Keep it very light you have a lot of dark cabinets. I would put wood in kitchen. I do all the time it works well. Use travertine in bathroom to stay in same tones, could use in kitchen too.

I think you should do hickory wood floor- it is a medium wood with really dark knots that would keep your whole room from looking too dark (and will date it quickly) and the knots tie in the dark wood tones in the cabinetry. The darkest I would go would be natural walnut. Real vs engineered has a lot to do with where you are located. In California, they recommend engineered because the whole darn state is on a fault and we are constantly getting minor tremors-- engineered floors have more given and are better suited for the constant tectonic activity. Also, I think engineered is better for high humidity areas for the same reason- less likely to bow than solid. Another thing, if you are someone who likes to change all your flooring every 10-15 years, then you want engineered as it is easier to change.

With this dark cabinets and granite top I would put light grey type off stainless steel tiles in kitchen, Home Depot has very good tiles for that
Here is my project with those tiles pic does not do the justice
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1963-Rock-St-APT-22-Mountain-View-CA-94043/19512870_zpid/

Here is the pic

Those are really great questions! When it come to engineered vs solid hardwood there are many things to consider. One down fall of solid hardwood is it can only be installed on grade and above grade. With engineered you have more flexibility as it is able to be installed on all types of sub flooring and on all grades including below grade. With humidity engineered floor has an upper hand as it has dimensional stability and with not show the changes of humidity

For longevity solid and engineered floors have similar properties but there are different ways you maintain or refinish the flooring. Many people select solid hardwoods because they believe they will be able to refinish them for the rest of their life but, solid hardwood can only be sanded down to where the nail hits which typically leaves them the same amount of a wear layer as an engineered floor. With an engineered floor you won't be refinishing you will typically be screening (taking off the top layer) and recoating.

As far as a selection for you i would try a character walnut. It will have nice streams of light and dark that would work great with the granite and cabinets that you have.

All great comments and suggestions! Thank you!
I am in Phoenix, AZ and don't have much issue with humidity but I am being told that the humidity from the subfloor would make a difference : not sure how much?

I agree with lighter. I like the lightest of your samples (the one your hand is on); hickory is a great suggestion, too.

I have to agree with going as light as you feel comfortable with. The floor may darken slightly over time, so you could go with something even lighter than what I see there. Emersons walnut recommendation is a good one.

I have a few questions:

Are you installing the wood over concrete or wood subfloors?
Tell me about your lifestyle? (Kids, Indoor Dogs, heavy entertaining)

The reason why I ask is that if you are installing over concrete I would strongly suggest you not install solid wood and instead opt for an engineered product. Their is so many ramifications that most contractors simply don't explain to a homeowner before they make this decision that I could go on for pages and pages.

Also, as far as color selection I do really think a floor with multiple tones would look beautiful and tie into all the light and dark colors in your home. But, be careful to not pick the wrong species. Walnut is very beautiful but also very soft, hickory is much denser but for some of my clients, not me, it shows too much grain.

BTW, I am a licensed flooring contractor. If you want I can answer a lot of your questions in about a 5 minute phone call. Feel free to email me at 6peytonsflooring@gmail.com or call at 714-269-3364, I will answer any questions that you may have in preparing for your project.

Cheers

I would like some advice. We are renovating a home in NY. I am thinking of using wood in the living room & den. For the other area's (other then bedrooms) I bought a glossy 12x 24 porcelain. The house has a basement that there's a dehumidifier which is needed but basement ok. We were thinking of using a maple 5" prefinished floor. A friend mentioned that with 5" I may have a problem with it curling. They also said that 5" isn't as contemporary as a more narrow flooring which I didn't agree. I was looking at a charcoal maple by Columbia. Appreciate any suggestions.

Your friend should have said "with moisture you may have a problem with curling" . Proper installation with a moisture barrier and polyurethane top coat is necessary to keep the floor from curling. A further step could be to use Quarter Sawn or Engineered flooring.

The hand scraped laminate is a great floor choice, especially if you have children or dogs.... you also need some lighting under those kitchen cabinets.... you could add color in that mono bath with a great new shower curtain and some accessories....( PS: you can spend $$$$$ on real wood, but the laminates are bullet proof).

Agree with the lighter wood for a contrast and to lighten things up a bit. We have very dark Java cabs and did about the same and we love the look.

chanchal - Have you selected a flooring contractor yet? The reason I ask is I don't want to step on any toes but their are several things you should consider before selecting a solid wood flooring in a hot,dry environment like Phoenix. I was just speaking with a client today about their home between Phoenix and Tucson and the main topics were product selection, how heat and low humidity affect the floors. I would be to share my experience and insight. If you are interested I would prefer to have a 5 minute phone call instead of 30 minutes of typing. Call me old school. :) I can be reached at 6peytonsflooring@gmail.com

Nothing wrong with "old school"... lol