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Tile color / pattern
I did not want to hijack the other thread. So I'm creating a new post. Hope that's ok.
In the other thread, FoxinFiji mentioned "Similar to how people on this board always suggest using the same color flooring even if it's different materials in an open floor plan." I have an open floorplan, the family room and kitchen is one space. Family room will have stained wood and the kitchen will have tile. I was originally thinking choosing the following tile for the kitchen:
After seeing FoxinFiji's post, now I'm rethinking. Would it be better to go with something like the following:
OR
Another question, how to select size? Is there any rule of thumb on using rectangular (e.g. 12x24) vs square (18x18)? When is a 12x12 (or 18x18 or 24x24) too small/big for a room?
Last question, how to choose pattern? Is this just personal preference? We're considering offset (regardless if it's rectangular or square tile). Any suggestion here?
Thanks! 
Re: Tile color / pattern
Yes some people on the board prefer the constant as possible look but that doesn't mean you have to do that. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a trend. The key is that all of the flooring surfaces flow and go together. Not too long ago there was a post about tile having a pink undertone and what carpet color would look best next to it. The OP wished she had gotten a sample of everything and brought it home for a few days to see how everything looked in her lighting at home. I would try to do something like that. Put the samples on the floor walk around and see how you like them. Check them in daylight and at night with overhead lights.
White tile floors are pretty but higher maintenance. They show every little speck of dirt. We just put one in our bathroom but it's much smaller and easier to keep up with than a heavily used kitchen would be. I personally like the second one the best but you also didn't post any pictures of the other finishes so I don't know if it goes YKWIM?
The best advice I can give for picking out the size of the tile is to draw it out on graph paper. That will give you a good idea of the scale of the room relative to the tile. If the grout lines seem too busy to you got with a bigger size. But anything bigger than 12x12 is considered a large format tile and needs some special requirements. The floor needs to be stiffer with less flex...the existing subfloor may need to be altered. The layout pattern of the tile should not be a 50% offset (where each row of tile is 1/2 tile over) because of the cupping large format tiles have. A 33% offset should be used instead or something different like a herringbone, diamond, or square pattern instead. Are you DIY or hiring a tiler? The larger the tile the harder they are to install without having lippage. I can tell you for a fact that using 12x12 in our shower is so much easier than the 18x18's we used on our bathroom floor. I have a few tips to laying large format tile here.
Thanks FoxinFiji. We have a tile installer. I had no idea 50% offset would not be recommended. As I continue to look at tiles, I now notice that the manufacturer also recommends a % offset. One tile I'm considering actually recommends no more than 15% offset.
NEW QUESTION: Polished or matte?
I like the shine with the polished but H has concerns about lights reflecting and seeing light spots on the floor. I don't think that's an issue at all.
My main concern though is, how slippery the tile. We plan on putting it on our bath floor and kitchen. The polished has a COF (coefficient of friction) of 0.68 dry and 0.61 wet. The non-polished one has COF 0.80 dry which sounds great and 0.63 wet. With kids, I worry about the safety issues with polished tile.