You don't say how your maple floors were finished, but I will assume they are either natural or with a light stain since you said you were trying to brighten your space. If you are looking for a contemporary look, then solid core, flush face doors will be fine. A 5-panel door is more of a craftsman or mission style, which may be the direction you are leaning. Either will work in a contemporary space, particularly if your cabinetry uses square, Shaker style doors and drawers. As far as color for your doors, IMO they should match the trim in your rooms (base, door and window trim, coves, etc.). None of the wood species you have named look good simply varnished, since the wood turns a yellowy-orange color (without a colored stain first applied). Paint and stain finishes are very personal and everyone has their own favorites as well as those that they will avoid at all costs. Based on your desire to keep things light and natural, my advice to you is: --Match all doors and trim in the room (base, window and door trim, cove, etc.); --Stain grade woods are generally more expensive than paint-grade woods (the species you have identified are really paint-grade species), so you can expect your budget to be affected by your preferences and choices. --AVOID any dark finishes (the opposite of keeping things light), which will be in high and stark contrast with white walls and light floors (yes, dark values will draw too much attention. Dark stains on the wood species you identified wwon't really help them very much since they really don't stain that well--they are bassically paint-grade species and look it, even though some people do stain them); --If you want a stained, natural and light wood look, I'd change the wood species to one that stains better and go with a light natural or light grayed finish on everything, doors, trim, everything unified; --My personal favorite is to paint everything in a light hue and value, such as a warm white or cream-like color. You could do this with any of the wood species you named, but pine can be problematic since it often needs to be sealed first to prevent knot resin from bleeding through). A lot depends on houw you see your walls finished, but again IMO doors and trim generally look more harmonious and unified when they all are similar--a lighter color and value than the walls. There are exceptions of course, but unless you are a designer or artist with an experience eye for color, I'd follow this rule. If you want your walls to be white, choose a warm white cream color and keep the doors and trim a lighter neutral (not cold) white. Just my experience and preferences. Your milage may vary. Good luck with your project.

Hi Helen, S&S carries a large variety of flooring and stains for you to choose from. I don't know what the space looks like but I would say that the stain or wood that you choose is dependent on a lot of factors. Do you want a light and bright kitchen and if so how much light do you get in your kitchen? Do you like contrast or would you rather the whole place easy on the eye? Since you are dealing with a kitchen would you want something more durable like Vinyl flooring instead of a wood floor that would get ruined by water etc? If you have any questions feel free to let me know and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Chaya from S&S Hardwood Flooring and Supplies

so you want to put another type of wood (or wood look laminate) next to the real, darker wood that borders it? That isn't going to look good. either use the same wood/stain, or, use another type of tile. if you want to keep your existing wood, can it be sanded and stained a lighter tone? then you could just stain the new wood portion to match in w/the older flooring. Or, redo all of the flooring to a different, light wood, like this French Oak If you just want to do the one room, then choose a larger format tile (24x24, 30x30, or a 18x36 size) here are some options that Tilebar.com has. I love this Limestone look porcelain tile. and it would match your walls (matte finish, 24x24) touchstone, Misty Gray:

As Patricia points out, a white oak stained to a colour you like is a really good option. Traditionally bathrooms are allowed to be 'stand alone' design elements. Yes it is nice to be coordinated but it isn't entirely necessary. One thing I will caution you about re: carpet to hardwood is this: Carpets hide the WORST subfloors in the world. Builders LOVE working with carpet because it hides every 'builder's sin' you can think of. Because of the horrible subfloors you will need to prepare yourself for 'sticker shock'. Subfloor preparation costs will be a factor in your budget. I tell my clients to budget $2-$4 per square foot for subfloor costs when removing carpet and laying hardwood. What does that mean? It means you need to work BACKWARDS from your TOTAL money available for the job (the price you have to stick to once all the bills are paid and the furniture is put back). An example of this is: 1000sf of flooring = $12,000 budget. This sounds simple until you realize your subfloor prep is going to eat $2K - $4K of that. Labour for installation of the wood = $2-$4/sf (depending on what you purchase and what your location is re: economy). That means another $2500 - $4000 is going to 'work'. This leaves you with a maximum amount of $4000 for the wood itself. That means you have a product budget of $4/sf. This scenario is 'worst case scenario' but it does exist. Please make sure your flooring professional (not a GC) offers you a quote once the carpet has been removed (removal and disposal of carpet can be $1/sf....just saying). A subfloor quote is never accurate. It is always a 'range' like I've given you. I don't want to frighten you...but you will want to be aware of the hidden costs. If your flooring pro does NOT offer a quote for subfloor prep you will want to do one of two things: 1. Ask WHY there is no subfloor prep quoted (many are afraid to add this because they lose business when homeowners aren't aware of these added costs), or 2. Find another pro who will offer a more complete project quote. Labout