Someone here has pictures of their natural red oak floors and their quartersawn white oak cabinets. It was a beautiful contrast!! Hopefully she will post to this thread because I can't remember who it was. I did the opposite...quartersawn white oak floors and stained red oak cabinets. Quartersawn oak is more expensive, but has a very different appearance and grain. It really doesn't even look like oak, except for the tone and color of the wood.

Just to be clear- the bevels come from hardwoods being prefinished, not engineered. You can get solid hardwoods as well as engineered hardwoods prefinished (which will have bevels). Although less common, you can also get engineered floors site finished. These won't have bevels and will be indistinguishable from solid woods floors on looks alone. A small general summary below, which may help your daughter. I'm sure there are exceptions to these statements but by and large this is what you're looking at. Pre-finished vs Site-finished Pre-finished: Bevels. A more durable finish. Fewer color/stain options. Site-finished: No bevels. A less durable finish (doesn't mean it's not a good or good enough finish, it's just not as hard as factory finishes). Virtually unlimited ability to mix stains and find the perfect color. Solid vs Engineered Solid: Usually ¾" solid wood. More prone to problems (cupping and gaping) with changes in humidity. Can sand and refinish many times. Can only be installed over a subfloor and not over a concrete foundation, making them not an option in some situations. Engineered: Has a solid wood "wear layer" that will look indistinguishable from solid wood floors. The thickness of this wear layer, which can vary significantly depending on which engineered floor you choose, determines the number of times the floors can be sanded and refinished (anywhere from zero to maybe 3 times, always fewer times than solid floors). More stable which means less susceptible to problems like cupping or gaping, although still possible. Can be installed over concrete and in other situations where solid hardwoods are not appropriate. Hope this helps!

@millworkman Thank you for your feedback. I know they will not look the same as they are different woods, but I am hoping to find something that will get me that lighter color with the least undertones if that makes sense.

Semigloss will reflect light more than satin, but if there’s no light to reflect that won’t help you. It may also accentuate any defects in the floor. If electrical upgrades aren’t an option can you bring in more lamps? Even with overhead lighting, lamps improve the ambiance significantly. Lighter paint also reflects light, but again you must have light to reflect. Whites really need natural light to look good in my opinion, otherwise they accentuate shadows and make the room feel dingy.