Personal opinion: The left one (option 1) looks visually warmer and cozier, the right seems visually cooler. Since it looks like a basement space that often feel colder in temperature the right one may make it seem even more cold. The items on your wall and the pattern/colours in your sofa appear warm in colour tone, therefore the left one (option 1) may be the best choice. If you haven't done so already, I would suggest putting it under the sofa/chairs etc so see which looks best with the furnishing you plan to keep.

Thank you for taking the time to provide input. Much appreciated. My wife was leaning that way for the reasons you mentioned. I was leaning towards the grayer one but we definitely do not want it to feel cold. Thank again.

You are welcome. Best of luck with your project!

Pretty Smart Homes - One final contender. On the same note of “warmth”, what do you think of this darker one next to the other piece? Thank you.

Klesher, I like that darker colour! It looks cozier and warmer in these images. A bit hard to tell how well it matches with your cabinetry, but from what I can tell it looks like a great option.

Thank you so much. That’s what we were thinking too.

Please post pics when it is all done! The before/after pics are my favorite. Good luck with your project!

So we finally finished the project. We ended up selecting the Coretec Premium Plus in Pinnacle Oak. It is definitely a quality product. We repainted the walls to better go with the new flooring. We went with Sherwin Williams Emerald in Popular Gray in for the main area and Sherwin Williams Emerald in Griffin for the theater to keep it dark. Below are some photos. I apologize for some of the blue accent lighting but you get a general feel.

Thanks again for the help. We are happy with the result.

More photos ....

And some more....