Soulless' gray vinyl floors have infested L.A.'s rental market ... There are probably black countertops and white subway tiles in the kitchen. Maybe a wall has chalkboard paint.

Sheet vinyl is one of the best types of kitchen flooring because ... and then compressed into firm tiles, cork flooring is available in a variety of gray, tan, and brown shades.

I grew up in the 1960s in a Cape Cod-style house that retained its original 1940s kitchen. That tiny kitchen had knotty pine ...