Hickory would look lovely in a contemporary setting as well as a country/traditional. But I wouldn't stain it - just clear coat. There is a lot of variation and that is the beauty of the wood. We couldn't afford hickory or cherry (I like natural cherry too, not the mahogany stained) so we went with oak in the kitchen and maple in the master bath.

Look at the FKB for hickory cabinets - someone here has them (though I think in more a traditional setting) and they are spectacular!

As the previous post said there is a lot of variation in hickory so you need to know that up front. If you have not seen a kitchen with hickroy it would be a good idea to do that so you are comfortable with the wood variation that you will get. If you need to see pictures please follow up with a response.

If you are worried about the variation - then have a light stain applied, and that will tone it down somewhat. We're considering hickory too, and that's what we'll do to control the variation.
Then, some lines like Kraftmaid offer a "rustic hickory" and a regular hickory. The rustic has many knots and lots more variation.

I had my heart set on Hickory from the very beginning of our kitchen renovation. I loved, loved, loved it. I looked at every single cabinet manuf.... searched high and low for my favorite hickory cabinet style. Everyone was trying to steer me away from the hickory because of the exact same thing they are telling you. It does have a tremendous amount of variation in the wood (which you either love or hate)... that's what I loved about it.

I found the perfect hickory cabinet (made by Medallion) and when I went to the KD to design the kitchen (and got my Medallion brochure/catalog)... I saw the quartersawn oak and fell in love all over again. It goes much better with our house (the hickory would have looked out of place)....

But I still have daydreams about my hickory cabinets. In the right kitchen there is nothing more beautiful. I think the key is that you have to have the correct setting. In my opinion, I don't see them AT ALL as contemporary (but I may be a little biased because I am a country girl and live on a farm!... contemporary is not my thing).

I also agree about the staining... at the most I would go with a very light stain (but no stain would be my choice). I don't think that I have ever seen hickory cabinets with much color on them... much less dark stain. The thing that people value the hickory for is the beautiful variations in the wood... why cover that up?

Here's the color of the Cherry Mahogany stain over the hickory:

I don't want to go any darker than that and haven't seen a sample cabinet any lighter. That is also the style so that seems to look contemporary enough.

Definitely the plain stiles (Shaker-type) would look more contemporary. When you said mahogany, I was picturing dark dark red (like Bombay furniture). That's nice!

It would be nice to see more pics of your home. I see stonework, but not sure what is woodwork and what is kitchen cabinets (pillar?) that will be going?

We have hickory in our kitchen and I love my cabinets! These cabinets are 11 years old; we're doing a partial remodel in that I'm getting new granite countertops, new sink, faucet, and appliances (those pictures are yet to come)...and we're keeping the cabinets. The stain on these cabinets is called nutmeg. Keep in mind the lighting in this picture is not the best.

I LOVE the color of the cherry mahogany you're considering. I think it would look absolutely fine with your contemporary setting.
HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Ajsmama, I have added the link to more of my current kitchen photos. I put in the ones with the fireplace stone to show what the open kitchen would be facing and the style. Yeah, the Mahogany name of the stain is confusing. The color is great though. All the old cabinets are going. Then I will have to figure out what to do with that pillar/supporting column to match the cabinets.

Suzp - I love the look of your cabinets too! There is a nutmeg color I was also leaning towards in the Cardell line. I guess I like that color tone.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Views of current Kitchen

Our hickory cabinets were installed just a couple of weeks ago. I was torn between oak and hickory, stained a soft brown. I've always had oak cabinets in the past, so I decided to take a walk on the wild side. I'm not disappointed, but oak is more consistent, which I was warned about the activity. My style is simple, and the hickory really complicates my country decorating gene. I can't wait to get it all together. My copper sink should be here tomorrow!

I would go with the lighter stain - I think it goes better with the paneling next to the stonework.