I couldn't find a photo of the hickory hazelnut, but the wire-brushed oak floor looks beautiful in these photos with white cabinets, light walls:

Wire Brushed Floors - Milky Way Collection · More Info

Wire Brushed Floors - Milky Way Collection · More Info

The darker is more classic and the lighter more modern. The darker might say "in" longer since it's already stood the test of time.

I love the darker floor as I like contrast between cabinetry and flooring. I designed a kitchen last year. We had off-white Shaker style doors lacquered in American White, Benjamin Moore. We selected a wire-brush floor from Mercier that had both brown and grey undertones. We choose a winder plank as the style of the kitchen was quite classic and it exuded a heritage look and feel. We did a grey Casearstone on the perimeter of the kitchen and a lovely pattern quartz on the island that was a mix of whites and greys. I love the wire brushed oak...perfect for a client with two Golden Retrievers. The only comment I have in selecting darker floors is you must consider the lighting into the room. If you have full southern exposure the floors will continue to darken over time. If you have adjacent areas where furniture or an area carpet is you may have marking over time. Proper window shades that block UV will assist with any fading issues on southern exposures.

One advantage to dark floors is that every single speck of dust shows in the morning light. I have dark floors, and I vacuum every morning, as I can't stand looking at the dust (and the dog hair... amazing how much hair an 8 pound dog can lose in 24 hours.)

That said, we all know you should vacuum every day, right?

Cancork...love "gravitas"... how serious do you want the look? Perfect way to describe the options of the flooring/counter/choices in this kitchen. Counter top color is a major horizontal influence and will change the entire scheme of the room.

My vote? I would do the darker floor and try to match the counter top to it, because I like horizontals in the same tone.

Contemporary Kitchen · More Info

The light looks better with the your samples.

I like the one in the middle, not too light, not too dark. Just right.

I really like the darker floor. I don't think that it's so dark as to show every speck of dust but it might show some. It is certainly more traditional looking and would be more of a background flooring, meaning it would take a back seat to your decor. The lighter flooring would be more of a focal point I think, and to me it's not modern but a coastal/weathered/beach cottage look. I'm not too fond of this particular light floor...it reminds me of pickled oak cabinets. If the lighter floor fits your style best (even looking 10+ years forward down the road) then definitely go with it because it will hide the dust better. I think both floors go well with your cabinets/counters.

I love the darker one! Beautiful!

This is all great input! Really appreciate the help.

For each of your choices you need to know what color the undertone is. Super important especially when choosing paint colors so that they compliment or have similar undertones. I like the light all around, feel it goes well with your cabinetry. You'll need area rugs to anchor it. I can see cream and yellow undertones in that oak, but can't really tell not seeing in person. I think I'd use the wood and it's undertones to choose an area rug that compliments and then choose a paint after that.

We stained our oak floors a medium gray throughout the whole house. I love it. I like being slightly off traditional, but it isn't so wild that a future more traditional buyer would not like it. I like your darker choice, but you won't go wrong with either of them.

Both are very nice and would look beautiful but I love the light one best with your other choices.

I vote for the darker. Definitely not trendy

The whitewashed oak is classy and timeless. It's probably also more durable than the hicory, and will look better with modern furniture. Run it throughout the floor to unify spaces.

I vote Whitewashed oak, but I'm biased.

I have whitewashed bamboo with nearly the same
cabinet, counter top and back-splash combo you show. The light colors
work very well together. Not sure of your age, but believe me, as you go
into middle age or later you will appreciate the sense of "light" that
you get with a lighter surface. It takes very little lighting to see
well in our kitchen. And on sunny days? It's glorious!

I am currently deciding between light and dark wood myself -- what are the manufacturers of the wood samples that you show, if you don't mind me asking? I think the dark stained Hickory looks more traditional, and the lighter floor is definitely a cleaner, more modern look, but classic enough not to be trendy. I think you made a great choice!

I believe it is by SLCC Woodflooring.