I knew people whose house was done in neutrals- grey, beige, some palest green. The place felt frozen. (They painted an upstairs bedroom deep orange to compensate.)

I might go for the sand-apricot-peach shades as compromise. Supposing someone makes those in affordable tile. The thing being, if the budget is limited there's no point trying to look designer. You end up looking tacky. Which is why honest black and white has so much to be said for it.