I put in a natural white oak floor with dark stained maple cabinets and I really like the combination. I think you are going to find that most people like darker cabinets with that floor to provide some contrast. A lighter cabinet would create a more monochromatic room. That would also create a lighter overall look rather having contrast. It depends on what you like. If you are going with site finished, be aware that they do darken quite a bit just by applying the "clear" finish, which suprised me. If you are going with prefinished your final color is already on it and there won't be any surprises. These are my cabinets against the unfinshed floor: And these are my cabinets against the finished floor: By the way, I honestly don't see any green undertones at all in my floor, finished or unfinished. Maybe it is just me and I am not perceptive enough to pick it up. Sue

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.

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