Flooring

Even though it won't be a while until we get into our new home, we already have to start making some decisions about the details inside. We're thinking that the majority of our "upgrade" budget will go to flooring. So, to say I've had flooring on the brain the past couple of days, would be an understatement. It feels like a big decision to make because it sets a tone for the whole house!

Of course, being a midwestern girl, I love love love beautiful old hardwood floors. In my heart, it would be my dream to have wide plank hardwoods throughout the house. But, here in Arizona, people just loooove their tile floors. I can understand. They do keep the floor nice and cool, and in the heat of summer, I'm sure I'll be looking for anything to keep us a little cooler. And, to be honest, I'm trying to embrace the trends of my new environment (although I'm scheming to try and sneak in some wood floors in the den where I'll have my office...shhh...we'll see).

So, I've been looking through pictures on blogs and houzz.com to find some inspiration for our tile flooring. I originally thought it would just have to be a practical choice that I would get used to looking at. But I'm finding some really beautiful tile flooring and I'm really leaning towards a slate colored tile with pale grout...although Mom and I saw some really neat long plank porcelein tiles today that look JUST like wood. So I'm cautiously excited that I could actually LOVE our floors, pending their ability to fit within our price range :)  Here's some I've really liked...

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How cool is that!?  Do you think they tried to not spell words, or maybe even set secret messages? I'm trying to imagine where in my house I would actually like this. Maybe in the laundry room? Or an entryway? You'd hate to ever replace it again.

Anyways. That's the scoop with our home planning/dreaming!  So far it's been fun researching :) Tonight we're taking a break from the usual routine and heading out for Paul's birthday celebration. I can't tell you where yet, though, it's a surprise!  Happy Friday :)