Hi there, Congrats on the remodel! Your choices so far look great. As far as hardwood flooring goes, Bruce and Armstrong are great name brands. We've installed many of these floors with long lasting success. If you want a "darker" floor, I'd suggest you stay in the cool tones (away from the oranges and reds you dislike) and don't go overly dark just because we don't want the space to look smaller than it is. Bruce has some beautiful pre-finished darker hardwoods for you to choose from. I'd suggest one with some texture, mainly because kitchens are high traffic areas and the darker the floor, the more you see on it. But with some hand scrapping, etc, it will eliminate a lot of the every day wear and tear that may drive you crazy. Bruce - Dark Solid signature scraped hardwood The link I added is from the Bruce line, and I think that this color, along with the light grey counters and the white cabinets would pair really well... It's also not too too dark. Whatever you choose, I'd suggest something with a bit of texture. This is a solid red oak, not refinished, but its a nice medium color, and the busy graining of red oak act just like a textured floor would when it comes to hiding discrepancies. This is another one I found which has a nice medium tone for your space. Good Luck The Couture Floor Company - Flooring Blog

What do you mean by trim? Windoows? Door frames? Baseboards? Or are you referring to stair banisters, etc?

I was about to suggest looking at a low grade White Oak with a light stain. White Oak in a character or rustic grade will have all of these knots and heavy grain variations in a MUCH lower price tag than hickory (like 1/2 the price). Be careful with knots....they are "sock catchers" or "splinter producers" in really cheap wood. It takes a master craftsman to get a knotty wood into place, sanded, patched, stained and finished without producing a hot mess of a floor. People who have cheaped out on the labour have found out, to their horror, that the knots ruin socks, bare feet, dog's paws and those same knots will "pop out" leaving gaping holes in their floor! Buyer beware! And a character grade hickory can look like this - all by itself. But it is a bossy wood (as much as I love the variation). I have to agree with Sophie....it will be the Diva in the house. It will surpass "Star" by several degrees of magnitude.

Site finished hardwoods are the gold standard. Using a lower grade in multiple widths will allow some savings...but not as much as you think. The concern I have would be the substrate. Is it concrete slab or is it wood joist? Hardwood over concrete is a bit trickier as it takes a LOT of technical knowledge to get it to work as a glue down install. If this is over concrete then the engineered hardwood (that's what it is called) is a better option because most of these can be floated. Traditionally the engineered hardwoods have beveled edges (the valleys between the planks) to ensure a nicer look when installed (they are not sanded like site finished which means the edges can have issues 'lining up' which makes the bevel a benefit to the installer). I prefer a lighter hardwood but your inspiration photo has a medium reddish brown finish/stain used. It creates a very rich look. I would not go any darker than the inspiration photos. And remember: a lower grade wood with multiple widths (such as your inspiration photo) will look a snick more rustic/organic than a higher grade floor with uniform width. A bit more about your substrate will help us figure out what is *better for your situation...and PLEASE tell me you are using a professional wood flooring installer and not the GC's 'guy' who does framing, drywall AND floors.