Oak is actually very popular - except it’s the quarter-sawn or rift-cut white oak. Very expensive. Gray cabinets are falling out of favor. White kitchen cabinets have been in kitchens for 150 years or so, so that they are neither in nor out. But many people consider white cabinets a “safe” choice, which is somehow pejorative, I don’t know.

I advise you not to spend your money yet. Get magazines showing new kitchens, or look at Houzz pics, and gather which ones you’re drawn to. A pattern will emerge, but you need to spend some time on this.

BTW: If you'd like, here's a link to my craftsman style kitchen. I didn't use oak for the perimeter because I needed to lighten up the space a bit since it faces north and east. My island is a dark quarter sawn oak to mimic a fumed look.

I'm hoping that Helen will also post on this thread with her stunning craftsman kitchen.

Oak is actually very popular - except it’s the quarter-sawn or rift-cut white oak.

If you do a craftsman kitchen in a medium stained oak quarter sawn wood, trust me no one will know whether it's white or red oak.

I love the look of the DuraSupreme quarter sawn red oak with the hazelnut stain. That would be a beautiful combo. The maple is lovely, too, but a different (and to me, a bit more generic) look.

As for the floors, you'd need to see them in person, but I'd perhaps try the Arbor (to pick up the dark tones in the grain of the red oak), or Raeburn (can't tell online whether they'll complement or clash).

As for the bigger issue of how to match woods, I'm not an expert, so I try to pair woods that share some tones, but also have some contrast. So, for example, I have natural hickory for my current floors, and I have medium brown kitchen cabinets that match the darker knots in the hickory. As an amateur, I find that's a good way to ensure that they woods coordinate rather than fighting with each there blending too much.

Edited to add: Don't doubt yourself. It sounds like you *do* know your tastes, you're just questioning whether you need to give them up to follow current trends. You don't!

I totally agree with Kristin that it does seem you know your own tastes.

You like Craftsman and Mission styles, and the Hanover door in quarter-sawn oak in either the Mission or Hazelnut color totally fits that style. I think that you could let the rest of your family have the win on color and still have a kitchen you would be very happy with.

Scanning through the Flooret colors, I would definitely stay away from the very gray options with either of the proposed cabinet colors. Arbor might be okay (it's on the dark side, which might or might not be an issue in your space). Brenwick and Kingswood seem like nice mid-tones but look to have more color variation, which can sometimes result in an unexpectedly busy-looking floor. I didn't see any room view on the website; that's where you'll see the busy-ness, not in a close-up. The Sutton is a little bit on the gray side, but still reads brown on my monitor. I don't think it works well with the Mission color, but looks like it might work with the Hazelnut. Definitely get samples of both the cabinet (wood/stain) and the flooring before making any final decisions. You want the two to coordination but you don't need them or want them to match. When the floors are a perfect match to the color of the cabinets it's usually too much. A little bit of contrast is better.

It sounds as though you are working with a cabinet seller and not a Kitchen Designer. You likely could benefit from a few hours of consultation with a good local Kitchen Designer. Include the family who is seeming to have some input too. Meditating between different people’s taste while keeping an eye on the whole big picture is a whole lot of what we do.

Nina - I posted a picture of my kitchen on the kitchen thread to which cpartist provided a link. Actually the second picture further down may be better. I was focusing on my yellow-orange linoleum counters, but the cabs are Durasupreme quartersawn oak with the Mission stain. I love them, and the quality is very nice, Ignore the old hoosier cab. Good luck!

Oh, dear, you're hitting reno fatigue already! Sit down, put your feet up, and get a glass of your favorite beverage.

There, that's better.

I agree that embracing the real Mission style is a good call since you love it anyway. And it sounds like it will flow with the rest of your house.

Prepare to get a little bit frustrated because the bulk of the samples you're going to look at will trend grey. Discard them, for all the reasons CP already described and simply because you don't like it.

Start some sort of visual area to store images of kitchens you DO like - whether an idea book here on Houzz, or Pinterest, or a folder on your PC. Look at them whenever you start getting overwhelmed by all the uber-trendy white and grey kitchens.

You might have to do a little more legwork to find all the things you need to make that kitchen work, because they aren't "in style." But (to paraphrase the immortal Magnaverde), "What is never 'in-style' cannot go out of style!"

Check out the American Bungalow forum on Facebook too.

Oops misinterpreted this:

So, I guess I am asking: what is really NOT in style, how do you match woods (or vinyl masquerading as wood!) between floor and cabinets

You don't need to. Pick a floor in a lighter color than the cabinets you want. One that will blend in terms of color. You can do an oak look for the floors or you can do a maple.

I don't have much to add to the excellent advice above in terms of following your own personal tastes so that the end result is a kitchen that you love rather than a kitchen that has been done because you went with what is trendy and were afraid to follow your lodestar towards what you loved.

I just finished a gut remodel including kitchen and baths. My style loves are Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Prairie (Frank Lloyd Wright), Arts & Crafts, William Morris.

