Wood scratches, gouges, and dings. Solid wood flooring can be refinished at least twice(if refinished properly). Finish is applied in place(meaning a liquid is applied and dries/cures). Can be spot repaired. Manmade composite hardwood generally had a more durable surface(factory applied), but cannot be refinished. Can still be scratched/gouged/dented, just takes punishment better. Can be spot repaired. Vinyl comes as a solid piece(sheets) and individual pieces(planks/tiles) and can be cut/gouged/damaged. Sheet vinyl is very difficult to repair(if possible at all), piece vinyl can be spot repaired. Hard tile(ceramic/etc.) has the most durable surface, but can be chipped/broken. It can be the most durable for traffic, but will still wear under extreme use. IMHO, the most durable flooring for animals is concrete. The drawback with concrete is the hardness, which is not good long term for animals or humans. Where animals are concerned, all the above flooring has one huge drawback. Traction. None offer sure footing for dogs/etc. However, many area rugs and similar floor coverings can be used with all the above floor products. Along with anti-slip products under the rugs, sure footing and comfort can be provided. There is a downside when using area rugs on solid wood floors. UV rays will change the color of the exposed wood, but not the wood under the coverings. The easiest type to replace would be the composite or floating wood or vinyl plank flooring. The most expensive(not including concrete) would be solid wood(keeping in mind refinishing the solid wood is the least expensive of all). We have had animals most of our lives. And most of the above types of flooring(except the vinyl plank type). We currently have three dogs in our current home, in which I installed solid wood. Except in the kitchen and baths(ceramic tile). We use area rugs for the living/dining rooms(and have fading situations). We live with the scratches.

In general it isn't a good idea to mix a real product with a faux version of it. I did use wood-look tile in my guest house and we have real wood on the staircase, BUT I had the hardwood floor guy stain and finish the wood stair treads to match the tile. He got a very very close match and most don't notice the transition from tile to wood to tile. Why don't you like hardwood in the kitchen? This is my third house with all hardwood (except for bathrooms) and we've never had any issues. I would steer away from huge contrast and faux next to real.

Oh wow, I didn't see that on mobile, but I can see it on desktop! Houzz app is horrible. Yes, I think it will be fine. Thinking more holistically though, it might make more sense to get something that matches beams exactly so it looks like the floor and beams were put in on the same day.

Julia, there's a reason why you involve pros w/tile layouts. Can you tell me what type of waterproofing was done under that shower tile? do you have any pictures? or do you know what was used? not that same purple stuff, I hope. Who decided to go this high w/the pony wall? look at the cut tile at the bottom. This would have looked better if you just shortened the half wall by 4-5 inches, and used a full tile. There's no reason it has to be that high. You work around the tile measurements so you don't have to get those tiny cuts. do you have a niche on the other side? why exactly are you deadset on LVP on this floor? whatever you used is going to butt right up against that busy tile, so make sure it matches. What are you going to use for molding where those two meet? you'll have to cut the LVP. you'll need a 100% silcone caulk for that joint to waterproof it, but what are you going to use to hide the cut edges? It also looks like you have a low spot way off to the left.