SFGate

Ramona I agree that you would have too much wood grain if you installed a wood floor. Is something wrong with the tile? Is the tile part of the passive solar?

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. Here is a kitchen in Mokena IL at Schillings Lumber-I saw because my mother also has knotty pine paneling in her living room and the red oak orange cabinets...these are rift cut natural red oak cabinets...but see how great that color looks with the blue grey multi colored tile and dark granite. I like it for her kitchen because its a nice flow into her living room and won't fight the knotty pine in there. Also shown in a vinyl wood floor which is popular these days with homeowners who have dogs and animals. They don't slip so much on them.

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. http://www.islandparks.org/naturecenter/Carpet%20and%20Knotty%20Pine.jpg
Here is a pick of knotty pine shown with a dark charcoal carpet--so you can see the play of light with dark.

Joleen Apol Ramona - The tile is only along the edge of the kitchen area currently, and there is carpet under the table in the photo, but the kitchen is also being relocated, so all the tile will be removed. The house is built on a concrete slab, so I am thinking that tile might be my best option. I am not sure how the tile works with the passive solar type house, but everything needs an upgrade.

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. Hi,
Why not do a vinyl tile? Its not so hard on your legs and feet. Check out invincible lock in tile. Its not the paste down kind and it looks great and is easy on the body.

libradesigneye I suggest you paint out ALL the walls and just leave the ceiling natural- I would even ADD paintable mdf tongue and grove panels on the rest on the horizontal (even at understair access but take out the trim highlights) so it all looks seamless texture wise - when complete, all the walls look like cabin walls with painted horizontal plank.

Tile is very loud, and with those ceilings and open stair, you will already have a bright room sound wise. Once you add a big patterned rug (what the room needs - maybe a kilim) then it is kind of lost $ wise.

I would recommend the vinyl wood planks to deliberately echo the ceiling wood tone plank look, then spend money on a rug instead and paint every wall out, just keeping the natural tim around doors and windows. This way you have many color choices- you can go cool because you have enough wood tones to feel warm. I think olive tones always are great with wood, but I can see some moody blue-gray tone for contrast. I need to know more about the palette in your whole house. The room can take almost any color with those big windows- cobalt/navy walls would feel nautical and maybe be my fave, traditional deep forest green would be very ralph lauren/ woodsy. Deep red would be dramatic and kind of formal , and pumpkin tones would evoke autumn/cozy fireplace times. Using your favorite accent colors from other living spaces here deep on the walls would be amazing with this architecture- just add hanging light pendant / lanterns up and down the table.

I can see a nautical rope bannister, or go more rustic /pole based stair and landing rail, or provide contrast with a horizontal stainless cable rail that you can look right thru. You might just paintwash the existing back to a mid-tone gray for lower contrast.

You may want to add a longer top to your existing table, get upholstered chairs for each end and move all matching chairs to the sides. You have the room to go bigger. Or, add a bench along the windows for another seating area and shift your table over/ center on windows but to right in room.

decoenthusiaste If you like the black or charcoal on your stairwell, consider installing an inexpensive style of laminate/engineered plank floor and then painting it black or charcoal to match. It will help retain the heat from the passive solar and will look sharp with the black stair rail. It will be much more comfortable than a harder surface.