Shoezoo, I haven't posted photos to the Finished Kitchens blog or too many here because my home office is not set back up yet so I can't really properly prepare the photos for showing (cropping, color adjustment, sharpness, etc.) but I'll show you a before and after of the kitchen and bar area and give you the list of woods, manufacturers, colors, and finishes. Jodi- Cabinets: Valley Custom Doors Cherrywood with a Brandy stain and chocolate glaze (http://www.valleycustomdoor.com/) Cabinet Pulls: Kraftmaid Satin Chrome 5" center pulls (Style 205) (http://www.kraftmaid.com/) Cabinet Glass: Reeded cut on the horizontal Granite: Impala Black (aka Nero Assoluto Zimbabwe) from Dal-tile (http://www.daltile.com/) Back Splash: Jeffrey Court Chapter 9: Pietra Opus Quartz Brick Fire and Ice http://www.jeffreycourt.com/) Switches/Dimmers/Outlets and Wall Plates: Aspire by Cooper Wiring Devices (http://www.cooperwiringdevices.com/) Floors: Victoria Floors Antique Collection Coique Chocolate, 7" wide planks(http://www.victoriafloors.com/ingles/home.html) Mini-Pendants: Tech Lighting Egypt in Dark Amber with satin nickel trim with a 4" flush round canopy Freejack system in satin nickel Recessed lighting: 4" cans with satin nickel trim and black interior. Extras: Toe-kick drawer, sink pull-out storage Appliances: Bosch microwave, oven and dishwasher. GE Monogram 30" cooktop. 25CuFt Kenmore Elite (by LG) French door, bottom freezer refrigerator with water dispenser Paint: ValSpar (Lowes) Ultra Premium Polished Silver

Site finished hardwoods are the gold standard. Using a lower grade in multiple widths will allow some savings...but not as much as you think. The concern I have would be the substrate. Is it concrete slab or is it wood joist? Hardwood over concrete is a bit trickier as it takes a LOT of technical knowledge to get it to work as a glue down install. If this is over concrete then the engineered hardwood (that's what it is called) is a better option because most of these can be floated. Traditionally the engineered hardwoods have beveled edges (the valleys between the planks) to ensure a nicer look when installed (they are not sanded like site finished which means the edges can have issues 'lining up' which makes the bevel a benefit to the installer). I prefer a lighter hardwood but your inspiration photo has a medium reddish brown finish/stain used. It creates a very rich look. I would not go any darker than the inspiration photos. And remember: a lower grade wood with multiple widths (such as your inspiration photo) will look a snick more rustic/organic than a higher grade floor with uniform width. A bit more about your substrate will help us figure out what is *better for your situation...and PLEASE tell me you are using a professional wood flooring installer and not the GC's 'guy' who does framing, drywall AND floors.

Take a look at Hickory. Borrow a door off showroom cabinet to place next to your cabinets.

Hard to tell but interiors appear to be Douglas fir and the door faces may be vertical grain Douglas fir. You could try to strip the old oil-base varnish off of one door, sand (lightly) and put a water-based polyurethane on to see how you like it. It will still have an orangy tint. I find your cabinets lovely, but the color doesn't fit the current white/grey/black fad.