I would not have chosen cork. But as a far as cleaning the same is required no matter what color.I have a MCM ranch and huge dogs we went with a laminate that totally looks like slate and everyone is always surprised it is not real I love it. I have only had experience with cork floors in a store where I worked and in one year they were a rip out. I am sure there are many different qualities of this flooring so I think if you have investigated the pros and cons I would do the light floor.

our designer recommended cork, and this floor is high-quality. Thanks for advice on the color. We have no dogs, no cats, no regular kids. I was concerned about the hardness, concerned about VOCs etc. This floor is thick enough to be refinished, a number of times over --should we need to. That said --you didn't go with wood either.... that was my first choice until I realized it wasn't right. High-quality vinyl would have been another choice.

Don't really have an opinion on color as much as the pattern. Since you will have lots of wood tones that I'm assuming will be fairly uniform I would think the cork flooring should have more pattern and variation to offset that. Otherwise, you might wind up with a beige box.

Norwood --the lighter color gives more of a contrast, in fact, but the pattern isn't as obvious. I could go way darker --any color, but that doesn't seem right here. The lighter cork is a starker contrast with the wood.... the more patterned darker color makes it feel more like a box. That said, I literally have any option available to me with these current marmol tiles.....

here are the color options--not just two.

The more pattern, the more crumbs can be ignored. If you love the lighter one, choose it, and get a Roomba and run it every day.

I would like to know more about your furnishings, rugs, decor, etc as one of those colors may pair better with what you have.

thinkdesign --there is nothing, all burned in the smoke and fire.

Hallet & Co. yet many of the case study houses have very light floors. I could show you some links.... they go quite light. for instance the Stahl House, one of many --agree this may be vinyl, not cork: but the look is the same: https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/we-grew-up-in-case-study-house-22/

here is a Francis Gassner-designed house, light floor

https://www.atomic-ranch.com/architecture-design/house-tours/a-1961-francis-gassner-home/

Sorry to hear that you lost it all. I’d suggest starting with something you plan to purchase - like a rug or sofa to give you a jumping off point. You may find you like the cork board color range vs the gray range or vice versa.

thinkdesign --here's the new kitchen, we couldn't save the original

with an accent wall in the dining room -the orange we have has been a tad muted from what you see. That's it --it!! we have a marble coffee table from before. And we have a green kitchen table with Miller-like chairs.

I like a lighter shade, as it will result in a softer, lighter room. With the ceiling and other elements, having less dominent flooring is a better choice as well. Just make sure the undertone works; ie: second tile to the top has more grey and less yellow, which I think is important.

Maureen --right, that's how I feel, between the orange accent wall, green beams, and wood ceiling with the stone --the room is already quite busy. (Also we will have a mint backsplash in the kitchen.) The key esthetic of MCM is minimalism --and I feel I need to counterbalance all that business with less, not more. I know this white cork is not what they did back in the day, but it has the look of the classic MCMs: THEY used vinyl, but I don't want vinyl. Cork is anti-mold, protects against termites (another problem we had), and does not burn. It is soft and easy on the back. We were able to get our cork in 2'X2' tiles. Our house is not designed by a famous architect, it was designed by my father-in-law, an engineer. It will never be designated a historic building --and I have already replaced the kitchen, all the bathrooms, trying to stay true to the period, but not a stickler. After all, the old MCM was completely unlivable. No AC/ freezing, bright blue carpet from the 1950s, no ventilation in the kitchen, etc etc. It was original but not livable. There are houses in our neighborhood that are designated historic buildings, and those that do the best they can to echo the era --and ours is the latter. None of these get every detail right. You see some with wide plank wood floors --wrong!! Some with vinyl white windows --wrong!! Some with shaker kitchen cabinets --wrong!! My white cork floor may also be not exactly right but I'm feeling it's better for me than vinyl.

I would choose the one right in the middle. I currently have multi color slate but if it fails I would install Expanko Heirloom cork tiles. I figured I'd have to finish them myself though. I like that your supplier is finishing them and that you have a choice. Who are you using? TIA.