Portland Modern Tudor KitchenContemporary Kitchen, Portland

Mix it up. A light floor doesn’t mean you can’t use other wood tones in the same space. Make the difference between them obvious, so that it looks deliberate and not a failed attempt at matching. Pale wood floors against rich, dark-toned wood doors look striking in this kitchen with fresh white walls and countertops.

4. Pick a stain instead of a paint. Stains and paints have pros and cons. They can both show crumbs and fingerprints, and paint definitely shows food stains and splatters. That said, a stain is easier to touch up than paint. You can give a scratched cabinet stain a quick spruce-up with a matching permanent marker. It’s often harder with paint for two reasons. First, it’s hard to find a marker that closely matches a specific paint. Often a touch-up kit from the cabinet manufacturer is needed. Second, paint doesn’t take touch-ups the same way that stains do. You’re more likely to notice a touch-up on paint.

The Rule of ThreeIn general, it’s safest to stick to a maximum of just three wood tones in a space. This allows each to be distinct. By using a pale tone for the floor, a dark tone for major furnishings, such as cabinets, and a midtone for accents, you can keep the space structured.

Marble counters, wood floors and statement lighting. Dark stained oak cabinets, marble counters and backsplash, and crisp white walls could read as a bit cold, but the gleaming pendant light, wood floors and wood island counter add warmth. If you have dark wood cabinets and want wood floors too, choose floors a few shades lighter than the cabinetry — a medium amount of contrast is easiest on the eyes.Cabinets: rift-sawn white oak with custom stain; lighting fixture: a DIY project

Start with a clean, cleared kitchen. Run and empty the dishwasher, dry and put away dishes on the draining rack, and take out the trash. Remove all nonessential and nonbeautiful items from your counters. Hide clutter in a cupboard or even under your bed if you must — whatever you need to do to make your kitchen more visually pleasing ... at least for one night.

light wood floor with dark wood cabinets

Dark wood cabinets white counter

light counter tops and wood island