We have dark floors and light cabinets and I love the look of it. The only thing I don't like is that every little spot shows up on the dark floors. I have 4 kids (6 and under) and they drip water and milk and juice and track dirt; and every water spot and speck of dirt shows on our dark floors. It wasn't something I thought about when we picked the floor. I don't know if you have kids or are planning on them, but it's something to think about.

If you are going oak flooring, I prefer the darker stain only because Oak Grain has the tendancy to look cheap - is it used too often with cheap furniture? I know heavy grain is popular right now with this whole brutalist movement going on but it really becomes inflexible when you want to introduce new textures to your space whether with rugs or furniture.

If you really do like the IKEA look, are you into the Scandanavian light woods with no grain when it comes to furniture? Light furniture looks great against a dark floor - it gives the room more visual depth. See image below:

http://www.homebunch.com/wp-content/uploads/Picture-202.png

If you want to do light flooring, I'd recommend changing the wood type to something with less of a grain or something with a tighter grain.

I had my red oak floors refinished with no stain and a low gloss polyurethane finish so they have a very classic look. I use furniture and decor to make my space contemporary, but I don't want to have to refinish the floors ever again. Sort of like getting a neutral sofa, and updating it with trendy pillows and throws.

My last place had dark stained floors and white walls, so I got over that look. Dark floors definitely show the dirt. With natural floors I can go a week without sweeping, and a couple months without mopping (don't ask me how I know this).

Light floors will hide the dust bunny a little better. Light is always fresh.

And we do have Jacobean (coffee colored) stained oak floors and they look great with our Scandanavian modern furniture. We also have three kids and I have to admit that the floors do need to be swept every day.

light floors for sure and light cabinets would be my choice

For my cabinets, I have kitchen cabinets that are natural tone too, and I just paint the toekick boards - currently black, but have been kelly green and gray. It was an easy trick to separate and define the floor from the cabinets. I personally don't like the look of different wood finishes in the same room. The floors and cabinets are background supporting players -- the art, decor and a couple pieces of furniture are the dominent designs in the rooms.

Speaking form experience , dark floors will show lots of kitty hair etc. if they are finished with a more glossy finish . A matte finish is not as bad. I have both. In my living room I have stunning black maple floors with a glossy finish, but they are high mintenance and do show a lot of kitty paw prints , no kids but I can imagine that would add to the maintnancepart too. In my bedroom I have dark walnut floors with a matte finish and that does not require as much maintenance.

I have in my own kitchen light bamboo floors and that dark , dark chocolate brown cabinets- very modern and I love it and get wonderful compliments all the time . I remodeled a furnished rental condo and did the reverse, dark chocolate /walnut stained maple floors and light maple cabinets. They both turned out great and both have a modern edge. For a family/kids- light floors are going to show less crumbs, spills, cat hair etc.

Staining a red oak is somethign I also did- used 2 coats of a dark walnut stain in an area where the flooring was still good(e did a remodel nd addition) , but did not like the red oak , it turned out great and looks very modern if you have modern furnishings it will not stand out like you think it might . If I had to do it again I would have added one more coat of stain to make it even darker but I am still pleased with how it looks.

You may want to trim your budget elewhere and upgrade the flooring- save those granite countertops or another splurge for later . Those are easy to do later- flooring is the foundation and you build from that.

Ughhh, my original post didn't post. If you are going with oak floors, I recommend staying away from any light stain or clear coat that accentuates the grain. There is something cheap looking about the oak grain - probably the over use of it in cheap furniture that can be easily hidden with a darker stain.

Then again, if you are set on light floors, I recommend another wood type. Maple is nice.

I like that you are debating dark floor vs light cabinets and vice versa. It shows that you understand that having both the same can look monotonous and having contrast gives you visual depth. If you like the Scandanavian modern light woods when it comes to furniture, a dark stain will really set them off. Good luck!

Definitely light floors. More practical and less trendy than dark floors

While I really don't like oak floors, I'd go with the more natural finish. Extreme stains are pretty upsetting to me, even moreso than oak's ugly grain (kind of funny since I adore walnut, which has a similarly open grain). My basic attitude is that wood is pretty the way it is, and if you want a different appearance, you should pick the wood that is that way to begin with. So if your dream is a pinkish wood, you clearly need pink ivory, and if purple makes your heart beat faster, you want purpleheart.

I also really dislike dark cabinets in many designs tho. If I like a kitchen design, chances are it has maple cabinets, or a "pickled" wood finish, or (best of all) white enameled metal cabinets. I would probably see if it's possible to pay extra to get cabinets and floors that are woods that go together in my mind. I'm pretty fussy about woods, and replacing cabinets or hardwood floors is hideously expensive... and I'd be really unhappy living with wood that was not harmonious to me. The one way I tend to like dark cabinets is with butcher block counters, and it tends to be even more hideously expensive to get that put in in a way where it's meant to be used as a cutting board directly.

