I had a hard time choosing my flooring. In addition to your concerns, I wanted something that would be easy on knees and feet,hide a few spots in the kitchen between cleanings and easy care. Tall order but I found the perfect floor for me. There's even a lifetime warranty on the finish. It goes with gray and cream too! with sunlight coming in the window... It was easy to install. My GC did the install but a DIY could handle it. The company (link below) also makes a similar product for HD, it's not as heavy and the finish is not as good. At HD it's called Allure. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Starloc Flooring

Laminates have come a long way. Pay attention to the authenticity of the look. And buy a box of it before you buy the whole thing, so you can get a better idea of the look and feel. Wood look tile is nice too, but hard and cold, though obviously more impervious to dogs nails, and the occasional pet “oops”. We considered those for our house, but there wasn’t much savings over middle-priced engineered wood, since proper install by contractors where I live costs almost as much as the flooring, so we chose wood. I guess it would depend on local labor costs where you live, your climate, whether you have pets and kids...

I would use the same wood. Marble look tile can look good in the public rooms of a super modern house in Miami, but not as good in your average suburban home.

We're considering installing Califorina Classics Margaux in our home and curious if anyone has used this has feedback, photos, etc. Another option we were looking into is the Bravado in Nahe. Any experience with that floor as well or photos would be appreciated! Thank you