Linelle: your description perfectly captures the difference between my sample and what I'm looking for! My sample is flat and lifeless. What I want is for the wood to look rich and alive. The example I chose may be red oak. I know white oak can be just as lively as red oak though. There are plenty of QS white oak photos that look rich and full of figure. It's the rift white oak that I cannot find good photos of! ILoveRed: I have seen the photo of the tall cabinets in the first kitchen and it is gorgeous! It doesn't show the detail of the wood as clearly as I need but I'll add it to my photos. The second kitchen you found has some really good photos. Thanks so much for finding that for me! omelet: I'm not an expert either but I agree with you - the cut determines the figure of the wood more than the finish. But take a look at the figure on the unstained backside of my sample door: Unstained, it has a lot of wonderful richness and unexpected fleck in too. If they didn't leave the backside unstained I would have never known that RS white oak could look so lively and have such lovely figure. In one of my other threads, we seem to have figured out that they used a mix of woods and cuts on this sample door. The side rails look like RS white oak, top and bottom rails QS white oak and center panel is plain sawn red oak. That's a fantastic suggestion to post on the flooring forum! Off I go...

@eliseharrison The caption in your first says something about being treated with "oil," which is another option for finishing, using Waterlox or another tung-oil based treatment rather than lacquer. An oil treatment that has tung oil as its base like Waterlox won't yellow as much as an oil treatment that has linseed oil as a primary ingredient. These oil finishes have to be re-applied and maintained, but I've done a fair amount of research on them, and Waterlox original finish is what we're planning to do in our kitchen on cherry cabinetry. A few cabinet companies use oil finishes like Waterlox exclusively. It creates a very natural surface, but the ambering and yellowing will still occur over time to an extent even with this method. If you wanted to go with a whitewashed finish, then yes, that might work for you to get the color you want, but it won't look natural. It obscures the depth and sheen of the natural wood if it is done sufficiently to alter the color permanently to obscure the natural ambering of the wood. Some people really like this method and have used it to get the light neutral color they want without going for a total painted finish. Just be sure to view samples in person so you're sure you like it. There is a type of white oak harvested in Europe that has a low tannin content and ages to a neutral, silvery tone, but it is expensive and difficult to obtain in the United States in quantities large enough for cabinetry work. If the budget is generous, you could look into that option with a water-based, non-yellowing lacquer finish to get a natural white wood look.

If I have hit it right here, absolutely you can use the white oak cabinets. What is important is that the rest of the kitchen choices work with both; and the STYLE of the table isn’t going to fight with your plan of keeping a mid century feel throughout the space. Keep in mind that should you have to cut one or the other loose, go with the cabinets and replace the table. Here are a few wall colors that will work for you: my favorite being the muslin off-white.

I think it looks awesome! It might not be exactly what you thought, but I think it may be a happy mistake. I gives a little contrast to the floor and a nice back drop for the island. I do agree with Anna - change that trim around the base of the island. That light color will look a mess in a very short time. Assuming you are trying to cover a gap, see if you can get a scribe molding or shoe molding. This looks like a quarter round. . Enjoy!