Carpet, Tile and Hardwood Floors

Q: My husband and I cannot settle on flooring for our house. currently there is about 4×4 tile in the entry way and it continues with carpet the rest of the entry way, living room and dining room areas. Then there is tile in the family room that continues into a breakfast nook. I want to keep carpet in the living room only. Put hardwood floor or laminate in the entry and dining area.
My husband says this is to much. He does not think hardwood, carpet in the living room only, and tile would look good. He says either all tile or hardwood in the entry, living and dining areas. I want to keep my carpet in the living room, since the family room and breakfast nook all have tile.
Confusing I know, but would like your input.
Thanks,
Irma G
A: This will be heavily dependent on the floor you choose and the look you wish to achieve. If you want to have a more unique look and feel to each are of your home, this would be a perfect way to go, as each room can have an entirely different floor.
Now if you want a coordinating look, this will be difficult, but can be done and if done properly will be well worth the time put in. If you have lighter colored carpet and tile, try looking at natural White Oak, Maple and even American cherry. For darker tones, look into walnut, various stains like gunstock, or some of the exotic woods like Ipe and Jatoba.
Another approach is to have a floor that is opposite to the current carpet, but still gives an elegant look. Such as white or cream carpeting to a rich floor like Brazilian Cherry or Kempas or a great character floor like Tigerwood. The goal here is to mix elegant with a casual/contemporary feel to give a blend that just looks phenomenal.
The key thing for your project is to find a floor you love and then ensure your transition work is done well. In the end, I would say you can get a truly great looking floor by mixing these three, but its a matter of finding a floor both you and your husband love and then taking the time to coordinate transition work and any decorations in your home.
Good luck to you on this project!