I don't know about what the best flooring would be as I don't have a dog. But, how easy it is to change it will depend on how it was laid. If the flooring was laid after the kitchen was installed then it should be fairly easy. If the kitchen was installed on top of the tiles, then I would say it's going to be near impossible, without removing the kitchen first - my parents are in this position.

Have you though about using a luxury vinyl tile such as Karndean or Amitico? With the right floor prep you could end up with a very neat finish where it meets the tiles and not worry about expansion gaps. The wood effect versions of luxury vinyl can be very realistic and extremely hard wearing. I have used this product quite a bit in recent months even completing a gym in my own house just this week. www.fusionfloors.co.uk

Thanks to all who offered advice. The samples arrived and the space invader fabric was our favourite. None of the cube patterns were quite right. Do you think i could skip lining fabric since it is already so thick? I think it might be too bulky for a blind with lining too. The other thing I wanted is some general styling advice. I don't know whether I'm going to be able to pull off the look I was originally going for and i keep getting sidetracked by other things I also like. My original idea was a contemporary classic kitchen with a bit of an edge. So we have light grey shaker doors on bottom, then handleless white slab on top. Flooring probably wood effect herringbone vinyl. Walls will be off white and backsplash behind job will be very pale neutral zellige tiles. Handles will be more industrial style, I like quite a few from dowsing & Reynolds, probably in bronze so quite dark. Then there will be a built in bench with dark blue cushion on the seat and across the back. Table I would like something mid or dark wood and contemporary but I've also liked mid century style ones I've seen. And chairs are undecided but maybe black. Worktops are marble effect Quartz (white with grey veining) and an upstand and sink is undermount stainless steel. I have already bought pendants for above the dining table, they are patterned glass with a black ceiling cord. I can't tell whether I'm going to be able to make this work or just end up with an odd collection of styles which don't quite work and feel disappointed with it.

Hi Amy! I love cork flooring. It's really a sustainable material and has got some great properties, like sound and heat insulation. I don't have personal experience of using cork in kitchens, but I do have experience of using it in bathrooms. I think bathrooms are actually tougher on cork than kitchens, especially if you have little kids who enjoy a lot of splashing in the bath like I do!! Kitchen floors rarely get as wet, so hopefully my experience with bathroom floors in cork will help you. I'm not sure I understand from your post what the floor build-up is going to be, so I would need you to clarify a bit more on that to say anything much about the underlay or floor prep needed. What I can tell you about is my experience of both the laminate type cork flooring and the glue down cork tiles. My parents have had glue-down cork tiles, well sealed with varnish, in their family bathroom for at least 30 years and they are still going strong, although they could do with a gentle sand down and a recoat of varnish. I did a major renovation of my bathroom about 6 years ago and used the laminate type of click together cork flooring, which is absolutely beautiful. The only thing is that it really has not stood up to use. However, it was never sealed with anything, so possibly a coat of varnish might help. I was really careful to select a version that was supposed to be suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms, but it hasn't coped with the amount of wet that happens in my bathroom. However, this is not to say that it wouldn't be OK in a kitchen if you are the kind of people to quickly clean up spills and notice and deal with leaks. The problem with my bathroom was that the tap was faulty and leaked from day one, and I didn't notice for a long time because it was behind the pedestal and soaked under the flooring. So now my floor is completely ruined and I need to replace it. But it did look beautiful for a couple of years and it did suffer from a lot of abuse from unseen leaks and then was finished off by very splashy kids bathtimes! For both bathrooms, mine and my parents, the cork floor is lovely to walk around on barefoot. You don't get the same chill that you get with tiles. So I would definitely use it again. I'm planning to replace my laminate cork floor in the bathroom with a high density cork tile instead and seal it well with some kind of eco-friendly varnish, once I've found one! Hope this helps! Jane www.i-architect.co.uk