I’d go with timber or cork. Cork is great in a kitchen. Easy on your feet and joints and things are much less likely to break if you drop them. Especially as you age, tiles cause fatigue if you are standing in the kitchen for too long. Cork is now available in lots of different colours and styles including charcoals and greys that might compliment your slate. It’s not all 80s orange. Of course timber can look great too. Just make sure it’s ok for kitchen use.

siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts.

I would be looking at getting two or three large matching floor rugs delivered from Ikea. Use each rug to define the functional are of the space. For instance have one rug centered under the dining table, one (or two) centered under the living area. Their external rugs meant for alfresco areas are almost indestructible when it comes to pets, kids and dirt. https://www.ikea.com/au/en/cat/large-medium-rugs-10692/ There are also lots of online rug stores that can deliver with a much broader range in colours and sizes to Ikea. Also, consider some standard lamps to uplight and brighten the space. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits

In an apartment you need to check before you add floating floors. Some buildings have regulations to assist with noise control. If you keep the tiles, do they have the same under tones as the paint you’re considering using?- a clash between a cool and warm white will always look odd.