All i will say is that we have a classic 1951 midcentury home that the previous owners expanded and put saltillo tile everywhere. And it's terrible - it just doesn't work with the style of the house at all. We're considering more updates, and the first thing any midcentury-trained architect says when they come in is, "are you planning to update the floors?" Just my two cents :)

Do you mind posting a photo?

I would get Saltillo samples to try out in your own place. Its popularity and use in different periods is regional.

My previous house, in Southern CA, had Saltillo tile and it was appropriate to the Spanish style of the house, but it was it was awful to live with. We probably removed 3000+ sq ft of red and green Saltillo over a few years and it was well worth it. This was cheap Saltillo circa 2000 and not the original stuff from 1920. The really old stuff can have an interesting patina, but the new stuff, not so much! We really disliked that the tiles were not flat, making them a trip hazard and difficult to clean.

Have you considered Terrazzo-look porcelain tiles?

I had whitewashed saltillo tile in a house. Be sure to get an installer who is experienced in saltillo. I didn't and the finish was horrible!

We have saltillo tiles in our kitchen. The house was built in 1989. They have not held up well at all - a lot of chipping and cracking. Plus they scratch (we have large dogs). I personally would prefer something more durable.

Not in million years IMO in a MCM house they are all wrong. If you want an appropriate floor look for a terrazzo look floor much better choice if you want something different from all the wood . I think if you want to embrace the MCM feel saltillo is not the answer and definately not with cherry cabinets which are also not quite right for the home . Maybe give us a bit of an idea of what your style is too. BTW what would be the purpose in a whitwash with new flooring? Why not just go white tile to begin with

Excellent point. We live in the southwest and bought the home with a taupe color scheme. The cabinets are are cherry and currently the counter tops are a brown granite. We plan to switch them out for a white quartz.

Out of curiosity, is the house MCM architectural style? Or is it a 1950s-style home? People come on this forum asking about their "MCM" homes, when really they're dealing with a 1955 ranch house. Both are very much of the 1950s, but they have very different design requirements.