Most appliances manufacturers seem to use some sort of brushed finish. And in practice, the differences between manufacturers tend to be not overly glaring. Sinks are a bit more of a wildcard. There are a couple of different finishes that you can get. But then, a sink is in a very different place, and accumulates scratches with use anyway. I personally don't feel it has to 100% match the look of the stainless appliances. If you are really anal, you could always have your contractor redo all the grain with a sander and some 3M pads. It's labor intensive though and does take some amount of practice to get a uniform finish. Most people wouldn't really go down this route -- and if you do, make sure you get samples of their workmanship first; it's easy to make things worse instead of better.

There is "modern" and there is "utilitarian/industrial". Making all the elements very similar (white glossy everything, with cement looking floors, sounds more like the second to me, like a commercial kitchen sans a stainless steel work surface. Is that what you are aiming for? Introducing some wood element somewhere will move it more toward a gentler but modern aesthetic IMO (ps I am no expert). I am not a fan of open shelving but if your walk in area will be visible it might do. You can probably have the wood fabricated to be complimentary to the other woods in the home yet a little different, with a bit more color. cpartist made a very good point - I like whites in a kitchen or bath, but it really bugs me when they are all slightly different shades (some grayer, some warmer...) Some people, I guess, don't see it though, and so it doesn't bother them.

Well....that depends on the SUBFLOOR prep required (are you talking about in the kitchen?) and the TYPE of installation you are willing to pay for. Again, concrete must be flat/even (prefer level but don't always need it) and free of any contaminants. The preparation is the key. Did I mention the preparation? Right. That's the fist step that people want to go cheap on because no one can see the results. Yet it is the FIRST thing we, flooring professionals, POINT TO if the homeowner is upset about how a floor PERFORMS (ie. feels underfoot or is ruined by moisture coming up through the slab, etc). *Technically a wood floor can be FLOATED over the old tile in the kitchen BUT it requires flat substrate = work. Work = Time. Time = money. Carpets HIDE some wonky concrete. That's why they were used. The builders HID their AWFUL concrete underneath flexible products like sheet/glue down vinyl OR carpet. The only way to get an ACCURATE quote is to rip up the carpet and have a wood flooring professional come out and offer their quote. Even then, they will be offering a PRICE RANGE for the concrete preparation. A floating wood floor normally requires engineered wood (you can get expensive solid hardwoods that are allowed to be floated...but they are hard to find). Engineered hardwoods tend to be more expensive to purchase. A floating floor is a 'mid-price' range install. The cheapest install for wood is nail/cleat/staple down but that isn't an option because you are on concrete. A floating hardwood is the next in price (takes a bit more time and requires the use of adhesive on the edges). The MOST EXPENSIVE wood install is a GLUE DOWN OVER OLD CONCRETE. The adhesives themselves (and this is NOT included in the subfloor preparation) can range between $2-$4/sf. That's because they are used as 100% moisture barrier. These are EXPENSIVE adhesives. They can be $300 for 5 gallons and a gallon offers 30sf of floor coverage (it needs to be laid THICK to create the 100% moisture barrier). The glue down method requires a VERY knowledgeable wood flooring expert who UNDERSTANDS the adhesive, the trowel sizes, the spread rates, the 'tack up' time, etc etc etc. The adhesive can still be mucked up (and you can still have issues with moisture intrusion) by the INSTALLER if s/he doesn't get it right! And THAT'S when the REAL problems begin. A tile floor can be very expensive. A wood floor can be equally expensive. It all depends on the work needed to be done BEFORE the floors are installed. And the value you pay for in a high-quality craftsman is where you find the most money will be spent. Human sweat has a price. TALENTED sweat can be double that price.

Hmmmm.your images are a bit soft. Hard to see details... but it looks like there was a light yellow under the "harvest gold". Are you remoldelling? If so, why dont you rehab these cabs? As you may have read in my previous comments, these cabinets are components. And they can be switched around to suit your design needs. You will never... repeat.... never, ever find cabinets that will last this long again. Most cabinet boxes are made of pressed paper pressed wood chips or plywood. All of the above eventually rots and peels apart from oyster. And moisture is a constant element in a kitchen. One good sink leak and you're under sink cabinet is a goner. Contrastingly, if it's metal, it can be rehabbed. You just sand it and repaint it. Is t his a house or apartment? If it is about equity investment, you might consider having them reconditioned... and painted. People who rehab cars often have the ability to rehab your cabinets and paint them with professional results. I find that people who do special detailing often are into that sort of artistic expression. As i mentioned, we sold ours for 9k. The utterly gorgeous house was sold for 1.2M and the owners knocked it down to build a McMansion. Btw, as it turns out, they had been repainted. The job was so good that we couldnt tell until during retrival, we saw the backer/mounting plate on the wall. The countertops gotta go, though. Floor and Decor has Walnut and Acadia. Either would look fab. If you decide to sell... possibly donate instead. If you donate half on dec 31... and half on jan1, you can get the max fair market value. Otherwise, you'll be at the mercy of the fickle market if you sell. As is... they arent worth much. But like a 1965 mustang that needs love... once you restore it/them, they dramatically jack up in value. One last thing. Buy your appliances used or at scratch and dent. P.c. Richard's in New York has a scratch and dent store in Deer Park I believe. Scratch and dent doesn't mean that they're ruined. sometimes it's open box problems, an error in the order, or there might be a knob missing because it was a store display. They are still under warranty and if anything is missing, the manufacturer can replace it sometimes for free. The kitchen I have now has a Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer and Bertazzoni stove. I paid less than 2k for both!