I grew up on all tile (the tropics'll do that for ya), and never really considered anything else as default. Like, when you drop things, they're supposed to break.
And sometimes I prefer that to the marks my carpet is accumulating. Sadly, wood floors are not under my control.
One of my cousins built his family's dream house, and they imported vintage (as it, not its first underfoot rodeo) wood floors from Georgia, and I swear...they were soft. Before they furnished the house I would nap on it. And, my god, best surface for capoeira ever.
I'm not a big fan of the accent wall, but the poor fireplace is lost. That corner really needs a contrasting color.
Yes, that fireplace is rather sucky. It's in a corner, but not a corner fireplace. It's facing inward, so not going to radiate into the room all that much. Currently the gasline is capped, so it is non-operational. The previous owner had furniture right up to it, basically blocking it. I thought that curious. Then I learned it was capped, and it made much more sense. I'm not planning on uncapping it at this time. Not sure what to do with it. At some point, I'll find how much it costs to renovate the corner, so that it's on an 45º angle, facing into the room more. But, low priority.
Excellent point on the tile. I don't recall how much texture there is with it. The laminates I've been looking at, some are like glass! Super slippery. So, replacing with laminate will require one that has texture, so the crutches have something to grip to.
All your dishes are in danger.
(okay that made me laugh). I just pictured dishes screaming.
Dishes aren't the only ones screaming. It's ugly. Again, that will have to wait. It's in good shape, and functional. I'm leaning towards recycled glass counters, or quartz counters.
I'm a fan of hard wood floors but that's probably because I'm a product of my environment. Bamboo floors are nice too, and more eco friendly I think.
One year when I was in college I had a room with a (non-operational) fireplace in it. I used to store books in it ... my little joke.
Hard wood is the best, but fake wood is a lot cheaper. I think it depends on the budget, at least in part.
We have tile throughout the house, and plenty of broken dishes, and a few falls too. Whenever I walk on the squishy stuff they use in playgrounds I tell DH I want that in my kitchen, both for my feet and the dishes' sake.
I appreciate the wishes for my safety, but cuts and bruises and splinters are pretty much unavoidable.
They are. But hearing that you are taking care of inevitable cuts is a good thing. Blood infections are no joke. And, really, dealing with old construction, you don't know what might be lurking. You don't know anywhere, really. Glad you are cleaning wounds.
My parents have slateish floors and I have to remember to pack cushy socks and / or slippers. Kills my feet and back. And I've come close to falling a few times. Also cracked the screen on my phone there. Looks great. Not as livable. It was my huge concern when dad was coming home from the hospital - not only was it easier to fall, it's damaging when you do.
Hil, do you have a link for the floor mat you ended up buying. My tile floor is hell on my back.
My BFF in Charlottesville has bamboo flooring throughout her condo. It's nicely springy and, as it's basically a grass, it's reasonably ecologically sound.
Hil, do you have a link for the floor mat you ended up buying. My tile floor is hell on my back.
[link]
After searching for a while, I realized that the mats they sell specifically for kitchens are basically the same thing as the ones they sell for babies, except that the kitchen ones are black and way more expensive. Most of the baby ones are obviously meant for babies, but if you search a little, you can find some nicer ones.
Looks like they've also got some wood grain ones. [link]
