I live in a center hall colonial in the northeast and my decor is fairly traditional. We are ripping out our kitchen and I need help with a flooring choice. This is the last decision I have to make.

Open the front door of my house & you see the center hall & kitchen in one straight shot. The floor of these areas is currently engineered wood. What do I replace it with? On either side of the center hall and kitchen are solid hardwoods - low gloss to right and high gloss to the left (solid wood is the same in each area, just different finishes). The kitchen is open plan and overlooks low gloss floors in family room/hall/office. Photos are attached. Please excuse the mess!!

I would love to replace the center hall & kitchen floor with solid hardwood but that gets tricky. Factory finished floors will never match either side and I don't think laying new wood and staining to match the low gloss floors I already have is realistic. We have 3 kids and will soon (after renovation) be getting a German Shepherd puppy. Water bowl on wood would just be one more thing for me to look after.

That leads me to tile. Not my favorite, for the usual reasons (hard, cold looking, cold under foot) but I was thinking that if I found the right color/shape I might be able to put it down in a herringbone pattern and make it look warmer and more visually interesting. Or maybe that would look terrible in my space? See examples from Houzz below.

Here is what I have chosen for the kitchen so far:

Cabinets - Kraftmaid in Dove White color
Counter Top - Silestone in Lyra (supposed to look like marble)
Backsplash - Winchester Glossy English Subway Tiles in Mere - grout will be white
http://www.winchestertiles.com/range.php?c=35&r=41#
Appliances - Stainless
Window seat and round table in eating area.

The tile store suggested a tile that I don't think I like, it is supposed to mimic the countertop. It is difficult for me to visualize this all over the floor. Afraid it will throw off a cold feeling. Photo is attached. I think I'd be happier with a solid color tile and tend to want something darker?

Thank you for your time. I am open to any / all suggestions. I find this part of decorating overwhelming and don't want the end result to be an expensive mistake that I have to live with for the next 20 years...