I really don't see the appeal of the wood look ceramic tile, but it must be popular, because everybody is making it. Just me, but I wouldn't like to put it up against real wood. If you like it, then go for it. You're the one that has to live there, not anybody else.

You won't need much (if any) matching "patina" on the new floors if you're determined to sand the old floors. Sanding removes most of it, along with most decorative stains. You may still have some stains like ink or old standing water marks on the old floor, and of course deep gouges, etc., will still be there. But you shouldn't have too much trouble matching the floors if they are sanded and sealed at the same time. If you feel there is still need of some additonal softening of the boundaries, a threshold works for a door way. If it's in the middle of the room (like when you take out a wall) an area rug over the meeting line - even if it doesn't cover it clear across the room - will pretty much fool the eye if the two floors have similar color and not too different widths and patterns. Molly~

The visual of having a WHITE wide plank (possibly rustic) wood up against a narrow strip BROWN wood is a clash all by itself. The pale, white/lavender colours will clash with rusty/brown. I always ask people if they would add a pale/pink/lavender blouse to a rust coloured pair of paints....Right. Not a look most people would consider a 'good look'. The colours are an issue AND the wide plank vs. narrow strip is another issue. And the photo of the CUT of the LVP (the wood cut is how the swirls of the wood appear on the surface) is another issue. So to recap: we have a colour clash, we have a PLANK WIDTH clash and a 'cut' clash. I'm sorry but the truth is you have chosen a product that just will not work. The BEST option = slate. Why do I say that? Because you have a DARK counter top. You can mirror the 'dark counters + dark flooring'. It is a SUPER SIMPLE way to 'dress' your kitchen. Think of the counter tops as your belt, the lower cabs as your pants and the dark floors as your shoes. The upper cabs are your blouse. If you walked out the door with an outfit like that on, you would look very, very sharp. I'm seeing the backsplash in a mini-brick look. Why not pull a warm tone from THAT so that you have a floor + backsplash compliment. The backsplash offers many tones that will WORK with the orange rust in the rest of your house.

@Vicki Baldwin maybe the decision to use the well matching laminate vs same wood as on upper floor should be based on cost? Assuming the laminate has good reviews on durabilty, the differences between the two types might come down to resistance to damage from scratching - dog claws & normal use - and the repairability. The wood floor can likley be refinished & the laminate floor could have planks replaced - assuming extra planks of same floor obtained at time of install. As for appearance differences, looks like enough separation between the two spaces to be a non issue with such a good match. Having area rugs & furniture in place minimizes the comparison for everyone but you! Replacing a floor is not an inexpensive project so I can appreciate your thought process with it.