I've been hanging out on the kitchen forum and have gotten a lot of great advice for our remodel, but now I need some decorating/color assistance.

We are planning to tile our open plan family room & kitchen area - about 800 sq ft. Right now we have a mixture of red oak hardwood in a standard lt honey color stain (but VERY worn), dark solid brown tile, and cream colored tile. We also have all natural woodwork including 3 sets of french doors(also lt honey color stain). We live in the woods and one set of door opens to a covered porch, so even with all the doors, the area is not very bright.

The new kitchen will be a natural cherry color shaker style (full overlay), and I am hoping to do a honed Jet Mist counter which is dark grey/black. The style of our house is transitional/contemporary stone & cedar. I am going for a clean, comfortable, warm vibe.

Whatever floor tile I pick must be forgiving - I'm not a great housekeeper and have a yellow lab that sheds a lot. My family has also told me they don't like anything with a rough texture.

I have found some tile that I love, and it seems to be a good mix of warm but still contemporary, but the colors all seem too light or too dark. If I have to err on one side or the other - which way should I go? I'm afraid that tile that is too light will be hard to keep clean, will make the family room look too formal, and may not blend well with the counter I want. On the other hand, I am afraid to go too dark so the space feels like a dungeon.

Any advice or pictures you can show me that might help?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tile I like - but actual samples are darker than shown