I see a podium where a priest might preside over a wedding, where I think I'm supposed to see a door.Maybe if you filled it in so the background wasn't the same color as the 'walls'...?

Again, colored from my experience in the parking industry.

It will color your judgement.  

Regarding the laminate, you can usually find a color match pen/marker used to repair scratches.

I'm wrapping up my first flip in Rockland in a couple of weeks and we have been relatively glitch-free - except that we just learned that the carpet color the buyers want is special order and can't be delivered in timeIf that's the biggest glitch, I'll be pretty darn happy.

Color?

I would like to keep using a cheap, larger format tile (so that we minimize grout lines) with dark colored grout, but need some fresh ideas to modernize it a bit. 

I really have nothing against Pueblo and my families' investment performance there does not color my perspective.

I use Oak (one of the colors, looks like wood) and Sedona (looks like tile) for kitchens and baths.

The color changes every month.