ᐅ Open-Plan Living Area with Kitchen: Which Flooring Materials Are Suitable?

Hi,

For my new apartment (which will be rented out), I need to choose the floor materials. The living room floor will be brushed oak, finished with natural oil (similar to the second photo).
Nowadays, it is common for the entire living and dining area, including the kitchen, to be fitted with hardwood flooring. However, since I’m renting out the apartment and personally prefer tiles in the kitchen area (due to water exposure), I plan to have tiles installed in the kitchen. The first photo shows the kitchen layout.
Here are my questions:

1. Does this seem old-fashioned, or are there any disadvantages to this approach?

2. What size and color would you recommend? I was thinking of 30 x 60 cm (12 x 24 inches) cream-colored tiles. Would square tiles (50 x 50 cm, 20 x 20 inches) be better?

3. What else should I pay attention to? At the transition between tiles and hardwood flooring, it is important that no tile edge is visible, as that would look really unattractive.