Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
skoooooba

Need opinion on tile choices!

skuba
10 years ago

So let me explain. Me and the wife spent 2 entire days at tiles shops, it seems that everything that attracts us is kind of contemporary. We like grays but are not sure if it will work with the rest of the house. We even brought some samples home to check it against the hardwood floor. Still don't know if they work. There are a couple of options that have some brown in them so they are warmer.

The truth is we are worried that none of these will work well and even started thinking about just putting hardwood similar to living room or bedrooms.

Could you please share your thoughts on these tiles ?

I have numbered the tiles in the pics. Link below to gallery including next door dining room.

More info:
- 1940 san francisco home
- cabinets will be white shaker style
- there is a lot of light

Thanks so much,

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures on dropbox

Comments (11)

  • cawaps
    10 years ago

    The only one I really don't care for is 1, which I don't think goes with your counter (that is your counter material, right? Looks like a mottled gray quartz?). I really like #3.

  • skuba
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    That counter is one that we like and have a sample on hand. It's also much cheaper than Cambria/Cesarstone/etc.... But we could go with other counter options...Goal here is to figure out if any of these tiles work with our house. If you see our dining room, it's warm because of hardwood. Also we will have white shaker cabinet. Our concern is having a very cold and too modern kitchen if it's white and grey on grey..

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago

    Not sure if this will help you or not, but we used Daltile City View in Skyline Gray 12x24. It is a warm, taupey gray. Our cabs are natural maple and our granite has grays and golden tans. Very happy with the tile and the look.

  • foodonastump
    10 years ago

    I'm from NY and don't know how to stereotype a 1940's SF house, but I just used a grey 12x24 in the upstairs bath of my 1960's cape and it's the first thing people comment on when they see it - everyone loves it as do we. (It's got brown in it, but less than the picture suggests.) Overall our style leans more towards warmer traditional, so for our downstairs projects (kitchen and bath) we chose a more subtle route.

    I probably should have cleaned before posting a picture. oops!

    This post was edited by foodonastump on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 23:35

  • skuba
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    foodonastump, that tile looks super brown!

  • foodonastump
    10 years ago

    Trust me if you were to walk in my bathroom you'd think grey; the brown comes out as you look closer, but again not as much as the picture shows. At least not to me. Anyway I was just trying to show grey 12x24 against white. It looks great.

  • karen_belle
    10 years ago

    I am going to put a plug in for Marmoleum.

    1. It will be much more comfortable for you to walk on a linoleum floor than a tile floor. The work done in a kitchen is mostly done standing up, and tile floors are hard on the back and knees.

    2. A linoleum floor is totally in keeping with the age and style of your home.

    3. You can make your kitchen a modern look if that's what pleases you, but your other choices are traditional (hardware is very traditional, Shaker cabinets can go either way). If you like a modern look go for it all the way. If you are happier in a traditional setting then I think linoleum is the way to go, or a smaller tile.

    4. Marmoleum gives you many, many choices of color. Check out the Click option, or go for a sheet installation. The one caveat I will tell you is that you need to use a very skilled installer and that might be hard to schedule in San Fran. Or maybe there are many around in a place with such pricey real estate. In my (very large) city there is really only one guy and we had to wait a few weeks for him. We put cork down under our sheet product and we love love love how it feels and looks.

    Here is a link that might be useful: marmoleum

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    I would go with hardwood floors. They look good, are easy on the feet, easy to clean, and durable. As a bonus (for me): The natural wood floors don't show dirt nearly as much as uniform-colored tiles.

  • Gooster
    10 years ago

    I'm certain you realize this, but the large formats (in addition to the grey) you are selecting really push the kitchen in a modern direction. As you know from house shopping, in SF the large format tiles are being used quite a bit in new construction and renovations alike. You can get the grey you want in another format (or material) and it will not skew as modern. It really depends on what look you are going for (or the approach you are taking) to your renovations.

  • pricklypearcactus
    10 years ago

    First of all, I personally like all the tiles but #1, BUT I don't think I like them in your house. Your house looks like a really cool 1940s SF home and the large format tiles do not quite seem in keeping with that style. Yes, I think you can do a modern kitchen in a cool vintage home, but then it definitely says "hey - I'm a new kitchen in an old home" rather than just fitting in with the architecture. I think hardwood to match would look really nice. (Even though I personally do like tile in the kitchen.) Maybe there are some other tile shapes that are consistent with the 1940s that someone could recommend. Maybe hex? Or black and white squares? Hopefully someone with some architecture/historical background can chime in with more knowledgeable information than I can possible provide.

  • skuba
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Update: We decided the reason was so hard to choose a tile for the kitchen is because we really don't like any of them. The ones we like, we like by itself, maybe for a contemporary house, but not for ours.

    We are going hardwood, like these strips in the bedrooms. Finished on site.

    I know, big change in direction.

    Thanks for all suggestions.

Sponsored
ANF Kitchen & Bath
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars8 Reviews
Innovative & Creative Kitchen & Bath Designers Servicing VA