And finished product pictures coming - probably 4 months from now :)

i don't under stand this "hard on your feet" thing. I mean, what isn't? are you 70+ w/arthritic joints? No? then who cares how hard it is? It's a floor not a bouncy gym. where cushy shoes if your feet hurt.

Porcelain that looks like a gray/black slate would look beautiful w/your walnut cabs.

Ivetta black porcelain

or, do the real slate. I have it in my kitchen. bonus to real slate is it remains at room temperature. may be helpful in those winters of yours! holds up to dogs and kids rather well. needs to be sealed every few years, but not a big deal.

vermont bluestone slate.

Not sure how its hard on the feet but that is what someone said

slate is natural. it's petrified mud. it's hard but fragile, if that makes sense. so is ceramic, porcelain, and marble.

anything that doesn't 'give' when you walk on it, might be hard. if you weigh a lot, have bad knees and joints, then walking on concrete or ceramic tile or similar, might be 'hard on your feet'. walking on carpet, cork, wood that's laid over a subfloor and spanned joists, might be easier on your feet/joints. They say running on asphalt as opposed to the sidewalk is easier on your feet and joints because the asphalt has a little bounce to it.

here's my thing,,,do you stand in your own home frequently? or walk the hallways excessively? I really don't think it matters otherwise unless you are old/infirm. if you stand in the kitchen and cook a lot, do cork flooring or get one of those cushy kitchen mats. Otherwise, put down whichever flooring you like and works w/your lifestyle. again, get cushy slippers to wear in the house if the 'hard floor' bothers you. Or get carpet.

Beth H - do some research on joint issues caused by living/working on cement floors. Tile floors will throughout your living space will result in the same issues. It isn't just your feet, but also your knees, hips and lower back. I lived in a home that had tile floors throughout for 20 years. I moved last year and no longer have feet that hurt every night and legs that hurt and cramp every night. My ankles are not swollen. My husband was not quite as lucky as me. He worked a job where he walked on cement during the day as well as living in our home with tile floors. He had to have 2 hip replacements and he has arthritis in his knees and lower back and will have pain for the rest of his life. I loved the look of my tile floors, but they were not worth price to our joints.

I'm not all that old - moved into that home in my mid 30s and lived there until I was in my mid 50s.

Jennifer,,,please, i'm my own research. I worked a physically demanding job for 30 years. (one that required physical fitness tests) I used to run and lift weights for all of those 30 years. My hip is shot, ,had an earlier knee surgery but now I need a knee replacement because of severe arthritis, 4 fused discs, and injuries to every joint in my body over those 30 years.

I guess it just depends on who you are and what 'hard' means to you. my flooring doesn't bother me. i'm on a cement slab. i have wood floors, slate/travertine floors and one room w/carpet. they all feel the same to me. usually in ones own home you sit as opposed to stand. but hey, that's why I said whatever works for your body. and the cushy house slippers.

176penin,,,,,maybe you should just do carpet. have tile in the dining area and kitchen, and carpet everywhere else.

Or you could do LVT. Looks like wood or tile, but is not as hard as tile or as easily damaged by dog nails as wood

I am with Beth about stone floors. I too worked on them for years and my knees are shot. Why not look into something like what we have in our house with big dogs , grandkids in and out of a pool all summer . We have a laminate that looks like slate it has stood the test of time for 10 yrs and would look awesome in the cream color with your walnut.Or Mannington Adura in this color would be great either of these will be good with the dog and the walnut and a snap to install