Owner of a 1916 house here.

You don't want small white hex in a kitchen (I have it in 2 baths). It would be a cleaning nightmare in a kitchen and also hard on your back.

As far as flooring and a craftsman, earthy colors are definitely more appropriate. Have you considered marmoleum as something completely different? It could go well with the vintage of your home.

Since you say you want to retain some of the original character, I have mixed feelings about white quartz for counters.

have you consulted any sources like The Old House Journal, American Bungalow magazine, or the book Bungalow Kitchens by Jane Powell.? I know yours is a craftsman style, but the concepts are the same for both vintages.

Thank you for the response. I was trying to get rid of the earthy tones but I suppose that’s at the expense of losing the more historically accurate details. Haven’t looked into marmoleum yet..but have gotten tons of different small tiles and mosaic samples so maybe need to go in a different direction. Thanks again!

Check out the photos of linoleum on Houzz. Marmoleum is a well known manufacturer of linoleum. You can get in sheets, tile and click tiles. Linoleum is natural product that is durable, hygienic, and sustainable. True to the period of your house.

Not a pro, but I absolutely love what you have now. 100% love. Hoping the white quartz doesn't make it look to stark!

Please consult with a very good designer experienced with your style and historic elements of the home. What you're describing is a complete disconnect. But not knowing what the rest of the house looks like, it's hard to know how this room will blend. Do you want to gut and replace the walls? If not, you need to embrace and compliment (white quartz doesn't and white hex flooring doesn't). You may be distancing yourself very far from the original style of the home (again, can't see other spaces).

I'd go with a dark gray slate-look porcelain tile. Will work nicely with black cabinets.

I love what you have right now! Is there something wrong with the current tile? The cabinets look great painted black. I would go with a countertop that would coordinate with the floor and call it a day!

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. I should also explain that the rest of the home has white trim and baseboards, white built-ins, greige walls, and hardwoods like you see on the stairs in the photo. I just really dislike the current tile and wanted to do something fun with the flooring to compliment the brick. Sounds like the white counters and floors might not be a good choice, though. Thanks again

What about just doing concrete like below? Another idea is white like you said you’ve explored, but with just the slightest modern touch by adding black border or even some black print tiles as the border. Or, even bolder would be the entire kitchen in the fun pattern. 😊 Some ideas below

Also, I’m not an expert in maintaining any sort of original history on historic homes.. just a disclaimer.

I would think soapstone would be nice for your counters.

As you also want to use in foyer, consider how your choice will suit that space as well.

Uniquely shaped black tile, with white grout, to tie in with cabinets and counter

Herrington pattern and if going with wood, choose a shade that compliments the brick.

Large rustic style

I think any of these would be gorgeous

I live in a 20s craftsman four square. We kept the wood floors although I am thinking in the 20s they were covered with linoleum. IMO, if you don't want wood, real linoleum would be the way to go.

I'll offer one other perspective. In a lot of Chicago-style bungalows (ca 1925) we have oak floors in the main rooms and maple in the kitchen. There's literally no transition and it just butts right in, apologetically. So it may seem jarring but was historically accurate for us. I know wood floors in the kitchen aren't great - they do scar and wear pretty quickly so that is a down side.

As for other options, I do like the linoleum or concrete concepts. I think the encaustic tile is very 'on trend' and has the potential to look dated down the line.

We did what kats737 is suggesting. When we put an addition on our 1916 house we put in unstained maple floors. All of the rest of our first floor has stained oak floors; the second floor has maple floors. The guys who installed the floors laid some maple crossways between the two different wood species. To my eyes it looks fine because that is what is very common in our neighborhood. We've had wooden kitchen floors for about 25 years and had them refinished once; I don't consider them to be a problem in kitchens.

Seconding the recommendations for Marmoleum. It would look period-correct without all the waxing and stripping maintenance required by the linoleum available 100 years ago.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. I should also explain that the rest of the home has white trim and baseboards, white built-ins, greige walls, and hardwoods like you see on the stairs in the photo. I just really dislike the current tile and wanted to do something fun with the flooring to compliment the brick. Sounds like the white counters and floors might not be a good choice, though. Thanks again

Chances are that white trim and white built ins were at some point natural wood that was painted over. Later craftsmen houses might have had painted wood, but in that era, no.

That kitchen looks like it was added onto at some point. Like that was originally a porch or something similar.

The wood flooring doesn't look original. Original flooring of the period would have been 2"-3" strips, not the wider plank you have.

I would suggest if you love a true craftsman house, you do research on your house and even join the American Bungalow forum on Facebook and take Julieste's suggestions because from your description, right now it sounds like you have a remuddled craftsman.

You should paint yours bricks with varnish. It looks so good after that treatment.

Love the kitchen and your house sounds beautiful! Any chance of posting more pics so we can get a feel for adjoining spaces, and a few more angles of the kitchen? I don’t see that painting the cabs black will make a big difference. Have you thought about whitewashing the brick to get a more uniform look while keeping the character and texture? You will not burn in hell if you touch the brick. I like a slate look floor, but it will be a dark floor against dark cabinets. I agree that the busy countertop next to the brick is too much busy. I think you need to pull together a design board to see how various colors and materials look together.

love the idea of marmoleum, very craftsman and can look modern in the right pattern. i would suggest a solid color vs a pattern

one more thought... i would go simple without pattern because the brick is very pattern heavy and would focus on that as a focal point not the floor. would go with a medium color for the floor too because the cabinets will be dark and the countertop white so I would say more of a balance of the two with the floor, maybe a grey that looks like concrete?