Can you continue the hardwood instead of doing tile? It would look so much more seamless and less choppy.

I would love to but the entry gets traffic and we get snow and ice - I'd be worried about the wood. That's why I'm hoping to at least have it blend in some way.

If possible, continue the wood flooring throughout the foyer to make the areas flow together. For the powder room, you could continue the wood flooring as well or go with a large simplistic/neutral tile that complements the wood. I highly suggest continuing the wood flooring throughout though. Consistency and flow is key in making the most out of your space and you don’t want to do anything too dramatic especially in the entry way that will appear choppy and distracting to visitors when they enter your home for the first time. Wood flooring can be very expensive and require maintenance, so I would visit a local flooring retailer or specialist and get some info on alternative/mock wood flooring.

I was looking at wood-look plank tile but thought it might look like we were trying to hard to be matchy and not succeeding. And the direction of the hallway and living room are perpendicular. How would I make that work?

I'm in the continue wood throughout camp. You could always put a large rug for the elements and still have flow throughout the space. If not, A neutral color that compliments the color of the wood (no wood look next to real wood!). Your grout now really makes the tile stand out, so whatever tile you get, use a grout that doesn't stand out.

Thank you. How do you find the examples of tile next to real wood along with product info? I can find photos but then usually wind up getting frustrated bc there’s often no product info.

I’m considering the wood bc I do love flow but am worried about water (toilet overflowing?) and snow/ice/dirt damage and also the finish not matching exactly. Should I be worried? The two areas that abut the entry way were installed at different times and have slightly different tones.

Thanks as always.

A good wood floor installer can feather in some new boards into the existing flooring to make it look pretty seamless.

I wouldn’t worry too much about an overflowing toilet. Our only main floor bathroom has a shower in it, used daily. The hardwood continues into this bathroom and it’s been no problem at all.

You can go to home depot or similar to get samples and return them. Here's a good discussion on wood in a kitchen, it may give you some help with deciding. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/poll-wood-floors-in-the-kitchen-dsvw-vd~872790?n=234

Thoughts on engineered wood? I think this could address my concerns about the durability for the entry way...? Can I get it to 100% match my existing wood?

engineered wood is still real wood, so same issues.

I would extend the new tile to go where the hall closet is too, and into the hall closet.

I suggest tile. To me the main issue with your existing tile is the high contrast grout. I'd look for tile with a rectified edge which would allow for small grout lines. Also, a larger tile 18x18 or larger would reduce the number of grout lines, and is more modern than the standard 12x12. You will still need a door mat when dealing with snow and ice, that need never goes away. Good luck.

See my update posted today - thank you - losing my mind.

you can pick

travertine tile , looks natural and match with hardwood color

I think slate or a porcelain tile would be what you need. what you'd want to do is somehow feather it into the wood tile so it doesn't look so choppy.

these are porcelain and come in a variety of colors. you could bring in a few planks of your real wood and feather them in and around the entry area to obtain this type of look

or try a black or gray or cream porcelain hex tile. Again, you'd cut your wood to receive the ends of the hex where they transition.

the entire bathroom would be the hex, you'd only to this where it meets the wood.

or,,,a basic porcelain, 12x24,,,(tilebar.com)

or a black slate.