How red of a stain are you using for the hardwood? And why cherry? That's kind of a dated choice for flooring from what I see in Houzz photos.

Can you post some pics? I think a lot of things will go with that combination.

This is another townhouse in the same complex...this is basically what we will do to our wall.

Here are some pictures of the kitchen and the dining room to show the wall we will remove. We have to refinish the floors as there's some damage....my husband wanted to do them in cherry. I suppose could consider something darker, but we won't change to tile or anything.

And yes, we will be changing the green paint. Planning to add 4 recessed lights in the kitchen and put maybe 2 pendant lights over the peninsula (which will be 5 feet long, I think). If we have enough $, we'll add a backsplash, but at the very least, we'll repaint that wall some other color.

Eventually we will also put in stainless steel appliances.

Usually, wood needs to be really different in order for you to have a problem of going with a certain color. If it's say too red, too dark as in espresso, too gray, or too blond..

Mid range color wood usually go with everything. So I wouldn't be worried about using gray for example.

They can intensify each other, if there's more red in the wood, but that's not necessarily a bad thing..can be pretty handsome contrast.

Which cherry color will be yours? Approximately?

My husband would probably choose one of the mahogany shades....I'm not sure what wood we're starting with. I think he was hoping to get something like a brazilian cherry color, but we're obviously not going to rip up and replace the floor since it's still in reasonable shape. Now I'm wondering if we shouldn't go darker but not red...and looking at hardwood floor trends.....sigh. I just don't want to do something too trendy because we will want to sell it for a bigger place eventually.

I should add that the ceilings are only 7 and a half feet high. We will get more natural light in there when we remove that wall, but in the actual kitchen we just have the back door. The dining room has a big bay window. I think the kitchen is about 7 x 11 overall...

With black though-I feel it might be too harsh of a choice..not because of the floors, just because this kitchen, or rather the direction you're going with it, seems to ask for softer choices.

You ll have enough contrast between your cabinetry and floor..you also can choose deeper colored backsplash..you can also choose marble for both counters and backsplash-sounds very expensive to me, and maybe too rich a look..but not like I'm a big marble specialist..

No doubt, white and black = very classic combination..I just see it less here. Maybe because black will be shinier than other stones?If it was a soapstone that reads softer and reflects less light, I'd probably be in favor of black too.

White will be great, I think.

No, the stain is always cherry..you go for cherry stain right? It will just look different on different types of wood. That's why I asked...

We're basically looking on the third line from the bottom.

They all seem pretty neutral to me. I must say. easy to work with.

If you're worried about a resale-mid-range color wood will probably be the best. Not too yellow, not too red, not gray or black. I think your cherry will be just fine-it's a very pleasant color..at least to me.

But I wouldn't be that worried about the resale..I understand this worry, but it's hard to predict these things. When and what, etc. I'm working on my third "forever" house right now, which is pretty funny if you think about it)))

Just make sure the materials work together and make sense in your place.

Look at photos of modern white kitchens with hardwood floors. You won't see dark red cherry floors. That's definitely a 90s look when black granite was popular. I love cherry and almost all my furniture and cabinets are cherry, but I think the color the floor is now is safer and more neutral. Cool colors and whites have been a strong trend for quite awhile. I don't see us going back to red, gold, and black anytime soon.

Maria Killiam though predicted recently black becoming a next big thing. (Also navy. Also dark green)

But it doesn't matter. Or rather-it wouldn't matter to me. I'd still abstain from black countertops..not everywhere, but in this particular kitchen.

I also love cherry. I think it's a color that's very pleasant to eye. My first kitchen was cherry. I remember it being light-but not too light. It was a very modest kitchen. I went for blending rather than contrast. And I was choosing the knobs and handles for weeks..))

It obviously worked out well because the buyers later told us they loved the knobs, and that's why they decided to buy our starter home. Lol.

It all works in mysterious ways..not only you can't predict what people will think in 5 or 10 years from now, you can't really predict what they'll be thinking tomorrow. What will influence their decision to buy or not. Decisions about houses are rather emotional..

As long as it feels like a part of a home, of its mood and general idea, and not some disjointed space that bothers the eye-it will be fine.

PS will never pick cool colors except for the accents. If yes-it will be the warmest version of the color.

Of course we're influenced by trends, we see them around, and all.

Yet color is too personal a preference. Cultural connotations, personal connotations..Some trends, I embrace; some-never.

For example the chance of me going voluntarily for a white kitchen is close to zero.

Even though they're classic, and can be absolutely gorgeous and all. I'll look at them with the admiration they deserve. I would never want one in my own place.

Your own preference will prevail.

The important thing is to make a room work, both by itself and as a part of the home.

Like in writing an essay for example..

Essay can be on any subject. But you need to write it in a way that will naturally take the reader from one thought to another thought.

As long as it feels like a part of a home, of its mood and general idea, and not some disjointed space that bothers the eye-it will be fine.

I think that is the issue with the red cherry floors. I've seen hundreds of kitchen photos where the floor or cabinets are a deep red, the counter tops are black granite, appliances are stainless, and the backsplash is some type of fancy stone mosaic. It provided a modern, urban look for the times--1990s. I think men in particular are attracted to that look, mainly because they love stone and rich wood, so it's no wonder that hubby wants cherry floors.

When I look at your house, I see simple, traditional elements--the door, the wainscoting, the small L-shaped kitchen. The red floor will be throughout the entry, LR, DR, and kitchen. That's a strong statement to decorate around.

