wow, thanks for all the help! I can see that the different adjacent woods look good in your posted pictures only because they are quite differentn from each other, not sure that I want to go too light on the new wood because it would be to "blendy" with the white cabinets. A border is an interesting idea but my kitchen might be too small to be able to pull that off, I have an approx 10 x 13 U shaped kitchen with an adjacent 10 x 8 breakfast area. I appreciate the comments to consider that the lighting in the kitchen might be quite different from the hallway. That is true but I did not think of the hallway as being dark until we had the flooring changed and it surprised me how much darker it was after the flooring change. I'm going to find some dark brown tarps to put on the kitchen floor and see what that feels like. thank you!

if you decide on painting-that really depends on the style of the house, and your own preferences..and of course should work with your countertop. "Light and grayish" is a bit too general of a description..mine is also light and a tad grayish(no movement though)..but it's on the warm side of the grayish. It's important to understand what gray is there..is it cooler, blueish gray? warmer, a bit green(like mine..mine is so light though it's more off white..more white than gray if I explain it correctly) Different paints would be needed depending on what exactly the countertop is going to be. Every color has lots of shades..so you can pick a general direction, and then narrow it to the shade that will work with your stone, and that you will like enough to live with it every day.

I read so much about designing a kitchen, that after awhile it drives you a bit crazy❣️Designers usually say if you have lighter lower cabinets, then pick a darker flooring so they are “grounded”. And, if you have darker lower cabinets, then pick a lighter flooring to “ground “ them. I think: choose the flooring and cabinets that you love together. I have medium oak flooring and gray cabinets. I chose them because I liked the look. I have all stainless steel appliances and it is real easy and quick to clean them, not an issue for me. I like your cabinet choice❣️Pease post pictures after your kitchen renovation.

It really depends on what the cherry cabinets look like. It would be helpful if you could post pictures of them. Without pictures, I would suggest white oak in a clear finish. That would provide contrast between the flooring and the cabinetry. I would not want my floors to "match" my cabinets. I want them to "coordinate" and "complement".