(our place is gradually being redone with ash floors and baseboards... ash isn't my all time favorite wood, but it's lightish colored, often has a nice dense grain, and it can have "showy" grain patterns like maple. we've got floorboards with patches of burl, quilting, spalting and a host of other fancy patterns. it makes me really happy as a wood geek. it's also a wood that I tend to like with a broad range of other woods.)

@Torrilin,
Walnut does have a strong grain but it is nice and tight, not unruly like its brother the Oak.

@Thorndale, matching oak cabinets with oak cabinets is a downgrade. It also will make the house look like a log cabin.

I vote for the lighter floors. I like them a lot and a more natural stain will keep things contemporary.

Go with light/light. We have light floors and got light maple cabinets which I intended to paint white. To my great surprise, they looked so nice with the floor that I left them unpainted for several years. When I got tired of them, I had them painted white.

Kitchens are always full of color when you are working in them - food, dishes and appliances (and pictures on the fridge etc.) add the color and contrast, so you can let the colors of the kitchen itself be kind of be background and not worry about contrast.

light and light. dark cabinets are dreary and stodgy looking and suck up the light.. and dark floors aren't practical or pretty for kitchen.

Matte or shiny, dark floors will show everything.

We have dark matte floors, and I can assure you, I have to vacuum every other day.

But hey, the floors are just as dirty with light floors, and personally, I would rather have floors that *are* clean, not ones which hide dirt.

As for floors though, I'd go wit wide plank fir floors finished with soap and oil (no polyurathene!) by Dinesen. You know, you can ALWAYS reject what your contractor has on offer (they usually have only an extremely limited set of options to simplify their own lives, not to make yours better) -- you get a credit, and apply it to your own choice.

Well, that's what I'd do.

http://www.modresdes.com/tag/dinesen-flooring/

http://staceysheppard.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/sustainable-flooring/

Could you go with a medium stain like the gunstock? I can't tell what it would look like in person, e.g. would it go with your furniture? Would it look like 90s honey oak (nightmare)? Or if it does look good you get the toned down grain and light cabinets...win win?

Dark floors, dark cabinets would be my route. Just lighten it up with light coloured walls and bright accent colours.

Mirrors too!

I also have dark floors and need to sweep constantly. I used to be obsessive about it, but now I just have to let it go. haha. and I'm blonde and lose a lot of hair... you see everything.

IF the architecture of your home is modern then go with light; older or traditional then go with dark. That being said, a good rule of thumb is to go dark on bottom (dark floors) and lighter on top (lighter cabinetry). In my opinion, light floors tend to look unfinished/unstained when lots of dark furniture is sitting on top. -KL

@DESIGNER KARL LOHNES, I disagree with "if the architecture of your home is modern then go light." Look at this gorgeous floor in a modern home.

http://www.iransdesign.com/modern-dream-homes-on-a-ravine-by-munge-leung/

We just refinished our red oak floors as part of a kitchen renovation, and we went with a medium dark matte stain. I mainly wanted to get rid of the weird orange/yellow color that was previously the color of our floors. I like the light and airy look of lighter floors, but I was really afraid of yellowing. That might not be as much of an issue with engineered hardwood -- I don't know much about that since we were finishing on site.

I do love the look of lighter cabinets though. I'm really surprised that isn't an option! Our new kitchen has white cabinets, and it is such a great bright and happy room. Dark cabinets are more popular here in WI, but I'm so happy I went against the grain (ha!) on this one.

Oh, and I haven't found the darker color floors to really be that bad. And I have 2 kids under 5 and a black lab. Dirt is part of my life. I simply have to swiffer a lot. And I'd rather have that than crumbs and dog hair all over anyway!

I would also go for the light floor with dark cabinets. The light floor is more versatile and you can also combine it with light cabinets. It is also easier to find matching furniture and fabrics for the light floor than for the dark floor, which has a very specific tone. When I look at both pictures, the light floor gives me a better feeling and the atmosphere is nicer. For the dark floor I would definitely buy a big fluffy rug in cream.

As an owner of two dogs, I recommend light coloured floors. I learned my lesson.
I never really fell for the espresso stained floors (I think it is a trend that will be over eventually). But more importantly, Martha Stewart does not live in my house. The dark flooring is a nightmare to keep clean as every speck of dust will show.
JMHO, of course.

I will never have dark floors again. Dust settles on them continuously. You can't prevent that. Footprints show on them, not just dirt and doghair and spills. I found them impossible to keep clean.

