When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time.

I am not a huge fan of vinyl plank flooring. It feels very fad'y. Ten years from now, it'll be the one thing that lets you date when you did the remodel. Having said that, they do have pretty decent designs these days. They come really close to fooling you into thinking it's the real thing. And while some of the hype seems to be just that, they reportedly do stand up to abuse much better than older man-made materials. The nice thing about real hardwood though is that you can relatively easily refinish it. Or you can pick a material that looks great even when it is distressed. Neither one is really an option with vinyl planks. On the whole, I do agree with you though. The much better flooring material in the kitchen is tile. No need to stress if you spill something. And if you install radiant floor heating, it feels really nice on your feet, too. And if you carry if through the rest of the house, you can use area rugs in select locations. But that's going to be more expensive than putting down LVP. So, it's a bit of "you get what you pay for". On the other hand, if you plan on living in the house for the long run, it might make sense to do things right once, rather than replacing the cheaper flooring every couple of years.

Thought I would also update this thread since it popped back up. We moved into our new build 2 months ago and ended up choosing engineered wood for most of the house, except the mudroom, laundry room and their connecting long back hallway, which got tile. I can close this area off and the dogs stay here if we are gone for several hours. Their food and water is also kept in the laundry room. The floors are Duchateau - Riverstone collection - Sava color. So far they have not shown any scratches from the dogs making the crazy run to the front door when they hear the doorbell and/or fedex! The floors have a rustic look and slight texture that will make it easier to hide any scratches and dents.

LVT/LVP is simply another choice. Not right or wrong. I bought a fixer with a lot of old, bare thin carpet. I have a dog and didn't want carpet. I had tile for 20+ years and my joints could not take tile any more, but I like the look of tile, so I bought LVT. I am very happy with my selection. My niece removed all of the carpet from her 100 year old home and refinished the hardwoods that were found underneath. It looks beautiful and she is happy with the results. Her brother liked the look and went with engineered hardwood in his home. My sister built a home in a fairly exclusive neighborhood. Most of her neighbors wouldn't consider anything less than real hardwoods. My sister had real hardwood in her last home and wanted a different look and less maintenance. She went with a combination of LVT in the kitchen, dining room, hallway and laundry, tile in the bathrooms and carpet in the living spaces and bedrooms. Amazingly, her home won the "Best Design" in the annual best new homes contest that is held every year in our area. Maybe her home won because her home didn't look like every other new home built that year. My daughter replaced the carpet and engineered wood in her home. She selected wood look tile. She loves the look of hardwood, but she owns an 8 1/2 acre farmette, has 3 dogs, 3 horses and chickens. She can wet mop the entire space without a worry. I have another friend in Florida who picked LVP over engineered hardwood or real hardwood due to the moisture resistance of LVP. When selecting the finishes for your home, don't concern yourself with what everyone else has, pick the materials and styles that best fit your budget and your lifestyle and colors that make your heart sing. Make your home a place that will bring you joy every time you walk through the front door.