I didn't really follow design trends until my current remodel and then I downloaded ALL the design magazines - everything from Elle Style, Architectural Digest, Bungalow Magazine, Bungalow Magazine as well as those which seemed to be geared to the trade like Kitchen and Bath Design specifically. I pretty much saw NOTHING in the design magazines that I liked - or more accurately that I wanted to replicate. I don't live in a bungalow so lots of the charm of those would not translate - I don't live in a town house with a large kitchen open to the city garden like the Christopher Peacock/Smallbones kitchens that I admired.

So I went on the internet and just saved pictures of real kitchens that I loved - I googled Art Deco, Prairie, Mission, Arts & Crafts, Hollywood Regency - every style that I liked to see what kind of kitchens popped up. I found Crown Pointe cabinets which had some Prairie style doors which I loved - take a look at their website for some absolutely beautiful kitchens done in a variety of styles.

I then turned over all my inspiration photos to my designer (a DESIGNER and not a GC or a cabinet seller affiliated with a specific line of cabinets). She then was able to take what were the visual threads linking all the pictures that I loved and present them in one cohesive design that isn't slavishly reproducing any of those periods but references all of them visually.

And no one has seemed to mention functionality as I worked with her a lot to explain how I wanted to be able to function in my kitchen and expand storage and work space. I taught her a few tricks like having toe kick step stools or a counter that slid underneath a cabinet so I could slide my KA mixer out. She handled a lot of functionality I knew nothing about (and frankly am glad I DIDN'T have to worry about) like optimum placing of the lighting, switch plates etc.

My cabinets are quarter sawn white oak - I went back and forth between rift sawn and quarter sawn and whether I would combine quarter sawn and rift sawn but in the end just went with quarter sawn white oak. They are stained a medium caramel color - I used a chair I inherited to show the cabinet maker exactly what color I wanted.

So in terms of style - I would say my cabinets marry Arts & Crafts with Prairie; my cabinet hardware is Prairie but done in antiqued copper which references Arts & Crafts; my copper medallion references Art Nouveau in terms of motif: my tiles are I think somewhat Arts & Crafts because they are colored but the metallic iridescence maybe references Art Deco and I have copper tiles which reference Arts & Crafts - at any rate, the cabinets run behind the dining table and chairs which are pure Art Deco :-) with a bit of Hollywood Regency glitz in terms of my fabric choice. My copper farmhouse sink and coffered ceiling done with copper tiles references Arts & Crafts in terms of the choice of copper.

Build what you love - don't build what you think is trendy unless you are a professional who is flipping a place for immediate resale.

These are quarter sawn white oak - floor is natural red oak for contrast. Floor is actually lighter than it looks in picture. The counter area has not been arranged because I was still moving in.

Kitchen with copper hood and what I think of as my Art Nouveau copper medallion

Closeup of tiles which are handprinted ceramic - somewhat inspired by Arts & Crafts in terms of their handmade look.

Looking towards the dining area

Kitchen sink

Helen, my husband is over here coveting your kitchen. He's a big fan of Prairie, Deco, and Art Nouveau.

I'm not sure how things are nationally, although I do know that locally white oak has suddenly gotten impossible to lay hands on, costs the Earth, and comes with lead times in excess of two months. You can have it, but you're going to both pay and wait for it. Just something to ask about when you order, because sometimes lead times can really mess up a reno. It might NOT be a problem with cabs, but yet turn out to BE a problem for flooring, or vice versa.

Speaking of, does anybody know if Kohler is back up and running after their factory fire? I seem to recall the Whitehaven sink having a 9 month lead time for a while.

A great kitchen need not be heavily laden w details on cabinetry . Budget. . Focus on storage first-it will cost you. A good oak shaker or cherry w proper brown range of stain and other things like lighting/paint/counters /hardware can help w style. You can tilt your style while selecting basic cabinetry. Go back to budget and factor storage features. Unless your budget is unlimited of course

Sorry to go OT, but Helen, I cannot WAIT for your full reveal post.

I do think the OP needs to decide her budget. That is a starting factor that determines all that follows. Helen's kitchen looks expensive.

It you're only going to live in this house for 5 years, a mere 60 months which will go very fast, I'd do a simple white kitchen for resale.

Helen thanks for posting your kitchen.

Slow down. Take yourself off for the day and go do something fun, and dont think about your kitchen at all. It will relieve some of the stress and tension. Then the next morning get up and have a cup of coffee in your existing kitchen, and think about what YOU like. Dont worry about trends. I also wouldnt pick floors before you decide on cabinets, and then take into consideration the rest of your house before you pick the color. Trends are just that. Do a house in latest trend now, and in 5 yrs, if you decide to sell, it will be obsolete, and there will be new trends. Best thing is to do a kitchen you like and not worry about any trends.

following

If you don't know your own taste, go and hire a designer to figure it out for you. I am certain there are more than a few more than willing to lighten your wallet...

Thanks everyone for your ideas and support. I did take some time away and got back in the game. I realize there are many "right" directions to go, and I am feeling less overwhelmed. I love the photos of everyone's kitchens although it makes me envious of having the space and/or budget to do such wonders!