A couple of nice, classic kitchen examples with natural floors. Keep in mind that kitchen trends come and go much quicker than most people can afford to redo them, so it is generally wiser to choose a "little black dress" classic style for your kitchen.

http://www.designsponge.com/2012/06/before-after-wood-filled-kitchen-redo.html

and with white cabinets:
http://www.designsponge.com/2012/06/before-after-light-bright-kitchen-makeover.html

I have dark shinny floors and I love them. I also have a white Persian cat and a Cavalier King Charles dog. I vacuum once a week and mop (Swiffer) once a month which I have done in all my homes over the years,carpet or wood floors. I find the dark wood warm and masculine and I have more trouble with pet hair on the upholstery than the floors. Unless you are really adverse to housework go with what you find visually pleasing.

I don't understand why everybody is always so complacent with what builders tell them. It's your money and your house, you should get what YOU want.
We recently built a house and went with 4" white oak instead of standard red oak and the price difference was minimal (labor costs are the same after all), so I have a feeling that it being a "major upgrade" is your builder's way of telling you that he doesn't feel like doing it (either because he'll have to find a new vendor or he already has the two choices stockpiled and needs to use them up).
So, I would ask him for a little more detail on the price differences. I would also ask him if you have the option to either buy the flooring yourself for him to install or to leave the house with unfinished floors (carpet ready) and do the whole thing yourself through another contractor.
I would use the same strategy for the kitchen cabinets. We ended up with white cabinets in the bathroom and they were the least expensive choice because they are partly engineered wood (you would NEVER know it). If he is willing to work with you, you should be able to save a whole bunch of money by going with white cabinets - which will make up at least part of the extra cost of different flooring.
Of course, none of this will work if you are working with a large design/build firm. They get such big discounts and have such standardized processes that it really is a major upgrade to make a minor change. Good luck!

@HHRI great comments and worthy of a AT post.

I think dark floors are far more contemporary than light floors. I'm personally a fan of darker floors.

We redid our kitchen in our old (1960's) home and the dark cabinets in the kitchen pick up the variationin the light oak floor, making it much more interesting and contemporary that I ever thought they would look. A midcentury-style couch and graphic fabrics make the whole area look contemporary without committing too much to one style in the fixtures. Good luck.

Light floors and dark cabinets. Dark floors show every little hair and bit of dust. We get away with a weekly, even biweekly sweep & vacuum with our maple floors, but dark floors won't give you even a forgiving day.

You don't mention where you live. I'm in the Southwest and while I appreciate the rich look of dark floors I would never have them here. There's a lot of dust everywhere from Texas to Southern California in all seasons and you can't go a day without seeing in on a dark floor. Fail to dust for several days and your children can practice writing their names on the floor.

Why are painted cabinets not an option? Just paint them yourselves. Or, don't get the builder ones but Ikea instead.

Another vote for light & light. We put oak wood floors in our kitchen with Ikea maple cabinets and I still love it 6 years later.

Light and light, but not any oak. Maple, bamboo, or others.

I'm sorry you can't afford that. Me, I'm old enough I don't want to contemplate putting up with something I don't like, or the thought of re-doing it later, so I'd figure out how to budget for it now. But that's my story. Best wishes with yours!

I have lived in rentals with both light hardwood floors and dark hardwood floors. Everything people are saying about the light floors hiding dust bunnies etc is TOTALLY true. As a marginally effective housekeeper I will never ever install dark floors in my home. You can always

Oops! You can always paint the kitchen cabinets white after the fact...There are about a million blogs out there that will give you advice.

I inherited red oak floors, which had already been refinished when we bought our older home. When we remodeled our kitchen we had the oak floors installed in there as well. It was quite a pricy upgrade. The finish is a darker shade than natural and we have lighter maple cabinets in our kitchen. It is probably more of a traditional look rather than modern, but the floors don't show up dirt and scuff marks as much as lighter colored floors. I still like the look, but then I'm not one to follow trends just to keep up with others either. My kitchen is also flooded with a ton of natural light given that it is situated on the south side of the house.

I like the look of dark floors, but probably would never have them installed given that I've heard that they are difficult to keep up. With that said a new neighbor who just purchased the home a few doors down told me that they are going to get rid of the original oak floors and install ebony flooring. When I asked why, he said that the type of existing wood flooring was just not their thing. He also said that they were $50K over budget. Oh well...if one has the money.

We had a Brazilian cherry wood floors in our first home, with darker cabinetry in the kitchen. They were actually very easy to maintain and looked lovely together. I completely understand not wanting wood color tones that are too close, but in this case they were different enough to blend nicely. Light colored walls, stainless steel appliances, and lots of natural light certainly helped it feel bright inside.

I would love to see a picture of your cabinets, along with your red oak flooring. I am looking at these options for my own home and I am in such concern about making a choice that I won't like later.

above intended for cearuilin. Sorry, I am new to this site.