Congratulations on a beautiful space. I think your floors look great in cherry. The new stain is too dark. I’d just refinish what you have.

Stunning floors! I know *cherry or red tones are OUT right now...but I don't care! I love those floors. I am going to vote for SOMETHING ELSE:

1. Sand and refinish in a NATURAL tone (ie....just as you see here today).

2. Resurface COUNTER TOPS and backsplash LATER (crisp whites with hints of blue!).

3. Update LIGHTING!

Done.

You have a small space that has "OK" lighting but nothing super bright. The INSTANT you go with dark floors you will LOSE all that 'light' that is bouncing off the floors and into the space. The condo will grow 2 steps DARKER! Oops.

I would also look at WHITE walls if you can stand them. I LOVE the look of cherry with crisp with (crisp white means blue undertones not yellow).

Those two things (natural cherry flooring + white walls) = SUPER BRIGHT and airy feeling condo. Anything darker (either on floors or on walls) = DARK CONDO.

Once you have seen how bright white can make this space, you can look at adding crisp white counters and a new back splash (and new lighting). These are relatively easy changes that will BRIGHTEN a small narrow space.

Please don't go darker. And please keep an eye on the gray paint. It is trendy but it is also darker than "white". And anything darker than white is going to make your space feel smaller and darker.

Thanks!

We're looking at a very light gray so don't worry there! These walls are a dark gray/blue so we'll be brightening the walls a lot. I am also hoping to add a hanging light over the dining table area eventually.

Unfortunately replacing the granite is something we probably won't ever do. The granite is in really good condition and this is our first condo so we're not likely to be here forever. It's just too big of an expense to justify, although doing the backsplash to be simpler and brighter is a possibility down the road.

We're still undecided on whether to refinish as cherry or stain. Fiance overall likes the darker floor look better but feels doing that means eventual painting of the cabinet in a cream or light gray. The tendency for cherry to discolor with sunlight scares me, although it could still happen stained.

Thanks for the opinions so far!

I typically don't like cherry cabinets with cherry floors but the way your kitchen is tucked away in a corner makes it look very inviting from across the room, like an English pub.

I think the floor needs a little bit of a brown stain to tamp down the red and because you have a lot of sap wood, which will have a striped look if left natural. But the very dark sample will show everything and need constant cleaning.

The dark floors are harder to maintain & will make your condo look smaller IMO.

Nice house! Congrats.

I agree with the above suggestions about the floors. I would not do the dark floor as the flooring guy suggested. Dark floors are falling out of favor because they are so difficult to keep looking nice. You would think a dark floor would hide dirt but house dust and dirt is lighter in color and the dark floor highlights it. A quick Google search will show lots of regrets about dark floors.

I wouldn't go dark. every bit of dust and fluff, and every tiny scratch shows...
you picked a beautiful kitchen. interview another floor guy. how badly are the floors scuffed?

Hi Mad M-

Congratulations on your new home, it's beautiful!

Enjoy it with your family in good health!

I'm a bit confused, is the current color of your living floor the same as the color of your floor in the kitchen?

If it is, then just repair the damage, and leave it the same color as it is.

Leave the the kitchen cabinets the same color as they are as well.

Great idea to lighten up the wall color!

You don't need to change the backsplash or the granite.

Is that your furniture in the living and dining room?

If you like, you could further brighten the space by changing up the accessories to add more and brighter color.

Please indicate if you'd like some suggestions, and state what colors you favor.

Really like the floor and cabinets the finish they are now.

One word: Dust. And Lint.

Dark floors show every mote of dust, every damp footprint, every piece of lint, every dog hair, every...

Your life will be easier if you do what the flooring person recommends to bring the floors back to what they are now. Cherry is so great.

@loobab--thanks! Those are not our furnishings (listing photos). We definitely have lighter items and a lighter, more playful style.

I wanted to let everyone know what we decided--

We're going to refinish the cherry floors and skip the darker stain. When it came down to it, I can't stand the idea of the dark floors with cherry cabinets and I think the period between doing the floors and being able to redo the cabinets would be a little torturous for me! We also have a large dog so I think cherry will hide scratches slightly better.

We may still decide to paint the cabinets some day but not now. We'll likely redo the hardware in the kitchen and are looking at painting Ben Moore's "classic gray" or "gray owl" in the main areas.

I think you’ll be very happy with your decision.

Classic gray is a great color!

Why not post photos of your finished place as a "reveal" to show us?

Good luck!

I looked at "grey owl" for my house. Loved that color. Wish it had looked better with my room. I think the cabinets might be difficult to paint. If they are not solid wood, the results are kinda cheap looking IMHO. Not a bad look, one might call it "whimsical" but less "high end" than the look you have now. I think you can achieve a lighter look with your furniture, color choices and some strategically placed rugs.

They are solid wood, but we're going to hold off on painting! I'll be sure to post before and after pics when we move in!

Glad to see you’re not doing the darker floors. I am not a huge fan of cherry, but wow to your new place. Very nice! Plus, classic shaker style cabinets do not go out of style. Congrats!

Thank you! I'm hoping to change the hardware to modernize a bit! Classic wood fits with us living right down the street from an all-wood VERY classic Chicago bar! Ha!

Cool!

so glad you are not painting the cherry cabinets. I know I sound like a broken record, but painting over beautiful wood is practically sinful. Imo.
you have a beautiful space. I hope you and your family enjoy all the love and warmth true wood tones bring to your home, and that the love and warmth reflect back on you.