Q:

Tobi, how do you mix flooring? If one has hardwoods in entry, kitchen, but living room/dining room and family room are carpet, how does one transition to another flooring material where the rooms flow into each other? For example, tile, limestone, travertine etc. rather than going with hardwood throughout.
Sara, Jonesboro, Arkansas

A:

Sarah, thanks for the great question! Many people are at a loss when tackling this dilemma. When I’m designing a house with an open floor plan, I always stick to a single flooring option throughout the rooms. Using multiple flooring choices creates a very choppy look throughout your home. Using a single flooring choice also helps to make your spaces appear bigger. To soften spaces like living and dining rooms, I will introduce a rug. Rugs help tie your room’s design scheme together and define individual spaces. I think you were hoping for a magic answer to make a variety of flooring types work. To create spaces that truly work and have great flow, it just isn’t an option. Take a look at the photos below for inspiration.
Tobi

In my own home, the entry, living room, dining room and family room are all open to one another. Wood flooring covers all of these areas to create a great flow between the spaces. As seen in the photo above, a large rug defines the living room.

In this lakehouse renovation, I carried the wood flooring throughout the open plan living area. With the openness of this plan, using a tile in the kitchen would have not allowed great visual flow.

This family room is open to a breakfast area and kitchen. Wood flooring is throughout. I defined the family room seating area with a rug.