I also have Luxury vinyl plank on my main floor (have laminate on my 2nd). Was convinced to go with it because I wanted something warm and soft like hardwood, but more durable (dog, kids, kitchen spills, 3 entrances to a deck with hottub, dirty boots, etc). So far I'm really loving the LVT. Even with all the water and dirt and gravel that gets tracked in (country farm home) it always mops back to its original shine! It does occassionally get really fine scratches on the surface layer, which are strange since they come from the vacuume but not from traipsing across it in gravel-covered boots or the dogs nails...) All that said, since it's directly atop the plywood subfloor, it feels soft under the feet, stays warm and has a beautiful "wood" grain that looks more believable than my laminate (folks have mistaken it for hardwood, since it has a texture hand-scraped look). I love it!

Thank you for all the replies. I've read through most but want to go back and reread as they are so interesting. I should have used "sensual" instead of sexy, maybe? How I would describe it as wanting to touch it. I find I like to rub my hand on my cabinets or any nicely finished wood. Certain tiles also make me want to reach out and touch them. I find that what I consider rich/warm kitchens have that touchable quality. While I think white or light/airy look nice, I don't feel the need to touch them. I hope some of you know what I'm taking about and don't think I am nuts, lol. I honestly don't go around rubbing my friends cabinets. If you enjoy walking barefoot on hardwood floors you will understand. Someday we should start a topic on workplace kitchens. Aren't they the worst? Interesting about darker kitchens being photo'd at night.... have to look for that. I guess it matters how you use your kitchen. I imagine when my kids were younger maybe rich, warm, sensual would not be my exact target but not far off. Now we find the kitchen has a warm welcoming appeal that we have many conversations there, like to hang out there, I read books at the island, and yes, it can be romantic place. I was just thinking about the types of restaurants I like. I like the ones that are darker, with textures like brick walls, wood, etc. Some of those elements are in my kitchen. hmmm Sounds like most people balance the light/airy with warmth. I think maybe we did that a little as we chose white diamond granite instead of black (which we really wanted) and added some SS with the hood, sink, and island support. Of course I think SS makes you want to reach out and touch it too. I have seen kitchen where the "light" thing went to far and it was blinding with no warmth.

Nice but I think the first thing in putting the room together is to start with centering the rug in the room. Center under the lighting, with the windows it should have equal wood flooring showing on all sides to start with. then place the sectional and other furniture. Everything is centered in the room then and doesn't feel heavy on one side. very nice room.

I think that you need more lamps in the room. Does anyone read or knit in this room? If so, a lamp and table between the chairs would be a handy place for a book and a drink. You definitely need something to anchor the couch, either a coffee table or perhaps the ottoman that you showed. I'm a book person, so I'd love to see bookcases behind the chairs, but that might not suit your life style.