I think if you were to have all the floors refinished, they could match a new floor to your existing. Have some good hardwood flooring companies come out and advise you. Personally, I would stay away from any dark floor, it will show everything.

OK...Here are some suggestions. If you KNOW the tile is coming out in the next 5-7 years (I call this the 7 year renovation time line....which you plan out EXTENSIVELY before you TOUCH a single surface...right?) I HIGHLY recommend you put in a SOLID hardwood upstairs. You will have it SITE FINISHED to the colour you want for then next 25 years. Leave the stairs alone for now. Recarpet if you must...but leave them alone. You will choose a REGULAR 3.75" narrow strip hardwood in a regular wood (Maple, Red Oak, White Oak...nothing crazy or exotic). You will do this with the FULL KNOWLEDGE you will *most likely run this through the MAIN LEVEL at some other point in time. You want to be able to source the product in 7-10 years time...so you can have a consistent WOOD throughout the home. You do NOT have to have the same COLOUR on the two levels but you really want to try to keep the same SPECIES, WIDTH, and CUT for future renovations/refinishings. You will 'match' or 'compliment' the stairs to the MAIN LEVEL flooring (not the upstairs flooring). And THAT'S why you leave the stairs until you refinish the DOWNSTAIRS. Believe me, you have a lot of PLANNING to do for the next 5-7 years worth of RENOVATIONS. You will want to have a "story board" of colours that you want the ENTIRE HOUSE to be draped in BEFORE you touch the flooring. We've seen FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE rip up flooring 'at the beginning' (because the house is empty and it is the 'easiest' time to do it) only to have HUGE regrets that they rushed the decision. It is an EXPANSIVE and EXTENSIVE mistake to make. And please be aware the carpet is hiding HORRIBLE subfloors. I mean EXPENSIVE TO FIX. I always tell my clients to budget $2-$4/sf for the subfloors under the carpets. The average is around $2.50 - $3/sf...but a $4/sf repair is not rare. The $5-$6/sf repair/rebuild is rare....but not unheard of. Give yourself a TOTAL budget and work BACKWARDS to your 'wood purchase' budget. You might just find the 'purchase budget' is TOO LOW to get a wood floor installed.

bump!

a natural white oak would prob be your best bet. have you looked at actual wood flooring somewhere? take a cab door with you and see what looks good. BTW, you seriously need some cabinet hardware. here's a light oak flooring w/maple cabinets. this tone would be fine. why is husband so adamant against updating those older cabinets? The reason they look so yellow is because the clear coat has ambered w/time. They used an oil base back in the day and it yellows with age. Stripping off that clear coat is an option, but it would cost just as much as painting. this is what the maple should actually look like. no yellow. just warm maple tones. shown here w/white oak flooring. is he aware of everything that can be done nowadays? check out this before/after story https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/a-maple-kitchen-facelift/ quite the difference in overall look, isn't it? Because of your countertop, i'd go w/a creamier white rather than a bright white. (unless you have plans on redoing the countertop at some point) With a good cabinet painter who properly preps and primes, your cabs could look brand new. (I would prob reface the upper doors w/the arch though) here's a two tone, and a full on repaint, Read this one. https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/cures-maple-orange-kitchen https://www.dfrancowallpaper.com/can-maple-cabinets-be-painted-white/