Absolutely mulch mow oak leaves! While the initial soil response is slightly acidic, the long-term impact is near-neutral. Late stage organic material tends to have a pH right around 6.5, or just where your soil should be anyway (which is not a coincidence). I mulch the leaves from my pin oak every year, and one year I imported over a hundred bags of leaves, about a third oak. Oak leaves do tend to be a bit more solid than some other deciduous leaves, so will take a little longer to decay. That's not a problem, they'll go eventually, but you may have some leaf litter on your lawn over winter the first year. The soil organisms just aren't up to speed on heavy leaf applications yet. They'll get there.

Strange things can happen. I know of two Quercus rubras, planted simultaneously, in the same park, in fact right next to each other. Both trees have grown well, but one is sickly chlorotic yellow, the other bright and deep green. Go figure!

Kentrees, I am likely wrong about the Willow oak being tardily deciduous then, they really aren't seen around here in my area. Really my area has very little diversity in tree planting. Even the high falutin (likely misspelled) neighborhoods have the same old trees, Dogwood, Flowering Pear, Silver Maple, Arborvitae, Pin oak, Redbud, Red Maple, Crabapples, mostly small trees, or they shear them into submission each year. I planted a Sawtooth oak once, and then I read that they usually live about 80 years MAX, so I cut it down. I have a Compton's oak there now. I'm guessing it's life span will be about 500 years (maybe). It is a hybrid of Overcup oak and Live oak. Overcup may live 300 years, and Live oak 1,000 yrs, so at least 500 yrs, and I'm being stingy. But, this is my yard, and likely in several hundred years someone elses yard, so, it's likely some person will intervene and cut this trees life span off if it is "in the way" of their landscaping plans. I sure hope not. But, to tell ya the truth, I don't have any kids, and I am not likely to be having any before I'm too old, so I can't say that my property will not be clear cut after my brother passes away. My brother is much younger than me so unless he sells an acre or 2 once I croak, which he may do, I can't say for sure that all my oaks will live out there life expectancy anyway. I do know that I cut all the grass now with our lawn tractor, my brother has never cut grass, once I'm an old granny, and too old too cut grass, he may want to sell off some of our property, because he'll have to cut the grass. Well, maybe he won';t, I've been trying to get groundcovers growing under my trees, but, most of them aren't large enough to cast enough shade. I know that once the trees cast enough shade, and unless we are in a drought, some groundcovers can take hold under some trees, maybe not all. but, there's a chance that groundcovers can grow fine u nder several of my trees, I'm sorry guys, I'm a bit drunk, but, I think I'm still making some sense. I will say something that i have heard many times, the Sawtooth oak, is weakwooded, and grows fast but doesn't live very long, I am not sure about their acorns being very well chosen for wildlife, because I don't even know if thwy are considered white or red, but IF I HAD to say 1 or the other, I would SAY RED.

I suggest getting samples and seeing what you like. You do have to be careful with too much gray with warm wood. Neither does anything for the other, though gray is fine in small or light doses or using a warm gray - which often has a green or beige undertone. I have seen a movement away from lots of gray in newer design pics - it has been a bit overdone, though continues to have a place as a neutral in many designs. My countertop actually does have some warm creams and a hint of beige though along with some gray tones though it doesn't show so much in the previous picture: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~120929431 If you want a nearly white with some light pattern, look at LG Soprano quartz or Witch Hazel in Corian - there are many others, but my mom also has oak cabinets and those were two I saw that might work if you did not want too much movement in the countertop. Granites are also pretty though some are very busy and sometimes that can be a bit much with oak. The black granites work well - but that can really darken a kitchen - be sure to get the under cabinet lighting if you go dark. Sometimes the sample size at the store is so small it is hard to get a good idea of the big picture, so look online or better yet in kitchen and bath stores to see if you can find a kitchen display with a large countertop that looks good with warm wood. Take a door with you to hold up to samples too. Also, nothing wrong with laminate - I've seen many pretty ones. If ordering laminate, your backsplash will look best if it starts at the countertop just like the one you have now - don't get the built in 4" splash that is often added to laminate.