This hallway and the original kitchen had pine floors. When I tore out the kitchen, I was not able to save the pine in the kitchen, but I was able to save it in this hallway. It was covered by an underlayment glued down with water-soluble glue (thank goodness!). Today, I just got done soaking, sanding, and scraping it. (The part on the right is wet, the part on the left is dry):

(Don't you just adore the lovely sheet vinyl on the stairs? That used to cover the hallway in question and the kitchen.)

I like the pine well enough, but I am worried that there are too many floor surfaces in propinquity. The kitchen will be red and white travertine, and the living room has red oak:

In addition, the powder room has a small-tile, black and white floor:

(Although the powder-room door is generally closed.)

Seems to me the choices for the hallway are:
A) Keep the pine. (Probably stain to try to match the red oak.)
B) Tear out the pine and replace with red oak.
C) Tear out the pine and extend the travertine kitchen floor there.
D) (least likely) Extend the black and white 8" square tile that is in the basement and the main basement stairs up to the landing by the door, then up the small stairs to the hallway in question.
E) Use a brilliant suggestion from GW.

I am not yet sure what I will do with the stairs now covered by the vinyl. Probably try to return them to wood, unless I use option D.

Any thoughts on what might go best here?
Thanks, A_D

Unless of course you want to relay the sheet vinyl that you have on the stairs? That could be option E.

If the area is adequately supported for the stone, extending the travertine would be ideal, I think, giving you a good solid floor at the top of the stairs. You could even extend it into the powder room. Depends on how big a job you want to make of it. Unless it's a contemporary house, all the different floors just speak to the house's history and are fine.

I say this having spent all week dying new pine quarterround molding to match our 90yr old douglas fir baseboards. :-)

If it's a heavy traffic area, in some ways wood might be safer than tile? I often slip on tile, esp with wet shoes (but then I'm a total klutz).

BlF, yes, I know exactly what you mean about the turning of the feet. Ever look at the wear patterns on any leather-soled shoes? They are circular!

Unless of course you want to relay the sheet vinyl that you have on the stairs? That could be option E.
Smile when you say that, blf! (shudder...)

Plllog, the house is from 1930. I like your thinking on the palimpsest effect (now that I know its architectural rather than its parchment or codex meaning).
You raise a good point about the support for that area. I adequately stiffened the joists under the kitchen, but did not make a concerted effort under that area. Happily, I just checked, and it should be fine. Of the 3 joists under that area, two are fine (one supported elsewhere, one I stiffened "accidentally").

I suppose I don't have anything to lose to try staining the pine. If I will change it, I do have to make a final decision soon, though, as I hope to do the kitchen floor next.
Thanks!

Otherwise the options of staining to match the other wood or extending the kitchen travertine both sound like good solutions to me.

Will: Thanks for the moral support! Yes, I was banking on the thresholds to help hide the transitions.

Chiefneil: If I were going to do that, I would probably replicate the earthy tiles in my front foyer or fireplace hearth (oh, goodness, I didn't know the fireplace tiles looked so dirty!):

I love these, but I don't think I am up for a project like that! I am glad to know you still are charmed by your efforts after this long.

To me, a wood 'foyer' (as it were) best matches the style of an older house and brings out the beauty of the surrounding doors, although this is by no means stylistically definitive.

Happy Thanksgiving as you mull over the project!

I still had to decide how to treat the stairs (visible on the left of the above picture) and a landing that leads to the outside. I continued the border pattern down the stairs (which matches the pattern that goes down the full set of stairs to the basement):

I also fabricated the plinths at the top of the stairs to provide a transition between the two different baseboards. (Previously, there was a doorway there so the baseboards did not meet.) I just put a simple ogee detail at the top of a 1x3 poplar board to form those.

and then I put a herringbone pattern on the landing:

I again used epoxy grout (Spectralok Latte) and matching caulk at where the plane changes.

I really like the overall effect! Very happy with it so far.

(Fellow) Badger, sjerin, Kris_ma, and Breezy: Seriously, thank you for the kind words. I think you, in general, overstate the case! But thank you!

Somehow when you posted before I missed the bathroom floor. I love that mosaic! Do you have any info about it?

Breezy: Awww, shucks! Merci.

Re-looking at my own pictures, it perhaps looks a little busy here, but looks fine IRL.