the honey hickory is on oak.....not the species hickory..right ? its rather a tight galley..I think you could get oak base cabinets in a darker stain to align in a coordinated way w floor. that means about the same shade or a shade lighter or even darker [I'd probably go the darker route- i think darker looks good with oak] then the lighter counter/light backsplash and white wall cabs . so going from lower to upper the space feels airier / lighter because of the narrow room is the reasoning. I dont think I'd pay for a full painted kitchen..good painted cabs are more money and knicks and dings are so likely here . Take the hard wearing choices / .floor is very nice. Here is dark walnut cabs w dark hardwood floor and light uppers. Walnut is great but pricey [this space is more custom] but you get the idea of the tones.

White and walnut kitchen · More Info

Iron Ore would be very dark. I don't usually like the two color look, but if you really like dark colors then restricting it to the lower cabinets would brighten up the room. I think the room is too small and not open enough to have all dark cabinetry. But I think you're doing things in the wrong order. It is a good idea to pick a floor, then cabinets, but now you need to look for the source for your cabinets and see what choices they have in finishes. You might have to adjust your floor choice according to the options available. Unless you're getting custom the choices will not be unlimited. Then look for a counter after you decide on your cabinets. I like Taj Mahal also, but are you going to let that drive your cabinet choice?

Clarifying a few things… the floors are hickory, the species, not oak. I, too, am not a fan of two-toned cabinets and do not want light/ white ones. Been there, done that. However, am concerned with it being too dark, even if it is a east-facing space with lots of light. The kitchen flows into the main room and will be all hardwood, which is why I’m considering painted cabinets to avoid overdoing the wood. Yet, the cost of painted cabinets may be the deciding factor 😄Yes, we are going with Taj Mahal counters for a number of reasons. The cabinets will be custom, so finding a match should not be an issue. Before meeting with the cabinet maker, I want to go in with solid ideas vs. being talked into something without doing my research. So thank you all for your responses.

Are you sure that is hickory? It looks like oak to me.

I think I would want some relief from all the wood, especially in a galley kitchen. Since you don’t want another light kitchen, I’d consider pulling one of the darker colors from your Taj Mahal quartzite slab. If painting is too costly, I’d sample many different tones of stain that complement that beautiful floor.

@ffpalms- great idea! Thank you