<p>We have slowly been remodeling a little in the kitchen. Stainless appliances, bright white cabinets, stainless pulls, blackish granite countertops. We’re now ready for the backsplash and flooring.</p>
<p>Kitchen is open to the family room, with 8" tiles throughout. The kitchen is also mostly open to the living room, where we will replace carpet. We want to install wood flooring in both rooms. However, we’re also considering bamboo. We have Pergo in our bedroom and love it, but have been told we should go with wood in the kitchen/family room. Our entry is already wood. This is a very high traffic area. We lost our dog recently but are considering either a dog or cat (or both) in the future.</p>
<p>Our kitchen has bright white cabinets, stainless appliances and blacking granite countertops. It’s a somewhat contemporary look. We’ve considered a tile backsplash, but can’t really find anything we like. It all seems too busy for our house. We’re considering a white beadboard backsplash and putting the same on three faces of the island (the other side is cabinets. </p>
<p>We would appreciate any experience and opinions on either of these options.</p>
<p>May I suggest you go over to the gardenweb forum. Go to the home forum site and choose the sub category home decorating or kitchen. The gallery feature will show oodles of photos of backsplashes. Most people there are very helpful.</p>
<p>What about a plain or crackled white subway tile? It’s a crisp and classic look and currently a hugely popular one - not busy at all. If you like beadboard, I’ve seen it done with a stainless steel backsplash (and perhaps stainless shelves). Another thing I’ve seen done to beautiful effect with your colors is a carrera marble tile backsplash. Wood floors are definitely a popular choice in an open floor plan like the one you describe. In a high traffic area or with pets, I’d recommend avoiding a semi-gloss finish, which will show every scratch. </p>
<p>If you are just getting started I highly recommend the gardenweb home forums. You can go to the finished kitchen blog or the finished backsplash blog for more ideas. There are also separate forums for lighting, appliances, home decorating etc. </p>