As for granite besides black that works with red floors, I think gray is fine. It cools down the red. Blues and greens do too. Cream is always a safe choice. White is too cold. The one color I'd avoid is gold because it makes the room very warm, and it's also a 1990s Tuscan look. You'll see so much gold granite in the stone yards though.

Thanks--I am a touch concerned that our giant mahogany dining room table will look a little...silly?...or something with the cherry floors. Or with darker floors. The more we looked at open houses, the less I've liked our bedroom and dining sets, which were from my husband's grandfather. They're certainly nice, solid pieces, but lots of it got water damage while in storage, and they're just very...grandparenty to me. I don't exactly want to go modern, but I think I'd like a cleaner aesthetic on our first floor than we currently have (a mishmosh of mahogany dining room table and sideboard, light wood baker's rack, and horrible flowered and striped couches, very country--bought out of college on sale!).

So yeah, maybe we will go consider something other than red for the floor. My husband is sort of deferring to me on the kitchen since I'm the one who likes to cook, but I will have to get him on board with the flooring. I kind of like the floor in the picture of the other place in our complex. I think I'm leaning more towards a gray or blue counter or maybe white with gray, and I think I'll be stuck with white cabinets. What color floor works with those?

Another consideration is whether to do the peninsula mismatched--say, a wood countertop, or gray cabinets and a white countertop....

I need a decorator! :(

I mostly agree with you, Mayflowers..especially about men lol..I just don't understand why the cherry is red?..Because besides my first kitchen, I also had some of my furniture in cherry..it was warm, no doubt, but it wasn't red. Like, it was not red at all. Probably depends on what wood you're staining it with..I feel a bit confused right now, because I don't recall any red.

The furniture was a deeper tone cherry than the kitchen was..still, no red.

What look do you have in mind?

The other kitchen has wood-like tiles or so it seems..might be mistaken of course...

Beautiful inspiration pictures. See, how all the floors are in that mid-range? Some are darker some are lighter, some are brown, some have just a hint of red in it..yet they all work.

I think white(warm white-the bright one will be too stark I'm afraid) or nice grey or subtler marble(if you feel you're fine with its upkeep, and are not over-improving) all have a potential to look nice

You can bring cool touches in your countertop, with your backsplash, with your paint..or you can skip it altogether and bring just the accessories and some plants-plants are the best, they're perfect warm when you crave warm, and perfect cool when you crave cool:)

As for your furnishings..it's normal to start with either a hodge podge or nothing at all..will take some time. Yes, you'll be anxious to do a mistake. But looking back-you'll see it was a fun time..finding, looking for, putting it all together, discussing it with your husband..it's a great quality time, actually:) Working on a house..

Even if you disagree.

We disagree a lot-and it's still fun!

I was also terrified of making a mistake..I should be terrified of our builder's crew making mistakes though:)

It's normal.

As for the stain color-do you have pieces of flooring left from the previous owners? try to stain them first, see what happens. maybe take them to specialty store, the one where contractors and trades go, you know? and ask their opinion of what stains they recommend on your wood to get the effect that will be such and such?

But go to the shop where people have a clue..not Home Depot. These usually have one person who knows what he sells, who is perpetually busy..:)

The floor looks like oak and you can see how red it is with the mahogany stain on the chart. And here's a Brazilian cherry floor, which also was mentioned as a possibility.

Brazilian Cherry floor · More Info

I have natural cherry kitchen cabs and stained cherry LR furniture. Neither is as red as that floor or the mahogany. My LR furniture has a brown-based stain to tone down the red. The floors in your inspiration photos look like they have a brown stain. Maybe your cherry had that type of stain too, April?

I've seen cherry cabinets made even redder with stain, which never made sense to me. That's the feeling I get with the mahogany stain.

I think the kitchen was natural cherry..the furniture was more brown..but this happy tone of brown, you know? not too solemn. Mid brown. Maybe a bit orange in it. But I also have a feeling it was veneers on top..not the real wood throughout..can't be 100% sure anymore. So, who knows whether it's the same process of staining. I mean somebody knows for sure, just not me:)

Mahogany is very different that's true. Never had a mahogany. Mahogany IS very red, thus less safer a choice.

I couldn't find a color that I liked when we were refinishing our hardwood floors so I had the floor man mix two together - walnut and red mahogany. It made for a rich, warm mid-tone color that I've never regretted. It will never look "dated".

I do question you taking down that wall and opening it up to your dining room with a formal mahogany dining table. I'd keep that wall and let the dining room be a bit more formal. With the bay window in it, it will be lovely.

I know you'd like more natural light in the kitchen from that window, but I'd just put in lots of good lighting in the kitchen and it will be nice and bright. You could use white Corian for your counter tops and that would lighten your kitchen even more.

My mother "gifted" me with a dining room table and chairs and an old fashioned vanity type dresser, both of dark wood and in a very traditional (old-fashioned) style. I used them for a while when we lived in a much larger, very traditionally styled house. We downsized a couple of years ago and I had to come to terms with the fact that these items were not my style at all, and I was only keeping them because they were once very nice furniture and... you get the picture ... I ended up giving away the dining set (needed repair and refinishing) and sold the vanity to a very nice guy who appreciated it for what it was and promised not to paint it with chalk paint! I was happy they found homes with someone else who would appreciate them, and I was even happier that they weren't in my house anymore! Sometimes you need to separate the sentiment with the practicalities of living with something that you don't enjoy. I replaced the dining table with something only half as old (mid-century vs. turn of the century) and I love it!